Virtual Keypad on an access point

Problem

We currently rely upon manually pushing a button e.g. elevators, pedestrian crossings, door entry systems, sanitizer dispensers, etc. We know that the Covid-19 virus can survive on metal, glass, and plastic for as long as nine days unless they are properly disinfected. Some can even hang around for up to 28 days in low temperatures which might be the case in air-conditioned ATMs.

As the lockdown has been lifted and people are returning to their normal lives, there is an urgent need to tackle this problem and build devices to avoid touching keypads in public places such as in wending machines and ATMs.

But in the ATMs even which are equipped with NFC, we are still required to manually enter the ATM PIN through the keypad. So providing a solution for a touchless keyboard interface is a must.

Solution

This product prototype aims to provide a wireless interface for a device that has multiple keys such as ATMs. The Arduino MKR WiFi 1010 acts as an access point providing a virtual keyboard interface.

We can control the buttons using a servo motor for each button placed directly above it. The keypresses on the virtual keyboard are identified and the corresponding servo motor is actuated.

PCA9685 is a 16- Channel 12-bit PWM/Servo Driver which can be controlled via an I2C interface. We can even create a chain of PCA9685 to control more than 16 servos.