Project
| # | Title | Team Members | TA | Documents | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Automatic Cocktail Dispenser |
Ben Thuma Caleb Kong Carson Van Pelt |
Prannoy Kathiresan | design_document1.pdf final_paper1.pdf photo1.jpg photo2.jpg presentation1.pdf proposal1.pdf video |
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| # Automatic Cocktail Dispenser Team Members: - Carson Van Pelt (carsonv2) - Caleb Kong (calebk3) - Benjamin Thuma (bthuma2) # Problem Describe the problem you want to solve and motivate the need. Enjoying a nice cocktail with friends is a common activity among eligible adults. However, mixing these delicious concoctions takes a lot of time, skill, and effort that can detract from quality time spent with friends. In most cases, people may not have the knowledge and practice to produce the drinks they desire. Time and skill are two shortcomings that can be resolved with a simple device that can create drinks on its own. # Solution Describe your design at a high-level, how it solves the problem, and introduce the subsystems of your project. An automatic cocktail dispenser is better than manually mixing in many ways: it’s more consistent, time-efficient, more convenient, and even safer. First off, manually mixed drinks are often hard to replicate consistently, especially when the user is inexperienced with making their own drinks. An automatic cocktail dispenser eliminates the opportunity for poorly mixed cocktails such as the quantity of alcohol used. Secondly, an automatic cocktail dispenser would be able to produce drinks at the push of a button and be ready to consume shortly after. There’s no doubt that making a drink by hand would be less time-efficient, so being able to simply push a button would make more time to socialize with friends. Lastly, the dispenser could potentially eliminate the risk of using sharp tools and reduce the risk of accidents or injuries from happening. The automatic cocktail dispenser would consist of 5 main components: Liquid dispenser Microcontroller Refrigerator Drink Stirrer Power Supply # Solution Components ## Subsystem 1 - Liquid Dispenser Each liquid ingredient will be stored in its own original bottle and have its own tube, connected to a central dispensing area above the mixer. The tubes will be replaceable, for sanitary reasons, as well as to avoid mixing unwanted alcohol residue into the current cocktail. The liquids will be passed through the tubes using an electric pump. Smaller liquids such as syrups and juices may instead be connected directly through the refrigeration unit for convenience. ## Subsystem 2 - Microcontroller The microcontroller’s main purpose is going to be ensuring the correct amount of each ingredient is dispensed for each cocktail, as well as selecting the cocktail that is chosen by the user via button inputs. This system can also notify the user what liquors and juices are required for their desired cocktail to ensure the proper ingredients are connected to the machine. Depending on price this may be done by a small display on the unit or something like a lightweight phone application. ## Subsystem 3 - Refrigeration This component would keep specific ingredients safely stored and preserved prior to being dispensed for a cocktail, such as fruit-based juices and certain syrups. The liquors themselves will only need to be brought out of the user's main fridge when connected to dispensers, reducing the need for a large refrigeration unit. ## Subsystem 4 - Drink Stirrer Most simple cocktails are stirred after being produced, so the final step in the process would be mixing the drink with a stirring spoon/rod after everything has been dispensed. The stirring utensil will also be powered by an electric motor. Depending on cost and materials, this may either drop down on its own using an additional motor or simply be easily user attached, requiring small user interaction during this step. ## Subsystem 5 - Power Supply The design will simply be powered by any wall outlet. If units, such as refrigeration require their own plugs, we may connect them to a single power strip for convenience. # Criterion For Success Describe high-level goals that your project needs to achieve to be effective. These goals need to be clearly testable and not subjective. - Releases the ingredients in the correct quantities, within 10% error - Dispenses correct ingredients for the correct cocktail recipe with no selection error - Safely refrigerate the perishable ingredients |
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