Household Amazon Locker for Reduction of Shipping

Material Waste
Daniel Bradford, Austin Briggs, Justin Fiaschetti, Adam Kotler

December 15th, 2019

ME 360: Product Design

Professor Greg Blonder
Fall 2019
Executive Summary:

Delivering over 600 million packages a year, Amazon is one of the largest contributors to
packaging waste. To eliminate the need for additional packaging, we have designed and
constructed a prototype for an Amazon locker for the home where drivers can simply drop off
items in the manufacturer’s packaging.

Sheet Steel Electronics

Locker Box

Reflective Locking
Insulation Mechanism

Limit Battery
Switch Container

Figure 1: Locker interior with electronics and locking mechanism shown

This personal Amazon Locker eliminates the significant environmental impact, personal
frustration, and expense of last-mile shipping packaging. The addition of a refined electronic
interface with the potential for integration into the Amazon app allows for an improved package
delivery experience for both drivers and consumers. Additional features such as insulation, data
analytics, and theft prevention provide further incentive for Amazon and their customers to
incorporate this locker into their delivery scheme.
 Table of Contents
Problem Statement 1

Scope of Design Solution 1

Critical Path Resolution 2

Prototype Design

Design Choices 3

Manufacturing 4

Electronics 7

Product Cost Analysis 8

Prototype Performance 11

Long Term Design Goals 12

Conclusion 13

Appendices 14
Problem Statement:

Amazon’s current packaging scheme, consisting of cardboard boxes and padded

envelopes, is well-suited for their high-volume output; however, their high quantity of deliveries
leads to significant buildup of used packing materials. Although all of Amazon’s packaging is
100% recyclable, it becomes the consumer’s job to properly dispose of the cardboard or
envelopes, which doesn’t always occur, especially when deliveries are frequent. To cut down on
shipping waste by eliminating the need for additional packaging, we have designed and
prototyped an Amazon Locker for the home where drivers can drop off items in the
manufacturer’s packaging.
Although there are many products currently on the market targeted at preventing package
theft, such as locking drop boxes and patio furniture with storage space for package drop offs,
these solutions do nothing to reduce the waste produced in the shipping process. While these
products could be used to receive items in the manufacturer’s packaging without the need for
external packaging, this is not logistically feasible due to the liability and uncertainty it would
create for Amazon. By establishing a first party drop off receptacle capable of tracking deliveries
and user pickups, our product offers a solution to the growing problem of excessive shipping
waste generation.

Scope of Design Solution:

Given this prototype had to be completed in the course of a semester within the allotted
budget of $300, compromises had to be made to limit the scope of the product. The first
limitation we decided on was the size of package that could be accommodated by the locker.
Although Amazon does ship large items, like televisions and furniture, a vast majority of
deliveries consist of packages with volumes less than two thousand cubic inches, so this metric
became the upper limit for our design. In addition to limiting the size of the locker, we chose to
purchase a prefabricated sheet steel locker rather than constructing our own to save both time
and money.
Next, we reduced the desired extent of our electronics to remain practical and under
budget for this course. While we would’ve liked to have custom printed circuit boards with
dedicated microprocessors for our specific tasks, that was not feasible for our timeline or budget;
however, by using the Arduino platform, we were able to achieve the desired results in a budget

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and time efficient manner for this prototype. In addition, our preliminary idea consisted of
having the drivers and user interact with their locker over Wi-Fi through the Amazon app, but
this obviously could not be achieved for this prototype due to Amazon’s closed platform. To
mimic the desired scenario while remaining practical for this course, we decided to develop our
own application to interface with the locker over Wi-Fi.

Critical Path Resolution:

When developing our preliminary design, we had to make decisions regarding the critical
issues and potential limitations in the product, which included the power system, theft-proofing,
and potential user misuse.
Because the locker opens using a servo motor after receiving input from the app over Wi-
Fi, if the locker ran out of battery, it wouldn’t be able to be opened to replace the battery. To
account for this issue, we employed a two-fold solution. First, we mounted the servo motor used
to unlock the door on a keyed cam lock such that the user could manually unlock the box if it lost
power. To allow the driver to access the locker if the battery died, we placed a weatherproof DC
barrel jack outlet on the side of the box. By connecting an external battery to the locker, the door
could be unlocked.
Although the primary purpose of this locker was to eliminate the need for external
shipping materials, it also serves to prevent package theft. In order to ensure all deliveries would
be safe, we added options to secure the locker to the ground using anchor points in the bottom of
the locker or by using a chain and padlock to secure it to a post. In addition, all driver access
would occur through the app and access would only be granted when the driver is making a
delivery. The user will have the only physical key capable of opening the locker to prevent
having a master key that would allow someone to open every locker if they obtained it.
Finally, we prioritized user experience and safety in the event of misuse. In addition to
preventing package theft through the features mentioned above, we took precautions to ensure
packages would be safe in the event of misuse. For example, the door automatically locks when
it is closed to prevent the need to remember to lock it after delivering or receiving a package.
Additionally, the presence of a keyed lock and external charge port always allows the user to
access their packages, even if they forget to replace the battery.

