Mechanical Mousetrap

Overview

This project was designed to introduce high school students to the fundamentals of using Arduinos and writing code. Through hands-on activities and guided instruction, students gained practical experience in programming and electronics. The culmination of this project was a presentation to the Douglas County 4H directors, showcasing the students’ newfound skills and the educational value of integrating technology into their learning.

The students will create a newly innovated mousetrap designed to catch mice without harming them. Traditionally, mousetraps have been a way to control pests by setting a trap that would kill them. “Mose the Mousetrap” is designed as a humane way to catch household mice. The design senses if a mouse is in the box and uses a cable to close the door. After being caught, the mouse can be safely moved and released without harm to itself or the human handling it.

Process

This project was conducted in 2 parts. First, building the wooden box. And second, coding and attaching the Arduino.

The main part of this mousetrap is the box that holds the sensor. It is approximately 8x4x4-inches and made of 1/5-inch wood. The door to open the box is a 4x4x4-inch piece of wood with a cable attached to a gear motor that will open and close the door when triggered. On top of the box is a compartment that holds the electronic components of the system. This is to ensure that the wires and circuit board is free from harm on the outside and keeps the mouse from chewing through the wires.

The code waits until the ultrasonic sensor is triggered with movement approximately 4 inches or less from the sensor. Once this happens, the gear motor spins a certain about of times to close the door. Once the door is closed, it then waits until the switch is flipped, which will open the door to release the mouse inside.

When creating the box, we underestimated the size of the electronic components that needed to be used. Since the Arduino Uno and breadboard was larger than expected, we had to use the Sparkfun mounting plate as a top to our box to have the Arduino Uno and breadboard on the ceiling of the inside compartment. It also took some trial and error to find how many revolutions to spin and close the door without having too much tension in the cable and breaking it while also having enough tension that the mouse can’t push open the door.

Results

Through much trial and error, "Mose the Mousetrap" was finished and presented to the Directors of 4H. The team was given feedback on how to improve upon this idea, but overall most feedback was positive. 

To finish, the team made an instructional video and detailed written instructions for any student that would like to complete this project.

In the future, we would make the box smaller and sturdier. This would make the contraption more practical and reliable. With the recourses we had, we used super glue to keep the box together, which worked, however the pieces were not completely flush with each other. This gave the possibility of the mouse escaping or being able to chew its way out through the small gaps in the wood.  Additionally, we would add a gear to work with the motor so the door closes faster. This would help prevent the possibility that the mouse would get scared from the movement of the door and have enough time to escape as the door is closing.

Conclusion

In the future, we would make the box smaller and sturdier. This would make the contraption more practical and reliable. With the recourses we had, we used super glue to keep the box together, which worked, however the pieces were not completely flush with each other. This gave the possibility of the mouse escaping or being able to chew its way out through the small gaps in the wood.  Additionally, we would add a gear to work with the motor so the door closes faster. This would help prevent the possibility that the mouse would get scared from the movement of the door and have enough time to escape as the door is closing.