Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
42 Autonomous Cold Salad Bar
 Siddhaarta Venkatesh
Tejas Alagiri Kannan
Tinhsu Wen
 Aniket Chatterjee design_document1.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
photo1.png
photo2.png
presentation1.pdf
proposal1.jpeg
proposal2.pdf
video
# **Team:**

1. Tejas Alagiri Kannan(tejasa4)
2. Siddhaarta Venkatesh(sv39)

# **Problem:**
In the food industry, a huge number of processes are extremely rote and utilize manpower on monotonic tasks that can be replaced by an autonomous system. One such problem is the usage of manpower in assembly line format restaurants(eg, Chipotle, Forage Kitchen, Qdoba, etc.). Just as in the automation industry, where the assembly line is, in essence, replaced by 6-DoF arms and robot operators, I believe the manpower in restaurants can also be replaced by a robotic system that can provide higher efficiency. We have already seen a large number of processes getting automated in the restaurant industry, such as the automated food bar in sushi restaurants and robotic servers(not widely adapted unfortunately).

# **Solution:**
At the outset, I would like to mention that the solution does not aim to automate the entire pipeline from creating the dish to serving it. To perform highly technical dishes is a different problem in itself. I aim to make the serving process more efficient and reduce wait time. Given the ingredients, such as, chopped chicken, chopped onions, sauces, etc(which i believe is a fair starting point)

Each ingredient will have its own pipe that dispenses one specific type of dish. Once we receive instructions of what food needs to be prepared and the x # of ingredients it needs to dispense and in which order, the bowl on a conveyor belt will move back and forth to fill up with those ingredients. These ingredients are funneled from their own pipes that dispenses the ingredients, one at a time. The final box is then sealed and placed in a shaker which mixes the ingredients and it is served at the end.

# **COMPONENTS:**

# **Subsystem 1: Motion**
The bowl must be moved around the pipes to get filled. This is what we propose:

Conveyor belt: 4 idlers, 2 head pulleys, 1 NEMA 23 motor(or other), 1 gear reducer, 1 motor driver(TB6600)

1 Food storage basket, 5 individual dispensary pipes, 5 servo motors, 1 servo motor PWM controller

The dispensary pipes will be pumping out food using a servo pump filler mechanism where the servo motor will push down on the contents of the pump(in a piston like motion) and squeeze out the food). We will use the ESP32 Microcontroller series

# **Subsystem 2: User Interface**
For initial testing, simple buttons to determine which dish is chosen. The final device will involve a screen, natural interface. The simple buttons will just be regular tactile buttons. and the final screen would be an ST7789 LCD display that will show the user what food has been ordered. It will show the user what options they have chosen for their salad and how to add/remove particular items with a button press

# **Subsystem 3: Food presentation**
We expect to have the final salad, well tossed and provided to the user. So once the bowl is filled which is determined by it passing through the pipes of all its ingredients, the user will close it with a cap. the user will have the choice to have it shaked or not. That feature is an additional button after the food is dispensed. The bowl is then placed in a closed contrapment which simply rotates at high speeds to mix the food. It is a very similar design to regular boba shakers.
Shaker: 1 NEMA 23 motor, 1 gear box, 1 motor driver(TB6600)

# **Subsystem 4: Accuracy checking**
A major part of this project is to ensure efficiency. So we will incorporate a weight sensor(mini load cell), this weight sensor will track the weight of the bowl as items are being dispensed and will serve as a checker to stop the machine from over dispensing.

# **Subsystem 5: Power system**
For demonstration purposes the machine will be hooked up to a benchtop powersupply or another reliable form of powersupply similar to a benchtop like a low-grade DC power supply.

Another main component that we will add is food safe tubing to ensure that the food does not get contaminated

# **Criterions for success:**
1. The conveyor belt is able to move consistently in a way that the bowl is under the right dispenser.
2. Each dispenser is able to dispense food. This would be for both solid and liquid food, such as sauces.
3. Each dispenser is able to dispense the right amount of food or a range of food in a set range.
4. Initial prototype can, on button press, determine exact motor angles to move the components for early demo during semester
5. Final prototype can, on user request, send a signal to the microprocessor to move bowl and dispense mock food into a bowl.