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Prototype Design Choices:

For the prototype we decided to use a coated steel box because it was low cost, offered
the proper dimensions for the package size metric, and was easy to modify to accommodate our
design. Additionally, the rust preventing paint allows the box to be exposed to the outdoors with
minimal fear of degradation much like a mailbox. The steel allows for the box to be more
durable, protecting against break-ins, shipping damage, and any other impacts the box may see
throughout its life.

The box contains a triplet of RGB LEDs in the top corner of the door. These LEDs allow
for a variety of different notifications to be displayed to the homeowner, the Amazon delivery
driver, and any bystanders who may see the locker being tampered with. For example, these
notifications can be used to let the homeowner know that the package has arrived when they pull
into their home coming from work by displaying a center green light. A triplet of yellow lights
provides helpful feedback letting the user know that the door has been unlocked and is able to be
opened. Figure 2 provides more examples of notification modes. The LEDs are perfect for this
application due to their low power consumption and small profile. With an infinite number of
colors, it is technically possible to display an infinite number of different notifications, but for
ease of use we have limited the colors to blue, red, green, and yellow. The quantity of LED’s was
chosen because of the design philosophy that sets of three are satisfying to the eye, as well as
providing up to 125 possible notifications using only four colors.

Lost Door Open

Connection

Package Inside Theft Alert

Return Inside Low Battery

Figure 2: Notifications displayed using RGB LED arrangement

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 In addition, we carefully planned the location of the door pull, key slot, and external
battery port to enhance the usability and visual appeal of the product. The Door pull was put at
the top of the box to allow user to more easily reach it as we expect the majority of lockers will
be placed on the ground. The key slot was placed such that the locking mechanism cleared all
internal components and was able to lock the door. The box was divided into the Golden Ratio
first for the vertical placement of the lock, and again for the placement of the door pull to make
for a pleasing ratio of component placement. The battery jack was placed on the side of the box
to keep it out of direct view which both improves aesthetics and reduces the accidental opening
of the water-resistant cover. This arrangement can be seen in Figure 3.

Door Pull

External
Keyed Lock Battery Port

Figure 3: Locations of Door Pull, Lock, and Battery Port

Manufacturing:

A prototype demonstrates not just functionality, but intuitive and meaningful design. It
must convey its potential to become an actual market-product. Proper design-for-prototyping was
performed when designing all locker box modifications and electronics housings; designs were
reviewed to guarantee easy manufacturability. All original and post-manufactured components of
the Amazon locker assembly were machined and/or modified at the BU Engineering Product
Innovation Center (EPIC).

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 Figure 4: Manufacturing selection for different components of the Amazon Locker Product

Machine selection was determined based on the function, necessity, and material of the
part. Panel modifications, such as holes and slot cutouts dictated use of hand tools and
CNC/manual mills. Simple functionality of the electronics housing permitted use of the laser
cutter for quick creation of welded acrylic box panels. A plastic-additive “3D Printing” solution
was used to create the box LED mount to convey intended future implementation of plastic
injection molding.

Figure 5: CAD of acrylic frame contour and finished anchor slots.

To manufacture the theft-protection anchor mount slots, an acrylic frame matching the profile of
the purchased false-bottom contour was milled. The difficulty in mounting and machine-zeroing
the sheet-formed panel was avoided this way. The acrylic frame cutouts were double-sided taped
to the raw panel, spotted holes were drilled, and slot contours were jig-sawed to shape.
Remaining jagged edges were deburred. Aesthetic displeasure with the result of this method
drove use of the FANUC Sharp 3-axis CNC mill for the manufacture of the front panel.

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LED indicator slots, a handle mount hole, and a cam lock hole were spotted and milled at
designed locations on the front panel.

Figure 6: CAD of the front panel with details

All components of the electronics housing boxes were laser cut using the 60-watt Epilog Mini.
The top left corner of the bottom panel was laser etched to achieve a frosted finish, which served
to evenly disperse LED indicator lights.

The LED block used to mount the indicator lights was 3D printed to substitute injection molding
for prototyping purposes.

