Solution Frequently Asked Questions:

  1. How will it move? 
    • Computer to program behavior
    • Motor to drive actuator
    • Battery for power
  1. What kind of terrain will it move on?
    • Grass, pavement, small rocks, etc.
  2. At what times will it work?
    • Every 7 hours (from midnight to 7 AM and so on, they will work in swarms)
  3. How much will it cost?
    • One costs $1,472 but we would initially make 20 at $29,440 total
  4. What kind of trash will it be carrying?
    • Some carry pure waste that cannot be recycled
    • Others collect cans + plastic
  5. How will this affect overpopulation?
    • They will reduce waste, reducing the space that these waste products took up
  6. What kind of trash does this city mostly use?
    • Waste from food packaging and plastic bags and bottles
  7. What size will the robots be?
    • 3 feet tall by 2 feet wide
  8. What makes the robot function?
    • Python programming tells it how to behave
  9. What kind of chip is in it?
    • No chip, just circuit controlled by robot’s inner computer
  10. How sturdy/strong are they? 
    • They can withstand heavy rain, winds, and muddy conditions
  11. Can they be powered by anything other than a motor?
    • No
  1. How many will be made at the start?
    • 20
  2. How will the trash that gets taken in get disposed of?
    • Will be taken to dump sites on the sides of the city
    • Solid waste will go to landfills
  3. Can people purchase their own?
    • No, the government has to purchase them through manufacturers
  4. Why does the robot have 4 wheels?
    • To distribute its weight evenly on 2 sides of the robot
    • There is also less cost and materials compared to 6 or 8 wheeled robots
  5. Can people put trash inside the robots themselves?
    • No, they will be driven to take trash in through suctions
    • Suction will work by raising a piston, then creating a vacuum, where air will be sucked in along with solids to flow into the cube where it will be stored
    • Solids will be trapped in the cube and suction turns off through fill sensor
    • Works like vacuum pump
  6. How much trash can it collect?
    • Can collect 3 times its weight (its weight is 120 lbs. or 54 kg)
  7. How long does it run?
    • 7 hours until it is switched (different swarms)
  8. What drives it from point A to point B?
    • Motor + computer programming
  9. Swarm robotics?
    • A swarm of 20 will move around the city
    • New swarm takes over every 7 hours
  10. Where will they take garbage? 
    • Dumps sites
  11. How far can they go?
    • Can travel 10 miles before next recharge or 16,000 meters (16 km)
    • Won’t need to travel great distances because they will be working in a radius of 5 miles around the city and trash continues to grow

 

Note: All of the sources used here are cited on the references portion of the poster. Due to the small font of the references portion of the poster, a screenshot is available here: poster-sources

Everything from cost as well as basic research is included in the references.