# **Team work requirements:**

1. CAD every individual component in a miniature form to depict the real system (1 week)
2. Use Dev board with motor drivers to demonstrate bread board working of Criterion 1 of success. (1 week)
3. Attach devboard solution to CAD physical model to take into account motor backlash and other physical constraints like power supply issues and overheating ( 1 week)
4. Start PCB design based on the chosen direction. Soldering and debugging (3-4 weeks)
5. Final assembly and testing( 1 week)
This gives us maybe 1 week of extra leeway for any hindrances.

Modularized Electronic Locker

Jack Davis, Joshua Nolan, Jake Pu

Modularized Electronic Locker

Featured Project

Group Member: Jianhao (Jake) Pu [jpu3], Joshua Nolan [jtnolan2], John (Jack) Davis [johnhd4]

Problem:

Students living off campus without a packaging station are affected by stolen packages all the time. As a result of privacy concerns and inconsistent deployment, public cameras in Champaign and around the world cannot always be relied upon. Therefore, it can be very difficult for victims to gather evidence for a police report. Most of the time, the value of stolen items is small and they are usually compensated by the sellers (Amazon and Apple are very understanding). However, not all deliveries are insured and many people are suffering from stolen food deliveries during the COVID-19 crisis. We need a low-cost solution that can protect deliveries from all vendors.

Solution Overview:

Our solution is similar to Amazon Hub Apartment Locker and Luxer One. Like these services, our product will securely enclose the package until the owners claim the contents inside. The owner of the contents can claim it using a phone number or a unique user identification code generated and managed by a cloud service.

The first difference we want to make from these competitors is cost. According to an article, the cost of a single locker is from $6000 - $20000. We want to minimize such costs so that we can replace the traditional mailbox. We talked to a Chinese manufacturer and got a hardware quote of $3000. We can squeeze this cost if we just design our own control module on ESP32 microcontrollers.

The second difference we want to make is modularity. We will have a sensor module, a control module, a power module and any number of storage units for hardware. We want to make standardized storage units that can be stacked into any configuration, and these storage units can be connected to a control module through a communication bus. The control module houses the hardware to open or close all of the individual lockers. A household can purchase a single locker and a control module just for one family while apartment buildings can stack them into the lockers we see at Amazon Hub. I think the hardware connection will be a challenge but it will be very effective at lowering the cost once we can massively manufacture these unit lockers.

Solution Components:

Storage Unit

Basic units that provide a locker feature. Each storage unit will have a cheap microcontroller to work as a slave on the communication bus and control its electronic lock (12V 36W). It has four connectors on top, bottom, left, and right sides for stackable configuration.

Control Unit

Should have the same dimension as one of the storage units so that it could be stacked with them. Houses ESP32 microcontroller to run control logics on all storage units and uses the built-in WiFi to upload data to a cloud server. If sensor units are detected, it should activate more security features accordingly.

Power Unit

Power from the wall or from a backup battery power supply and the associated controls to deliver power to the system. Able to sustain high current in a short time (36W for each electronic lock). It should also have protection against overvoltage and overcurrent.

Sensor Modules

Sensors such as cameras, motion sensors, and gyroscopes will parlay any scandalous activities to the control unit and will be able to capture a photo to report to authorities. Sensors will also have modularity for increased security capabilities.

Cloud Support

Runs a database that keeps user identification information and the security images. Pushes notification to end-users.

Criterion for Success:

Deliverers (Fedex, Amazon, Uber Eats, etc.) are able to open the locker using a touchscreen and a use- provided code to place their package inside. Once the package is inside of the locker, a message will be sent to the locker owner that their delivery has arrived. Locker owners are able to open the locker using a touchscreen interface. Owners are also able to change the passcode at any time for security reasons. The locker must be difficult to break into and offer theft protection after multiple incorrect password attempts.

Project Videos