For my Electronics & Controls I course (ME 30), I collaborated with a partner to build a robot capable of identifying and lifting payloads by weight.

We decided to control the robot over Wi-Fi, hosting a Flask web server directly on a Raspberry Pi. This enabled us to operate the chassis and control the lifting arm via a web browser. For the sorting logic, we integrated a load cell into the arm. I wrote a Python script to process the analog weight data and trigger a specific LED sequence (Green, Yellow, or Red) to instantly categorize the payload as light, medium, or heavy.

While our code and sensor logic were sound, we encountered a mechanical limitation. A caster wheel failure on the day of the showcase compromised the drivetrain, making it difficult to navigate the course. While we didn't achieve the desired driving performance, the project was successful in mechatronic integration, demonstrating that we could reliably read sensors and control actuators over a network.