Figure 7: CAD of the LED block; assembly within electronics box

A bracket was designed to statically fix the servo-body to the front panel while the shaft rotates.
This piece was quickly CNC milled from 6061-T6 supplied by EPIC.

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 Figure 8: CAD of servo bracket and accompanying drawing.

Electronics:

To construct the electronics for this prototype in a cost effective and accessible manner,
we utilized the Arduino platform by implementing both an Arduino Uno and Arduino Nano in
our design. The electronics for this prototype had to perform five categories of task related to the
core functions of the locker: Wi-Fi connectivity, battery life monitoring, door position and
security, LED notifications, and theft detection.

To allow the user to connect to their locker over Wi-Fi, we used an ESP2866 serial Wi-Fi
module that interfaced with the Arduino Uno at the core of the electronics. This Wi-Fi module
was programmed using a third-party service, RemoteXY, to create a smartphone application
through which the remote functionality of the locker could be demonstrated, including dropping
off and receiving packages and returns as well as notifying the user of low battery levels and
potential theft. Screen captures of this application interface can be seen in Figure 9.

Figure 9: Application used to interact with Amazon Locker

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 To monitor the battery life of the device, we implemented a simple voltage divider to
continuously evaluate the voltage of the battery. The battery voltage was checked by placing two
20kΩ resistors in series to connect the high voltage to ground. From this, the Arduino
continuously monitored the voltage across one of the resistors, which is equivalent to half the
battery voltage because the resistors are equal and signaled the user to replace the battery when it
dropped below six volts.

Control of the door lock is controlled using a 9g servo motor and a limit switch, both
linked to the Arduino Uno. When the user commands the door to open, the servo actuates to
move the locking mechanism out of the way. Once shut, the edge of the door depresses a limit
switch mounted in the lower door frame and signals the Arduino to actuate the servo again to
lock the door.

The LED notification scheme described earlier is controlled by the Arduino Uno. The
Arduino tracks logical values for stimuli like packages and return items that are modified
depending on user activity. Based on the values of these logical variables, the Arduino adjusts
the LED behaviors individually to display the appropriate information.

Continuous theft monitoring was accomplished using an Arduino Nano and MPU6050
gyroscope, which communicated potential theft to the central Arduino Uno. We were forced to
use an additional Arduino for this functionality as both the Wi-Fi and gyroscope modules
communicate via serial, which led to conflict. The gyroscope monitors the orientation of the box
and the Arduino Nano sends an alert to the Uno if the box is tipped more than 20 degrees from
its operating position, indicating the locker has been tampered with. Once a theft alert has been
triggered, it can only be shut off by pushing the reset button located on the inside of the locker,
ensuring only the user can disarm it.

Product Cost Analysis:

Throughout the process of designing the locker, it was important to keep in mind that a
large factor in determining the viability of this system was to keep cost as low as possible. The
market for a product of this type is particularly for consumers that purchase regularly from
Amazon and are homeowners. From Amazon’s perspective, this is an opportunity and incentive
for users to purchase more from Amazon and further the Amazon ecosystem. For this, choosing

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an appropriate market value and providing evidence that owning such a product is a worthwhile
investment is important. To demonstrate this point, a study done on 70,000 Amazon shoppers
shows that owning an Amazon Echo, Amazon’s home assistant which has no direct connection
to purchases from Amazon, has increased the number of Amazon purchases by 29%1. This direct
connection to being tied into the Amazon ecosystem directly makes them rely on Amazon more
for purchases. With the Amazon locker, not only would it be a reminder for the consumer to
purchase from Amazon, but it would also directly make an impact on the delivery of their
packages. Therefore, from a market control aspect alone, Amazon has a reason to offer this
product.

To determine how many people would actually purchase this product, a preliminary
market analysis was done. More detail and potentially running independent consumer studies
might be done in the future. To get preliminary numbers, the group analyzed how many people
were likely to find this product useful, Amazon Prime members that make at least one purchase
per week and own homes. A user study conducted in 2018 showed that 46% of Amazon Prime
members order from Amazon at least once per week2. By cross-checking a study of Amazon
Prime members that fall within specific household income brackets3 as seen in Table 1, along
with third quarter 2018 US Census data regarding the number of homeowners for families with
income above and below the median household income4, an estimated number of Amazon Prime
members with homes can be found.

1
Koetsier, J. (2018, June 12). Research Shows Amazon Echo Owners Buy 29% More From Amazon. Retrieved
December 13, 2019.
2
Feedvisor, “Getting to Know Your Customers: Amazon User Study 2018” in partnership with Walker Sands
Communications, Jan 10, 2018.
3
Drenik, G. (2018, October 22). Has Amazon Prime Peaked? First Signs That Membership May Be Leveling Off.
4
U.S. Census Bureau. (2019). Quarterly Residential Vacancies And Homeownership, Third Quarter 2019.
QUARTERLY RESIDENTIAL VACANCIES AND HOMEOWNERSHIP, THIRD QUARTER 2019.

