Lots of small activities done to clarify what we need and how we might move forward and eventually we all met up at a local Raspberry Jam in Exeter library which was a bit naughty as we sort of dominated it with PiWars. Separate meeting arranged for two weeks later to talk robots and nothing else.
What have we done this week?
Collected cardboard for mock-ups.
We still need large cardboard sheets to make an arena, but that will be remade several times so a steady source needed, though we have an Ikea table wrapping in store.
A first mock-up of a tree.
This is a cardboard version as per the instructions, but we suspect we will make a more substantial version out of acrylic sheet when we are further down the line. These things have to be made so we have an idea of the actual challenges in front of us, not just a theoretical of paper based exercise.
Navigation is key and being in the Advanced category, it should be good. One idea is to create reference points in the arena which an imaging system can recognise and create positioning information based on that. The following are a sequence of pictures of a basic version, coloured lights hard wired to display a pattern in the arena wall.
Well it looks good, but needs lots of coding to use, and permission from the organisers!
We have also experimented in making apples, with a Lego attachment. 3D printing Lego compatible shapes isn't difficult, we have the dimensions, and it may make a good system if allowed.
They look good, :)
Getting the fruit off the tree is what the challenge is all about, so a quick mock-up picture of where we might go, drawn on the ubiquitous Tinkercad.
The 'eyes' on this mock-up may be those of a StereoPi imaging kit for Raspberry Pi. A previous winner has offered to loan us a kit to experiment with, it looks very good, but not so much just in the box!
This followed on from experiments with ESP32-CAM modules, an ESP32 microcontroller with a camera attachment, which work very well but not flexible enough for what we want to do, and would be a diversion away from Raspberry Pi.
Another idea for a fruit picker is a chain and hook, we have a lot of ideas!...and Lego
Final bits for the week were getting a feel for how much 'feed' we have to provide for one of the challenges. This is just basic measurements, but to fulfil the challenge we think 1kg of feed in approximately 850ml of hopper capacity. Measurements of this can be a bit basic!
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