OmniPlug

School: Bergen County Academies, Hackensack. NJ Instructor: Joseph DeFalco The current US outlet design is flawed. There are many safety and ease of use issues related to the current design. For instance, outlet prongs can still be touched when plugged in, presenting an electrical hazard and a safety hazard for people who may accidentally touch the prongs. In addition, the polarity of many plugs means that it can often only be plugged in one way. Additionally, alignment must be exactly correct in order to plug a cable in, meaning that it cannot be plugged in under low-light. My design is for a new type of outlet that attaches magnetically. The ring structure of the outlet means that a cable can be plugged in in any direction. Magnets in both the outlet and the plug means that the plug automatically aligns itself when placed close to the outlet. Additionally, the OmniPlug is far safer than US outlets. Because the outlet is completely inset from the surface, there is never exposed wire while power is flowing. In addition, my outlet contains extra contacts for presence detection. Wall power would only flow through the outlet when a plug is plugged in, which is enabled by relays and a 5V regulator placed inside the outlet, as seen in renderings and the components file. In the end, the OmniPlug solves the problems that plague our lives multiple times a day and is a much safer and easier to use alternative to traditional US wall outlets. As there are no commercial current solutions for magnetic outlets, this design is a new outlet concept, yet still another iteration on humanity’s progression through power attachment systems. There are many different potential 3D printing technologies that may be used for the OmniPlug, ranging from FDM to SLA, SLS, and PolyJet. Each technology has its own unique advantages. SLA allows one to create high quality parts that are very accurate, while SLS is able to print without supports, as unsintered powder allows for the self-supporting of