Final Project¶
This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to getting used to the documentation process.
Final Project plan and idea introduction¶
Promoting Ecosystem Health Robot¶
I have an idea to make a robot, which will heal the whole ecosystem by his some functions. Ensuring a good environment is directly connected to human life and its well-being. This equipment provides a chance to solve issues and contribute to more extensive solutions. Robot has a sampler, which allows to dig into the ground, insert the sample and lift it up. Also I did some research and find a brilliant reference for my final project’s robot. You can get acquainted with it by clicking here. It is a car-sized Mars rover designed to explore the Jezero crater on Mars as part of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission-named Perseverance.
Promoting Ecosystem Health Equipment’s primary sketch. Thinking around formation, modeling, function and how it will all work together.
After that I modeled some primary model and superficially determine where to put measuring objects like lidars, sensors, camera and etc. As my robot have to measure surfaces, objects and determine ranges.
The sampler’s sequence of operations schematically¶
Processes of working robot¶
| How it works |
|---|
| 1. Robot is being taken into the appointed place. |
| 2. Scans the appointed place. |
| 3. Perceives from where to take a sample. |
| 4. Gets to that place. |
| 5. Starts to dig into the soil |
| 6. Raises the taken sample |
| 7. Transports the sample from the collection point to the storage chamber |
| What problems solves the Robot |
|---|
| helps to take a sample in hard-to-reach areas |
| makes sample taking process faster |
| contributes to the health of ecosystems |
Also I think it could be brought to a planned place by drone.
Designing 3D printed object¶
I started modeling something that will help me with my final project on week 05. So I modeled a bearing, that is a part of my project. In it there are many other components, but I chose to print only bearing, so that it will not take much time and will be less problematic.
I had a research of bearing types, models that were already 3D printed. Here you can find many usefull models.
So by finding working model of bearing I started making my own, with my sizes and shapes I want. I modeled it using SolidWorks.
Here you can see section, where you’ll find out there’s actually not balls, but some other object. That’s for easy print. As you can see after, all works pretty well. It was my first experience in using 3d Printer.
In the bottom side, from where 3D printer started to print balls of the bearing was quite stuck with the outer part. So fleam helped me to remove the unneccessery parts.
3D Model
Stepper motor in work¶
I tested my motor in 6th week.
After I started experimenting with speed.
Input devices for my project¶
I plan using color sensor for my plates, in which my sample will move to, after digging.
TCS3472 color sensor¶
I tried to work with the TCS3472 color sensor. This is a color light-to-digital converter equipped with an IR blocking filter.
IR (Infrared) blocking filter is a component which helps to block or minimize infrared wavelengths and allow visible light to pass through. As a result, it brings to color accuracy.
So TCS3472 has Red, Green, Blue (RGB), and Clear Light Sensing: The TCS3472 provides digital values for these color channels.
I asked COPILOT to provide me with some information about this device:
RGB LED Backlight Control: Ideal for adjusting backlight colors.
Light Color Temperature Measurement: Useful for assessing lighting conditions.
Ambient Light Sensing (ALS): Enables automatic display brightness adjustments in devices like cell phones, notebooks, and TVs.
Product Color Verification and Sorting: Useful in industrial processes.
Solid State Lighting (SSL) and Digital Signage.
Health/Fitness Products, Medical Diagnostic Equipment, and more.
The guidline of TCS3472 RGB Light Color Sensor With Arduino helped me a lot in this experience.
After connecting all, I found the code, that could be helpful, for experimenting with this sensor.
By downloading and opening it in Arduino IDE I made my first try and hold a blue object in front of the sensor. In serial monitor it started to write RGB code numbers,
which Isearched in website, where you can type RGB numbers and it will give the color shade.
After I tried this with red, blue, black and yellow objects.
V-154-1C25 end switch¶
Now I don’t really know where I will use end switch, But I think for my robot there will be need for that.
So I brought an end switch, and programmed it. It is commonly used as a limit switch or a position sensor.
V-154-1C25 has three pins that which functions are:
VCC: It provides the necessary voltage for the switch to operate. - 5V power GND: This pin is connected to the ground. Signal: This pin is used to read the switch state. You can connect it to any digital pin to detect the switch status.
In photo below you can see the switch and it’s pins, which are connected to the power and turned on the LED.
Here you can see how it works. I powered it with 12V.
Also by changing turned on pins locations, we can make it work vice versa. - It will turn on lights when switch is not pressed.
I used RP2040 microcontroller.
One of the switche’s pins I connected to my microcontroller’s GND pin, and the other one to a digital pin, which is the 2nd pin in Arduino.
And using this pin, I asked COPILOT to write a code for me, by which I will see the process in serial monitor.
As you can see, in previous pushed code I changed Serial.println("End switch is not pressed."); this sentence to Serial.println("----------------");
Because of that you can see in picture below this sentences.
Materials¶
| Qty | Description | Price | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Material one | 22.00 $ | http://amazon.com/test | Order many |
| 1 | Material two | 22.00 $ | http://amazon.com/test | |
| 1 | Material three | 22.00 $ | http://amazon.com/test | |
| 1 | Material five | 22.00 $ | http://amazon.com/test | |
| 1 | Material eight | 22.00 $ | http://amazon.com/test | |
| 1 | Material twelve | 22.00 $ | http://amazon.com/test | |
| 1 | Material eleven | 22.00 $ | http://amazon.com/test |