We have a problem in our office. We don't have a receptionist but we do have an automatically locking electronic door. We also have lots of people visiting from other offices who don't have keys, so they have to ring the buzzer to be let in. And then we have to get up and go to the reception desk and press the button to open the door. This happens sometimes dozens of times a day and very quickly starts to get annoying.
As you can imagine we started discussing ways we could get round the problem by, for example, using very long poles to reach out and prod it but these were dismissed as impractical. Then we considered using some sort of remote actuator, such as a USB connected robotic arm. As luck would have it, we had a USB rocket launcher already in the office. All we needed to do was hook it up to the PC on the reception desk, set up a remote desktop server and we could drive the missile launcher from our desks and prod it into the button.
So, without further ado, I present DORA* our new receptionist.
Above is the remote desktop screen for controlling her. Below is some video, of her in action.DORA in action:
Plans for DORA2 include a webcam so we can see if the visitor has made it in and a loudspeaker to tell them to sign in. We also have an API so may be able to update DORA's interface to a web page with a single click to open the door.
DORA's proud parents:
*Door Opening Robotic Arm
Excellent work
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