Final Deliverable
Project Summary
The earth can survive on its own, but humans cannot survive without it, therefore it is important to maintain and keep the earth clean. There are multiple ways of doing this such as minimizing greenhouse gases, producing less garbage, and recycling. Unfortunately, recycling can be tedious and cannot be done properly all the time. By designing technology that improves the sorting process, recycling becomes much easier and efficient.
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For this design project, we were required to design a system that classifies and deposits containers to their corresponding bins (based on material and/or presence of contaminants). The goal is to reduce human error by automating the recycling process, ultimately increasing the amount of recyclable material that is being extracted, reprocessed, and reused.
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The modelling and computing design will aid in facilitating a more efficient and effective recycling process.
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Design Solution - Computing
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The computing team created a code that utilizes robotic devices such as a Q-Arm and Q-bot to load containers and dispose of them in their respective bins. This level of automation allows the recycling process to require minimal human interaction, therefore increasing the accuracy of waste sorting, and ultimately reducing the amount of garbage that is disposed of in landfills.
Multiple functions were created to facilitate the movement of the Q-arm with regards to loading the hopper, as well as the Q-bot’s motion along the provided path. Functions were also created to dump the containers into their respective bins. A color sensor was used to identify the correct drop-off locations for each bottle depending on the material and contamination status. The hopper on top of the Q-bot was designed to replicate the modelling team’s design. The program was developed in a way that facilitates constant loading and sorting, allowing unlimited and unmonitored recycling.
Ultimately, the modelling and computing design will aid in facilitating a more efficient and effective recycling process.
Design Solution - Modelling
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Our modelling team developed an apparatus that aids in the transportation and disposal of recyclable and waste containers to their corresponding bins. This device utilizes the parts given to our team and meets the development constraints presented by the client.
The development constraints include: the device must mount to a base plate, the hopper must hold three containers upright during transfer, the hopper must connect and pivot on the rungs of the base plate, the mechanism that deposits the bottles must use an actuator, and the actuators must be attached to the base plate.
To meet these constraints, we designed the model in Appendix A. Our mechanism includes a rotary actuator, a gear, that is a place on the actuator, and a rack. As the actuator rotates, the gear pushes the rack up and subsequently tilts the hopper allowing for the containers to slide off and into the bin. The actuator rotates in the opposite direction and brings down the rack and allows gravity to pull down the hopper. Furthermore, we removed the front wall of the hopper which allows for easier disposal and added extra support to the rack. This mechanism is controlled by a dynamic simulation and requires minimal human interaction.
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Hopper and Mechanism Model
Computer Program (Quanser Labs)
