Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
21 Vertical Spinner Ant-Weight Battle Bot
 Andrew Bajek
Elise Chiang
Giovanni Escamilla
 Jiaming Xu design_document1.pdf
proposal1.pdf
ANT-WEIGHT BATTLEBOT

Team Members:
- Giovanni Escamilla (gme5)
- Andrew Bajek (abajek2)
- Elise Chiang (elisenc3)

# Problem

Antweight combat robots, limited to a maximum mass of 2 lb, must function reliably despite aggressive mechanical stress, and demanding control requirements. These systems regularly experience violent impacts, sudden motor stalls, and intermittent wireless links, making fast and dependable coordination between power distribution, control electronics, and mechanical hardware.


# Solution

Our idea for our 2-lb bot is a two-wheel drive with a vertical drum spinner as our weapon. We will develop our own custom PCB with controls centered around our STM32WB series microcontroller. This controller will not only control our weapon and drive system, but monitor our stress to limit damage done to the battlebot. Overall, our total system will be divided into four sections: power, control, drive, weapon. Our wireless connection to our PC will be bluetooth and work in tandem with our microcontroller to guarantee our success.


# Solution Components

## Subsystem 1 - Power

Our Power system will give life to our bot with some additional safety features so we are able to compete in the competition. This will include the physical switch to turn off the bot and a voltage regulator so that our controller can use it.

Components:
- XT60 Connectors (to unplug)
- 3S LIPO Battery (11.1v battery)
- We could make our own power regulator; if not, we will use ​​LM2596


## Subsystem 2 - Drive

Our Drive system will allow the battle bot to navigate the arena quickly and precisely in order to deliver attacks and avoid attacks from opposing bots.

Components:
- Two DC motors, one per side (508 RPM Mini Econ Gear Motor)
- Dual H-bridge motor driver (DRV8411)


## Subsystem 3 - Weapon

The Weapon system serves as the main accessory for engaging the opponent for damage.

Components:
- DC motor to power the weapon (drum vertical spinner)
- Motor control driven by PWM
- 3D structures to aid main weapon (ramps, lifters, etc)


## Subsystem 4 - Control

Our central brain will center around our STM32WB microcontroller, which will monitor and control our weapon and drive. In addition, monitoring our weapon's motor to limit damage to ourselves.

Components:
- STM32WB series microcontroller
- Bluetooth
- PC-based control interface
- Real-time reliability
- Weapon Motor Stress Sensor


# Physical Design - Body

The body of the battlebot will house and protect the electronics, motors, while maintaining structural integrity during combat. We will use Autodesk Fusion 360 to model the body and use PLA+ as the 3D printing filament.


# Criterion For Success

- Weight Compliance: Total Weight: 2lb

- Wireless Control: Robot is controlled from a PC via Bluetooth with Failsafe Operation.

- Safety: The bot will automatically shut down in the case of a power fault, loss of control signal, or electrical malfunction.

- Mobility: Robot runs continuously for 3 minutes without resets.

- Weapon Reliability: The fighting tool operates reliably under repeated activation while maintaining electrical and mechanical performance.

- Sensor Addition: Some internal or external sensor that makes the robot react in some way

- Responsiveness: Inputs in control have a delay of less than 50ms.

Digitizing the Restaurant with Network-Enabled Smart Tables

Andrew Chen, Eric Ong, Can Zhou

Featured Project

# Students

Andrew Chen - andrew6

Eric Ong - eong3

Can Zhou - czhou34

# Problem:

The restaurant industry relies on relatively archaic methods of management and customer service. Internal restaurant computer systems are limited and rely on staff members to monitor customer status. Restaurants lack contact-free transactions for clientele.

# Solution Overview:

Our solution to this problem is to develop a standalone LAN restaurant network system to manage customer status and occupancy for restaurants without the need for personnel to monitor it manually. Along with this, to accommodate for contact-free interactions, we propose a system for payment methods. To address customer preferences, we will provide height accommodation built into the table for different types of people.

# Solution Components:

[Self-adjusting Customer Height Accommodation] - The table will be held up with a linear actuator, thus allowing for the overall height to be adjustable. The table will adjust its height accordingly to the customers’ heights once they sit down. We plan to make the table adjust the table’s height by measuring the distance between the bottom of the table with the customer’s knees when they are sitting down using ultrasonic sensors.

[NFC Payment and Card Reader Payment] - The table will have NFC reader and magstripe reader for contactless delivery. The payment data will be sent to the centralized hub for processing and confirmation.

[Table Pressure Sensor] - The status of a table will be gauged based on the amount of weight on the physical table itself. An occupied (or even just an unoccupied and dirty table) will be marked as such since the weight of excess food, water, plates, and whatever else the customer may bring will be measured by this pressure sensor.

[Computer Mesh Network] - We plan to create a mesh network of raspberry pi’s to track the status of tables in a restaurant. This network will communicate via some form of wireless communication (Wi-FI, bluetooth, or Zigbee).

# Criterion for Success:

This project seeks to create a solution in which restaurants can minimize customer interaction with features that accommodate individual needs, such as the height of the table and payment methods. This project will be considered successful with a working prototype that includes features that may be included in an actual restaurant setting.

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