Design and build a System for Quick Removal of Litter (SQRL), which is an untethered, autonomous, mobile platform, capable of moving ACORNs (pucks) into the neighboring YARD by sliding them under the FENCE. Additional ACORNs can be gathered by your SQRL from two TREEs located at fixed locations on your side of the FENCE. During play, you may be facing an opponent on the other side of the FENCE who is also attempting to slide ACORNs into your YARD, or there may be no opponent at all. The winner of each HOA inspector match-up is the SQRL whose YARD scores fewer points, as measured by the count of ACORNs in the YARD.

The ME218B Lawn Destroyer combines all of the ease and convenience of modern appliances with the bitter pettiness of a neighborly yard squabble. For this project, our team was tasked with creating a robot that operates autonomously for 2 minutes and 18 seconds on a "yard"--that is to say, a flat playing field with various scoring zones. After switching the robot on at the start of the round, the Lawn Destroyer uses a 2-servo rack and pinion system to load a "hammer" back, holding tension with four extensional springs. The robot then latches on to a pre-loaded puck (the red cylinders shown in the photo above) and begins to rotate. As the robot rotates, it uses on-board sensors to detect signals from nearby beacons, each of which emits infrared signals of varying frequency. After detecting the signal's frequency, thus identifying the beacon, the robot indicates with a servo which side of the field it is on. The robot then rotates back to the middle of the field and fires the puck to the opposing team's side.