Alpha Prototype

For our alpha prototype, we changed the design from the critical function science fair. We wanted our device to automatically determine the height of the box and therefore position the servos executing the folding motion at the optimum height. We were able to achieve this through infrared sensors, a stepper motor with a lead screw and nut, two servo motors, all connected to two Arduino boards and a total power supply of 30v. The red sensors shown below detect the presence of an object, when the sensor is covered our device runs through our code and determines the highest sensor covered. Next, the stepper motor lowers the top servo carrying its own sensor until it homes near the bottom servo. At this point, the code has determined which is the highest sensor being covered and positions the top servo accordingly. Finally, the user presses a button on the side to activate the folding motion of the arms on the servos. To keep things organized, we designed a compartment with a lid to accommodate the batteries and wiring but still allowing to make adjustments.