7) Conclusion and Future Work [ATD]

Conclusion

In this project, we successfully created a small-scale prototype of a device that can dispense toppings over a round plate using a single stepper motor. The stepper motor translates power to three output motions, and the device can run at a variety of speeds. We learned that it is important to be ready to pivot your design plans if assembly reveals any issues with the design. We adapted well to the issues we faced and succeeded in building a working prototype.

Future Work

The current version of the device could be significantly improved by replacing the crank slider mechanism with a substitute that produces a velocity profile more conducive to the application. If the goal of the robot is to distribute the topping evenly, then the linear slider should spend more time distributing toppings when there is more area to distribute across. In other words, when the topping container is closer to the edge of the turntable, the circumference over which it is distributing the topping is larger, and thus is should remain there for longer. Towards the center of the turntable, the container should spend the least time, since the area to distribute over is smaller.

Figure 7.1: Coverage of topping distribution after one cycle of crank

Figure 7.1 displays the map of topping distribution in the current prototype, which resembles a flower shape. Clearly, the current prototype could benefit from having the container spend more time towards the edges and less time towards the center. The current slider-crank mechanism causes the topping container to spend the most time (relatively) towards the edges and the center of the dish. Ideally, the container would be moved such that as it approaches the center of the dish, the amount of time spent decreases linearly. This could potentially be accomplished by driving the topping container's radial movement via a cam with a quadratic profile.

In addition to improving the timing of the container positioning, expanding the turntable to accommodate a wider variety of dishes could also be beneficial.