Hobby Robots
Airsoft Robot
My airsoft robot was designed and built to be remotely controlled by an xbox controller to reload, aim, and fire a spring-loaded airsoft gun. It features gearmotors with pulleys to control yaw and pitch, along with a winch to reload the airsoft gun and a motor to fire each pellet. It was programmed using ROS and Python. It has a central raspberry pi which connects via WiFi to an operator's laptop. The raspberry pi is connected to two arduinos, one for controlling the aiming functionality, and one for controlling the reloading and firing functionality. A camera attached to the robot is also streamed over WiFi to the operator's laptop. Next steps for this project include attaching the robot to a mobile base and making it autonomous.
6 Wheel Drivetrain
I built my 6 wheel robot drivetrain to use as a teaching tool for a middle school summer camp on robotics programming in C++ that I taught. It's electronics were borrowed from my local high school's robotics team.
Automated Composter
The auto-rotating composter was a project with the purpose of taking a hand-turned composter and outfitting it with electronics and software to automatically spin every hour using solar power. I was asked to assist two interns at Tebbens Steel in creating this project. I led the system component selection of the electronics and drive assembly, along with programming of the system's arduino. The electrical system consisted of a solar panel, charge controller, 12 volt battery, arduino, LCD screen, circuit breaker and buttons. The mechanical system consisted of a waterproof box, a gear motor, and a chain with sprockets to drive the composter. By rotating the composter every hour, the system helps improve aeration of the compost located within the large green drum, speeding up the composting process.
