Ford Motor Company is a multinational automotive manufacturer based in Dearborn, Michigan, employing 202,000 employees and producing a total of 6.6 million vehicles in 2017.

Ford’s Greenfield Labs in Palo Alto, California is made up of a cross-functional team of researchers who often acquire cutting edge hardware. Upon completion of each research project, these devices often find their way to the back of a drawer or a storage rack within the lab.

Our “SHARED” system, or Shared High-value Asset Reallocation Enablement Device Locker System showcases these devices in such a way to encourage more efficient use. Unlike most lockers, which hide objects stored within, our system enables the process of walk-up, check out, and basic tracking of the assets inside.

When an employee checks out or in an item, it is done using our cross-platform app that requires authentication and unlocks the locker. Locker reservations save the requested item at a specific date and time that is set by the user. Administrators keep track of devices, as well as monitor what devices are used.

There are three colors of LED lights that indicate the current status of a locker. Green is for available, yellow is for reserved, and red is for unavailable.

Our system utilizes a Raspberry Pi device to control a cluster of lockers. The corresponding software is written with React and React Native to support web, Android, and iOS platforms. The status of all lockers is displayed within the applications as well as within the physical locker itself.