Drillaz

Let's Discover

Innovation Fest 2025

About Drillaz

Our NFC-based doorway tracking system offers a scalable, high-precision solution for monitoring item movement throughout your home. Starting with a single tag at the front door, the system can expand to track items room by room, giving you complete control over your belongings. Additionally, the system integrates with your home’s appliances—when you scan an NFC tag upon entering, your home appliances etc blinds, lights, and air conditioning can automatically turn on/off depending on the function you have chosen, creating a seamless smart home experience.

Core Features:
Front Door Tracking: Easily track when items are taken in or out of your home.

Room-Level Monitoring: Expand the system to individual doorways for per-room item tracking.

Smart Home Integration: Automatically trigger connected appliances like lights, blinds, and air conditioning when you enter.

Durability: Built to last with high-quality NFC tags and a robust gate design.

Compatibility: Works with all NFC-enabled devices and platforms, ensuring effortless integration.

UN SUSTAINABILITY DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Empowered and Driven:
Delivering Solutions for Global Issues

Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, by optimising energy use through the automation of appliances like lights, blinds, and air conditioning

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure by integrating cutting-edge NFC technology with smart home solutions, fostering innovation in home automation

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities by enhancing the sustainability of homes and communities through energy-efficient automation

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, encouraging responsible energy use

Goal 13: Climate Action, by reducing carbon emissions through smarter resource management and lower energy consumption

THE STORY BEGAN

DESIGN STORY

Challenges

A challenge we have faced is having to modify our product, as smartphones cannot read most RFID tags, especially UHF and HF types that require dedicated hardware. This limitation significantly impacted our original plan of using phones for direct interactions with RFID.

Solution

We decided to use NFC for direct interactions with smartphones instead

Use Case

The homeowner uses an NFC tracking system with tags on key items and readers at doorways. As tagged items (like phones or keys) move in or out, the system logs their movement. Smart appliances (lights, blinds, AC, security cameras) respond automatically based on entry or exit, enhancing security and convenience. Custom settings allow tailored responses for actions. Real-time alerts notify the homeowner if valuable items are left behind or moved unexpectedly, ensuring better energy efficiency and peace of mind.

TECHNOLOGIES

List of Essential Tools and Technologies

MiFare Classic RFID

VMA405 Vellemon RFID

Swift

DC Motor

Arduino Uno

Capcut

Temperature Sensor

Visual studio

Tinkercad

THE PROCESS

PROTOTYPE DESIGN

Our original idea for a product was going to be product that could turn all of your valuables into trackable items seamlessly

The product was a sticker that would come in 5 layers with each layer having it’s own purpose.

The first layer is a vinyl layer that could be customized for the user.

The second layer is an Near Field Communication chip that can be tapped by a phone to instantly get the user’s contact details to simplify the Lost and Found process.

The third layer is a biodegradable, heat and chemical resistant casing that housed the two chips of the sticker.

The fourth layer is a Ultra High Frequency RFID tag that was meant to send location and identification data the user’s phone in real-time.

The final layer is the adhesive layer and would allow the sticker to be stuck on to nearly any non-metallic surface.

This product was not currently viable due three factors:

UHF cannot be received by our current phones

The UHF tag would have to be battery powered to have a feasible amount of range meaning the product would no longer be a sticker

There would be no feasible or intuitive way of syncing the data between the NFC or UHF RFID tags

PLEDGE

Impact on the market

The NFC-based doorway tracking system has a significant impact on both the smart home and asset tracking markets. By combining real-time item tracking with smart home automation, the system provides an integrated solution that enhances both security and convenience. As items move through doorways, the system tracks their movement and sends alerts, preventing theft and ensuring better organisation of belongings. At the same time, it automates the home environment—when you enter through the doorway and scan an NFC tag, connected devices like lights, blinds, and the air conditioning automatically turn on, offering a seamless, hands-free experience. This combination of precise tracking and smart home automation appeals to consumers looking for an all-in-one solution that makes their home more secure, energy-efficient, and convenient. It also paves the way for expanded use in other sectors, like retail and logistics, creating new opportunities for growth in the smart technology space.

RESULTS

FINAL PRODUCT

This prototype demonstrates an RFID-based smart gate system that triggers automated actions—such as turning on an air conditioner or opening a door—when an authorized RFID tag is detected. The system is built using an Arduino Uno as the main controller, along with an RFID reader, sensors, and actuators for functionality.

System Workflow
RFID Detection

The VMA405 RFID reader scans for nearby RFID tags.

When a valid MiFare Classic RFID sticker is detected, the Arduino checks its UID against a pre-stored list of authorized tags.

Access Verification & Feedback

If authorized, the system:

Turns on a green LED

Displays “Access Granted” on the LCD

Activates the DC motor (simulating door opening or AC activation)

If unauthorized, the system:

Turns on a red LED

Displays “Access Denied” on the LCD

Optional: Temperature-Based Automation

If a temperature sensor is integrated, the system can:

Read ambient temperature

Trigger the motor (fan/AC) only if the temperature exceeds a threshold

Motor Control

The motor driver (L298N) receives signals from the Arduino to rotate the DC motor in the desired direction (e.g., opening a gate or turning a fan).

Prototype Assembly Steps
Circuit Connections

Connect the RFID reader to the Arduino via SPI (SCK, MISO, MOSI, SS).

Wire the LEDs (with resistors) to digital pins.

Attach the LCD (I2C or parallel) and adjust the contrast with the potentiometer.

Interface the motor driver with the Arduino to control the DC motor.

(Optional) Connect the temperature sensor to an analog pin.

Programming the Arduino

Use the MFRC522 library for RFID functionality.

Code logic for:

Tag validation

LED/LCD feedback

Motor activation

(Optional) Temperature-based conditions

Testing & Calibration

Test RFID scanning with different tags.

Adjust motor speed and direction.

Verify temperature readings (if applicable).