Arduino Projects
Skills Used: C++, Arduino, Motors, Sensors, CAD
These are some of my earlier projects that I did using an Arduino, C++, and basic sensors/actuators.
Fish Feeder
This was one of the first mechatronics project that I ever did and it's pretty special to me because it solved a real problem in my life. We were leaving for 2 weeks to go on vacation to Greece and I had just gotten a pet fish. I didn't want to the leave the fish with anyone, so I decided to make an automated fish feeder.
The design is extremely simple, but it worked so well. It is just an Arduino that was set to actuate a servo motor two times a day. The servo was connected to a vaccuum cleaner tube with several holes in it. When actuated, the servo would turn the tube so the holes were on the bottom, releasing the food. The hardest part was the timing of the servo motor to release the exact right amount of food.
The device performed great, and the fish was completely healthy when we got back!
Maze Solving Robot
This was a project that I did for the Mechatronics Club (before I was president). The challenge was to build a robot that could navigate a maze, faster than the competitors. We settled on a design that had 3 ultrasonic sensor on the front, left, and right. I implemented a simple algorithm that would turn 90 degrees when there was an obstacle too close to the front of the robot. It turned left or right, choosing the side where the next obstacle was the furthest.
Unfortunately, I could only find the video of our testing above, but we were able to get it to turn 90 degrees really well and it finished the maze!
Nut Dispenser
This project was a lot of fun because it was a present for my wife. She loves nuts, especially chocolate covered ones. I made this project so it would dispense the "perfect" amount every time. It consisted of an Arduino, ultrasonic sensor, and a servo motor. When the user placed their hand close enough to the ultrasonic sensor, the nuts would be released (with a slight delay to give the user time to properly place their hand).
