Inspiration
We were inspired by the classic game 52 card pickup. After hours spent picking up cards and sorting them, we decided there must be a better way. And there was :)
What it does
Our robot has a bunch of functions. It is capable of both sorting playing cards and dealing them out in any direction.. It can sort by suit, by color, and by rank (value). It can also deal to any number of players, for any card game. Its image recognition system and adaptable card dealing mechanism allow it to be programmed to be an all-in-one card sorting and dealing mechanism.
How I built it
The robot was conceived through whiteboard sketches and then its structure was modeled in SolidWorks. It consists of a laser-cut main structure that houses the cards and card shooting motors. The base is made of plywood and the whole robot rotates on a wooden track. Mounted at the top of the robot is a Raspberry Pi, camera and touchscreen. This allows the robot to "see" the cards and receive input from a user in a simple and user-friendly way.
Challenges we ran into
It would be easier to say the challenges we didn't run into... The largest problem was design constraints. We had to constantly change the design to accommodate the different motors and programming constraints. For example, the original rotating track design was powered by a stepper motor, but due to difficulty getting the motor to work with the Pi, we had to switch to two continuously rotating servos geared to the track. Another challenge was providing the camera with an ideal environment for image recognition. The camera's poor focusing distance required us to make the robot very tall, requiring for a design change in the rotating track mechanism.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
To accomplish a multi-faceted project like this one in 24 hours was very satisfying. Considering the project involved challenges in mechanical design and fabrication, electromechanical systems, image recognition, and sorting algorithms, we are extremely proud of our result.
What we learned
We learned how to work efficiently in a cross-functional team under a sizable time constraint. Additional knowledge was acquired in the fields of rotating geared systems, shooting mechanisms, and image processing.
What's next for Banned from Vegas
We intend to bring our robot to Las Vegas and attempt to pay our college debts. Until we get banned.
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