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 Figure 10: Amazon Prime members broken down by income bracket

The calculations for the target customers are outlined in the table below based off the
percentages outlined above and the total number of people above 18 years of age in the United
States. This gives us a final number of target consumers of about 34 million people. For
reference, Amazon has sold about 100 million Amazon Echos5.

Table 1: Breakdown of target consumers based on household income, home ownership, Amazon
Prime membership, and frequency of deliveries
Household Income
< 35k 35k - 75k 75k - 100k 100k - 150k > 150k
[USD]
Percent of Americans6 27.9% 29.2% 12.5% 14.9% 15.5%
Percent Amazon Prime
31.7% 41.6% 48.9% 53.5% 63.3%
Members
Percent Homeowners 50.5% 78.2%
Percent Prime
Members Purchasing 46%
1+ Times Per Week
Target Consumers 5,216,082 7,164,026 5,582,326 7,280,084 8,960,490

5
Bohn, D. (2019, January 4). Exclusive: Amazon says 100 million Alexa devices have been sold.
6
Semega, Jessica, Melissa Kollar, John Creamer, and Abinash Mohanty, U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population
Reports, P60-266, Income and Poverty in the United States: 2018, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington,
DC, 2019.

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 It’s expected that adoption of the locker would follow a similar curve to that of the
Amazon Echo sales. Based off the Echo’s initial estimated sales7 divided by their current number
of sales, a number of potential customers in the first year can be calculated. This gives an
estimate of 821,000 units in the first year. By using this number of potential customers, the
pricing for manufacturing the boxes can be estimated. Clearly the largest expense will be the
steel housing of the box would be the steel housing of the box since it makes up the majority of
the construction and requires the most tooling. Everything else’s cost at scale is very small and
only requires assembly. By taking the initial costs for progressive stamping, there is a $50,000
tooling charge and a $0.05 per part maintenance fee when going through Service Stampings, Inc.
For material, each box will cost about $26.30 for an 18GA 48”x48” Cold Rolled Steel sheet
using Midwest Metal Supply’s large volume pricing. This gives a final manufacturing cost of
$26.41 per unit. By using an estimate of 4-5 times the bill of materials price for the final price,
the box would cost approximately $150 when factoring in cushion for uncalculated assembly and
electronics components. This is consistent with similar boxes on the market that don’t have the
electronics integration that this does.

One thing that Amazon may want to consider doing is to provide these boxes to their
prime members as it’s not only a way to increase their spending on Amazon but also gives the
company another opportunity to get data analytics of their consumers’ habits.

Prototype Performance:

The target objectives for the first prototype are listed below in Table 2. We chose these
objectives with the primary goal of reducing last-mile shipping waste while also addressing the
issue of package theft and user experience. Table 3 displays the final prototype specifications.

7
Dunn, J. (2016, December 28). It's been a good year for the Amazon Echo.

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 Table 2: Objectives for Preliminary Prototype of Personal Amazon Locker
Target Prototype Objectives
Waste Reduction
Theft Proofing
Automatic Locking Mechanism
Weather Proofing
Thermally Insulated
Modular Aesthetic
App Functionality/User Notification
Extended Battery Life

Table 3: Prototype Specifications of Personal Amazon Locker

Actual Specifications
External Dimensions [in] 16 x 18.5 x 12
Storage Volume [in3] 2310
Housing Composition Coated-Steel
Theft Detection Gyroscope Logic
Lock Cam Lock
Weather Proofing Spray-Painted
Thermally Insulated Mylar Space Blanket
Battery Life 8 hours [9V]
Modularity Magnetic Panels
Mounting Anchor Slots

Long-Term Design Goals:

Going forward into the next iteration of this product, a few key upgrades will need to be
made to the electronics. First, a new electronics box, made of stamped steel for cost and
durability, would be built into the door. In addition to upgrading to printed circuit boards for
higher efficiency, an antenna would be added for good reception. It would be ideal for this box to
be modular, allowing for the replacement of broken electronics or the upgrade of an out of date
system. As Amazon will want homeowners to have these boxes for as long as possible to keep
them in the Amazon ecosystem, they will not be likely to implement a planned obsolescence plan
with these. The same would go for the battery box.

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 Additionally, the aesthetic panels will be standardized and stamped to lower their cost.
Market research would have to be done to determine what the most desired patterns and colors
would be. It is possible that custom panels could be printed at a higher cost to the homeowner.

