Inspiration
In the pandemic situation the world is facing, with their being numerous problems because of it, it has become difficult to keep up in a lot of ways. But while the world is worrying about keeping surfaces clean and avoiding contact, I always wonder how do you explain such concept to kids, remotely located people in developing countries, handicapped people, etc. Basically with everybody in this situation, and public places becoming less and less accessible, why aren't there enough facilities being implemented for the communities that had problems accessing them in the normal times. Now while I am quarantined and caught between the 4 walls of my home, can I help make something simple for these communities?
So I thought of starting out in phases. This is phase one of the project. In this phase I am trying to make a bot with an arm that can give access to resources at various heights and can be driven using an app on the smartphone.
What it does
- This project built using NodeMCU, an esp8266 microcontroller, has a smartphone app based control. It uses an additional servo motor to be able to access different heights.
- The entire bot is also controlled using the same application.
How I built it
- I built it using a lot of material lying around in the house. From the base of the bot and the attachment of the servo motor they are all reusable cardboard pieces.
- The nodeMCU has a code written in the Arduino IDE, that is, embedded C. The smartphone application has been developed in the MIT Appinventor.
Challenges I ran into
- Due to the pandemic it is always hard to come up with hardware hacks considering the diffferent restrictions. But it was fun to use and reuse the things that I found.
- Apart from that I am still working on the ways we can use the motors to dispense out resources.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
The fact that my first phase of a more bigger goal has gone pretty well.
Another major feeling I have about this hack is that it is actually implementable and I can experiment and test it in nearby locations.
What I learned
- I learned how to develop apps using MIT Appinventor.
- I learned the different constraints of different motors.
- I learned the worling of a submersible pump.
What's next for The Hygiene Accessor
- The next phase is a comparatively easier phase. I am planning to add UVC tubes in the armature such that it can sanitise surfaces as it does other chores.
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