Access Locked Doors with Color Cards

If you need to secure an area, RFID readers work well, as do magnetic stripe devices. But what if instead of reading a magnetic imprint when a card is swiped, a reader recognized a pattern of colors? That’s the idea behind the Color Lock system by Rudec Technologies.

In its current form, the Color Lock uses an Arduino Uno to shine different shades of light on a what looks like a very colorful credit card as it’s swiped through a slot. A TCS230 color sensor then measures this reflected pattern, relaying the information back to the Arduino. This configuration means that a new card can be made with a normal printer, which would be both an advantage as far as replacement, and a possible security liability if a card was somehow photographed or memorized.

Future plans for Color Lock include migrating the project to an ESP32 board, allowing it to host a web server for administration and monitoring as needed. Also on deck is an aluminum housing and solenoid locking coil. It will certainly be interesting to see where this project and this concept goes, but for now check out how it functions in the video below, blinking an LED when it receives the correct pattern.