Finally, an integration of the remote access into the Amazon app would be needed to
adopt this locker into the Amazon ecosystem.

Conclusion:

Overall, our proposed personal Amazon Locker successfully reduces the significant
environmental impact of last-mile shipping packaging as well as reducing shipping cost and
package theft. The electronic interface improves the package delivery experience for both users
and drivers through potential integration into the Amazon app and ecosystem. By providing
Amazon a step further into the lives of the consumer while reducing external packaging and
providing enhanced package protection for the user, this Amazon Locker is a viable solution to
the issue of excessive shipping waste.

For us as students, this project allowed for exploration and learning in the technical side
of production with mechanical design and assembly, electronics, programming, and
troubleshooting. In addition, we gained significant insight into the logistics and methods of
product development, including product costing and market analysis, that go into making a
successful product.

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Appendix I: Prototype Budget

Table 4 below displays all the items purchased for this project using the allotted $300 budget
given to us as a part of the course. Items highlighted in yellow were purchased but not used for
the construction of the prototype.

Table 4: Items Purchased for Prototype Construction

Price Per
Item Description Supplier Quantity Cost
Unit
Metal Storage Cabinet Amazon $63.99 1 $63.99
MPU-6050 3-Axis Gyroscope Amazon $5.86 1 $5.86
ESP2866 Serial Wifi Module - 4 Pack Amazon $12.48 1 $12.48
ESP2866 Breakout Board Amazon $4.99 1 $4.99
9V Battery Connector - 10 Pack Amazon $5.85 1 $5.85
Bluetooth Serial Module Amazon $8.49 1 $8.49
RGB LEDs - 100 Pack Amazon $8.99 1 $8.99
Rustoleum Enamel Spray Paint Amazon $2.93 2 $5.86
Grabber Outdoors Survival Blanket Amazon $3.81 2 $7.42
250V-5A Limit Switch - 10 Pack Amazon $6.99 1 $6.99
Soldered Half-Sized Breadboards - 6 Pack Amazon $12.99 1 $12.99
9V Battery Clip to Barrel Jack - 5 Pack Amazon $5.99 1 $5.99
Waterproof DC Power Socket - 3 Pack Amazon $5.99 1 $5.99
Heat Shrink Wire Wrap Kit Amazon $6.99 1 $6.99
24” x 24” ABS Sheet 0.060” Thick Amazon $10.83 1 $10.83
6” x 6” Artificial Grass Patches - 12 Pack Amazon $12.99 1 $12.99
18mm Craft Magnets - 30 Pack Amazon $7.49 1 $7.49
Total Amount Used: $194.19

*Note: Arduino Uno and Nano used for this project were provided by Daniel Bradford and were
not purchased using the allotted budget and therefore are not listed above.

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Appendix II: Power Analysis Calculations

Each of the components used and their maximum current draw are listed below:
● Arduino Uno: ~50mA
● Arduino Nano: ~35mA
● 3 RGB LEDs: 20mA each, 60mA total
● ESP2866 Wi-Fi Module: 170mA
● MPU6050 Gyroscope: 3.6mA
● Servo Actuation: 0.45mA during actuation
Maximum Power Draw = 319.05mA
Time to Drain 9V Battery = (500mAh) / (319.05mA) = 1.57 hours

If operating at maximum current draw, the electronics would drain a 9V battery (500mAh) in
only 1.57 hours; however, this is grossly overestimated as from our testing, the working power
draw is much less, with a 9V battery lasting for close to 8 hours of typical use.

As mentioned prior, the next prototype iteration would not use 9V batteries, but would instead
opt for more power-dense 186050 Lithium-Ion cells with a capacity of 10,000mAh per cell. This
upgrade would allow for the locker to function for a month on two battery cells, assuming the
electronics enter a low power mode during off-use times.

Appendix III: Demonstration Video

The demo video shown during the in-class presentation can be found using the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvXyuiNaLns&feature=emb_logo

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Appendix IV: CAM Images

GibbsCAM was used to control the FANUC Sharp 3-axis CNC Mills at EPIC. The same
software was also used to create a 24”x12” template for the electronic box panels.

Servo Bracket CAM; Acryllic Frames. Similar machine coordinates were used to simplify and
accelerate manufacture.

Front Panel CAM; Manually drawn in GibbsCAM to design specifications

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Acrylic Panels for electronics boxes; PDF drawing was extracted from this template and
exported to CorelDraw for cutting on the 60-watt Epilog Mini. Required panels were
duplicated to assemble a complete box.

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