top of page
MagPlug
Over the course of a year, I lead a team of 9 student engineers to develop a product making electrical outlets more safe and accessible. Product development included brainstorming product features, rapid prototyping, electrical work, product testing, user interaction studies, and many design iterations to create the product in use today.
Role / Lead engineer
Date / June 2021-June 2022
Skills / CAD, Electronics Design, Project Management
Company / Venture Health Studio LLC
The Problem
Wall outlets have become an integral component in powering devices. Though wall outlets are essential to the usage of electronic devices, their functionality can create difficulties or safety risks for users. The design of the plug poses a risk of tripping over cords and the dexterity and mobility needed to plug a device in can create a challenge for those with reduced functionality in their hands. Additionally, wall outlets allow for exposed live voltage through their insert holes. Children with small fingers or someone sticking a foreign object into the holes can easily injure themselves.
The Product
To address this issue, we created MagPlug, a powering mechanism that allows a cord to more easily disconnect from a wall outlet when pulled, which improves safety and ease of use. For example, if a young child runs into a cord attached to MagPlug, our product’s magnetic components will disconnect, causing the wire to fall to the floor rather than staying in place and causing the child to trip and fall.
The design centers around having a faceplate that plugs into the wall with indented sockets that two adapters interface with. The adapter is a device that standard cables can plug into. The adapter and faceplate attach to each other using magnets and have electrical contacts. The faceplate also has a spring loaded barrier system which covers the electrical interfaces of the faceplate until adapters unlock them, assuring complete electrical safety. Rendered designs of MagPlug can be seen below as well as an Alpha level prototype.
Patenting
Once our design was finalized, I also headed the efforts to patent it. I consulted with a patent lawyer and drafted the provisional which was submitted in May of 2022. The product is now patent pending.
bottom of page