“Within Reach” Automated Shelf Lowering System

Cabinets and shelving units are a feature that make organization and storage convenient in homes around the world. The height of cabinets is advantageous in that in increases storage space, but also inconveniently makes the shelves difficult and dangerous to access. Children, the elderly, and members of the disabled community have reported resorting to unsafe improvisions to reach inaccessible shelves. This limitation greatly reduces the shelving space that can be safely and actively utilized. With these factors considered, an automated shelving system has been designed and fabricated as a proof of concept to lower the top shelves to an accessible height. This product consists of a mount, shelf housing unit, and deployment system. Unlike other products that are currently available, this design can be installed in virtually any standard size cabinet. The system has rack and pinion mechanisms that are attached to compact square-face DC gearmotors to move the shelf housing out of the cabinet and downwards within a matter of seconds. The wireless controller has also made it easy and convenient for users to bring the housing in and out of the cabinet with the push of a button. The functionality of the automated shelf lowering system met the criteria to improve the safety of the consumers and the optimization of shelf storage space. This product could be altered to be more widely produced and distributed to improve accessibility to those that need it. Modifications could consist of construction method, improved user interface and customization, and aesthetic. Safety features could be enhanced to encompass a wider range of possibly dangerous situations by adding additional sensors and housings to enclose gears and other pinch points. In lieu of these features, the system successfully serves as a proof of concept to be improved upon in these ways in the future