HENRY
RobotEx is now proud to present its latest advancement in the robotic agriculture industry, HENRY. Named after Henry Blair, the first African-American to get a U.S. patent for his corn and cotton seed planters, HENRY has an improved capability to easily plant corn and harvest it ,along with lettuce and tomatoes faster and more efficient than humans. Unique and innovative, HENRY is the BEST choice for today's farmers.
MANUFACTURING
RobotEx relies heavily on our homemade CNC machine to create precise gears and parts and maintain workplace safety for team members. A CNC machine, Computer Numerical Control machine, is a device that can be commanded to cut materials through computer software. First, the user designs a program using CAD software. Next, the program is exported as a 2D vector image. Using a computer aided manufacturing program, the user sets tool paths for desired cuts. These vectors are converted into G code, a series of directions, which are sent to the CNC machine's interface driving stepper motors to cut the material.
TESTING
Upon manufacturing the robot, RobotEx began the testing stage of the Engineering Design Process. Over the course of the season, RobotEx members built a practice course on which the robot could be tested. The team used exact specs from the BEST Robotics Field Guide to create a field that corresponds as closely as possible to the actual field used on Game Day. This allowed RobotEx to identify issues with the robot and improve upon the original designs. It also provided valuable driver training time in preparation for the competition.
Each wheel is mounted beneath the baseplate. The reason for mounting the wheels below is to allow for more room on the top of the deck. The wheels support the front and midsection of the robot while the rear is supported by an innovative caster design.
The claw has 3 prongs which are each capable of “skewering” the corn off of the stalk. These same prongs also allow the robot to scoop up the lettuce as well as pluck off the tomatoes, easily putting them into the onboard storage bucket. A servo rotates a small gear that interlocks with a larger gear that is attached to one of the halves of the gripper. The claw has a 2:3 gear ratio which gives Henry superior grip and strength. Also, having a stationary section of the claw allows the driver to more accurately control where the claw grabs objects.
WHEELS & BASE
CLAW
The base is strategically cut to fit perfectly over the corn seed deposited. There are two cutouts in the base for the corn seen dispenser and for the arm. The corn seed dispenser fits into the base not only for efficient use of space but also to position it correctly for the corn seed row
Arm
The arm uses a revolutionary bevel gear/rack and pinion combination to achieve a fast, smooth, long range extension, extending over one foot in 2.3 seconds. This extension feature allows the robot to reach from the lowest lettuce to the highest tomatoes, and the corn in-between. The extension also allows the arm to retract into the tower, allowing the robot to grab thigs off of its own base.
Also, due to impeccable engineering and versatile design, the robot has a wide range of vertical motion. The arm can move a full 224 degrees, allowing it to reach high and low field pieces.
Tower System
The tower is the supporter and provider of vertical motion for the arm. It consists of two wooden supports, a large gear, to raise and lower the arm, and a tensioner wheel to assist the motors in lifting and lowering the arm smoothly.
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The vertical motion of the arm is facilitated by the tower’s large gear, tensioner wheel, and the gear locking mechanism. A small motor, attached to 2 small gears, turns the large gear into position. Two gears were used because the plastic used to make the gears can flex, causing the gears to lose their mesh. The tensioner maintains stability in the arm and creates a smoother motion.