Easy Kennel
Automatic Dog Kennel Opener for Easy Accessibility
Designed for a Person with Cerebral Palsy
Role
Motor Mount & Enclosure Design
Team
Four-person engineering team
Client
Danny & service dog Korey
Tools
Fusion 360, rapid prototyping, arduino, stepper motors, servos
The Challenge
Danny, a wheelchair user with cerebral palsy, could not independently operate his service dog’s kennel. The existing latch required a pinching motion and considerable dexterity, was difficult to see, and could be obstructed by his wheelchair—limiting his personal autonomy.
The Solution
A retrofitted commercial kennel with a servo to release the latch and a stepper motor to open and close the door. A large accessible button provided simple control while the mechanism preserved manual operation during a power loss.
My Contribution
I owned the mounting and protection of the door-actuation hardware and the enclosure for the accessible control button.
Mount
Designed and installed the stepper-motor mount that transferred motor rotation to the mechanism responsible for opening and closing the door.
Enclose
Created a casing for the large push button, producing a stable and accessible control interface for the user.
Protect
Designed a protective cover for the exposed stepper motor and its moving components while maintaining a compact profile.
Human-centered Engineering
Interviews identified three barriers: the latch was difficult to see, required a pinching motion, and could be obstructed by the wheelchair. The large-button interface translated those observations into a simple physical control.
Controlled stepper speed limited abrupt door movement. The system also preserved manual opening, closing, locking, and unlocking so the kennel remained usable during power loss or maintenance.
Design, Integrate & Test
A large stock button that unlocks the kennel and opens the door when pressed. A custom enclosure secures the button and organizes the hardware for the electronics within.
The mounted stepper motor drives the door mechanism while allowing controlled motion and manual operation if power is lost.
The mounted stepper motor drives the door mechanism while allowing controlled motion and manual operation if power is lost.
Results
$120
Final Prototype Cost
Easy Acess
Large button that signals a latch release + door motion
Still in Use Today
The final system reached the required internal temperature, visibly progressed through yellowing and first crack, produced adequate bean lofting with no tipping or facing, and transferred the roasted batch into the cooling tray.