iDeskSweeper
For this project, I worked remotely with the same two engineers as the Robotic Gripper project. For this project, we aimed to demonstrate our knowledge of Arduino systems by creating a robot which cleared trash off the users desk. After brainstorming, we settled on a mounted design which scanned an area on the users desk and swept an arm across said area when trash was found into a trash can below.
This project put a serious emphasis on our teamwork, and really taught me to trust in my fellow engineers abilities. At the time, I lacked all but basic knowledge of coding. I was able to design and build the circuits required for the build, but in order to test them I had to wait for code snippets written by my team. The teammate who proved most proficient with Arduino code was struggling with the physical components, so he had to write the code and we could only test it on my setup. Through back and forth testing, debugging, and iterating, we were able to not only successfully create a working desk sweeper but also help each other learn in the process. My teammate taught me to be a more proficient in Arduino code, and I coached him through the construction of his own prototype. By the end, I was extremely satisfied with this project, not only because of a successful result but also because of the personal growth and successful teamwork along the way.
Brainstorm Sketches
The first sketch, on the left, is the original design sketch of this approach of solving this problem. Once we selected that design, we fleshed out the idea with a more detailed drawing, shown on the right.
Final Design
The final design of the iDeskSweeper features an ultrasonic distance sensor mounted on top of a servo motor to find the trash on the desk, and a stepper motor to power the wiper blade which displaced the trash into the waiting trash can below. Once started, the sensor begins scanning the area, rotating back and forth until it finds something. Once it does, the blue indicator LED lights up letting the user know that it has found trash to be swept. The stepper motor then activates, sweeps the trash off the desk, then resets. Once it is finished, a piezo buzzer beeps to let the user know the found trash has been taken care of and it will now resume sweeping the area.
iDeskSweeper Final Demo
This is a demonstration of the final design, which successfully scans the desk for trash and deposits it in the trash can.
What could be improved?
If I were to make an improved version of the iDeskSweeper, I would change the overall design. As it is, the area covered by the wiper blade is a quarter circle area. Instead, I would move the whole robot to the back of the desk where it would sense straight towards the front. When it scans trash, I would have it push out from the back towards the front of the desk, sort of like a snow plow, to displace the trash into the can in a much larger rectangular area.