Week 17 Assignment: propose a final project that integrates the range of units covered

Go back HOME

Although I have tentatively decided to design and fabricate a "Terrestrial Rover that picks up Cigarette Butts" I am having second thoughts about the final level of complexity that this final project will include :)

Please find a few sketches of the initial idea behind my final project:

                       


Project Inspiration

The inspiration for this project came as a result of ideating what would be "cool to build" that "I've never attempted before". As a curator of maker events in Bangalore, India (where I reside) I am familiar with organizing plenty of events and initiatives that focus on smaller projects with discrete outcomes that can be completed in a day -- I wanted to get outside my comfort zone and try something really big with the help of my peers in Fab Academy, as well as with the support of the huge Maker community I have the privilege of being associated with in Bangalore (Bangalore Makespace).

Although the idea for the Terrestrial Robot with mini Robot Arm was something I conceived -- I realized that there were probably many such ideas and conceptualizations by others. The closest match to my idea that I found online happened to be images and instructions on how to create "Bomb Disposal Robots" (first and last pictures) in addition to a "Space Rover":

                       
                                                        The "Termenator" Bomb Disposal Robot[Source]                                                                                                                   The "Interact Centaur Fibreglass Space Robot" [Source]                                                               The "ICO CAL-MINI (Mini-CALIBER Robot SWAT Robot)" [Source]


Project Breakdown

All the above real world example models helped me better structure my build. I decided I could go in two different routes -- the academic route based on tons of engineering drawings and careful measurements, numerous CAD models and some precise (but minimal) fabrication OR via the DIY route: which involved tons of iterations, tons of fabrication experiments using wood, metal, used and bought components and a lot of educated guesswork! Naturally, true to maker spirit, I chose the DIY route ;)

I divided the overall build into 3 distinct stages:
Rover Build: Design and Fabrication of the moving terrestrial robot portion of the overall build
Robot Arm Build: Design and Fabrication of the robot arm which would sit on top of the moving rover which would pick up the actual cigarette butts.
Partial Object Recognition and Obstacle Detection: Programming and Assembly of a potential camera/visual recognition system for the overall build


Stage 1: Rover Build and Assembly

The Rover was the most fun aspect of this entire robot project! I have been inspired by mobile robotics for as long as I can remember, and Fab Academy gave me a chance to try some things I'd always wanted to, but kept putting off. I modeled the Rover based on an Arduino UNO microcontroller and varieties of motor driver modules, one of which included an L293 Motor Driver. I used pre-defined metal chassis' and readymade low-cost injection molded wheels to test the kinematics of the rover during initial prototyping, along with the drivetrain consisting of four 500 RPM geared DC motors. The visuals below highlight this experimentation

                       

Ultimately, this is what I was able to create using the resources I had with me at the time:

                       




Stage 2: Robot Arm and Assembly

The Robot Arm was probably the most challenging aspect of this final project. I knew I had set myself up for multiple challenges when I first conceived the plan to attach an arm to a mobile robotic platform! However, I was a bit obsessed by the idea that my mobile robot had to "do something". In my mind, a utility-based rover that had an arm to "pick stuff up" seemed the most logical. Little did I know how not-so-straightforward this task would be! The visuals below highlight the various experiments I carried out to create different study models for the final arm in question:

                       

As per the assignment's instructions I have tried to answer these questions:

  1. What will it do?

    2. The "Cigarette-butt picking mobile robot" will first and foremost be a robot that is mobile e.g. it will take on the form of a "Rover" and will have the facility of "picking up" small cylindrical soft items like cigarette butts. This picking-up mechanism will be enabled by a Robot Arm of sorts - which will be fixed on the upper side of the actual rover.

  2. Who's Done What Beforehand?

    3. There have been many attempts, both successful and semi-successful at realizing such a mobile robot platform, perhaps not as much as a dedicated machine to pick up cigarette butts, but definitely in terms of form and shape e.g. "Bomb Disposal Robots" which happen to be both autonomous and non-autonomous mobile rover/robot platforms with complex and articulated robot arm mechanisms capable of carrying out complex tasks such as disabling live bombs! One source of this information can be found @ http://someinterestingfacts.net/how-does-a-bomb-disposal-robot-work/

  3. What Materials and components will be required?

    4. Plenty of things :)

  4. What Processes will be used?

    5. A lot of electronics design, embedded programminga and custom electronics production for the most part. Some digital design with 3D Printing as well as milling/machining in wood may also need to be carried out.

  5. What tasks need to be completed?

    6. The majority of tasks will fall into the following buckets:

  6. What questions need to be answered?
  7. What is the schedule?
  8. How will it be evaluated?
  9. "Projects can be separate or joint, but need to show individual mastery of the skills covered"
  10. "Where possible, you should make rather than buy the parts of your project"
Assignment Updates are still in progress!

Go back HOME