This week, I primarily researched different pick up mechanisms for our garbage cleaning robot in order to finalize our parts ordering list. Hirani and I are collaborating on a design sketch for the upcoming design presentation. Along with the process, we became uncertain of using a scoop mechanism to pick up trash items. The concerns were that it would be too time consuming to pick up garbage with the scoop and would involve more physical complexity (i.e. adding a robotic arm) that makes it challenging to debug for the upcoming integrations. As a result, we thought the roller mechanism, which was one of our initial ideas, would be better suited for our project. Subsequently, we we talked with a professor through Slack and had a meeting with our TA to share our design thought process and get insights for some unforeseen situations that we need to consider when switching to a roller mechanism from a scoop.
Following our discussions, we’ve received a confirmation that it would not be harmless to incorporate the roller mechanism but also offer great advantages for our project. Consequently, we have finalized our thought regarding the critical component of our robot. Also, we changed the base to be made out of acrylic and aluminium extrusions instead of wood as it is lighter but sturdier with nuts and bolts. Finally, I’ve defined the minimum trash size (compressed crumpled paper) to be approximately 1.5inches wide and the maximum to be around 4.5 inches (a height of a water bottle).
Based on the gantt chart, my progress is on schedule.
In the next week, I’ll be working on:
- Design presentation slides
- Define software requirements for motion and obstacle avoidance
- Connect and set up a camera
- Finalize the design sketch with my team
- Build and cut out acrylic for the base
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