Inspiration
I had a summer job at a Chinese herbal pharmacy. All we did was weighing herbal powders and putting them in bottles. Each formula took 20 to 30 minutes to make. I figured that it could be done better.
What it does
The robot mixes Chinese herbs automatically according to a formula that is sent from a computer. It takes 5 seconds to complete the formula as oppose to 20 minutes in a local pharmacy!
How I built it
I have NEVER printed or designed a single 3D object. Neither did I ever worked with Arduino before. I came to the Hackathon, thinking of a software project. Then I saw all the amazing people working on great hardware hacks. There were 3D printers and soldering irons. I was quickly sold on the idea of making something new and bold. I know that this device should exist. Why should it be someone else, who builds it?
Challenges I ran into
Being first time to hardware hacker, nothing worked right for me. I bought the wrong motors, I printed 4 objects at once, instead of lying them sequentially. Sponsors gave me some new motors saying that they couldn't get them to work themselves. And those guys are professionals!
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
- I made a device that effectively saves $5 in labor every time I press a button.
- I designed and printed my very first hardware device and it worked perfectly right out of the bat. Nothing needed any adjustments or further improvements.
- I've never touched an Arduino before. Just in 4 hours I soldered a shield and got the motors working that professionals couldn't get to work. On top of that, I helped others with them as well.
What's next for Herbal Mixer
We are already working on software for herbal medicine practitioners at SpaceHerbs.com The automated robotic herbal facility is way overdue, and we are the once who will make it possible. This hack is just a prototype.
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