This project was in collaboration with my ME 157 Mechanical Design project. The project my group worked on in that course consisted of a Robotic Cooking Arm which is intended to be mounted on or close to a stovetop to complete basic cooking tasks. The part of this project that I covered for ME 106 Mechatronics project is the end effector. Due to this project requiring the use of multiple tools to complete different cooking tasks, my end effector needs to be able to swap tools easily and identify which tool is in use. This project and the code created for it is capable of identifying two preset tools with the ability to easily add more tools to the library for identification. The motivation behind this project stems from a lack of availability of kitchen automation to this degree for an attainable price range.
The entire robotic arm (left) was created with a group of 3 other Mechanical Engineering students. My focus for the project was the end effector (right). This end effector is designed with the intention of being able to swap, secure, and identify its tooling
The CAD model of the end effector above reveals the linear actuator and electromagnet used to swap and secure tools
The side view of the completed proof-of-concept
A close up of the control board
The top view of the proof-of-concept
A close up of the NFC scanner and linear actuator
The proof-of-concept was created on a LEGO frame to allow for complete modularity. Parts used included an Arduino Uno, linear actuator, a PN532 NFC/RFID Controller Shield for Arduino, and an H-bridge to allow for bidirectional control of the linear actuator with a single power supply.
The NFC tags used for this project are metallic stickers
The stand-in for the spatula tool was this 3-D printed part with a NFC tag
