Project: Mitsubachi

Seeders
E N G R 1 0 5 A B
L I E M V U
J A C K I E N G U Y E N
T O M Z I M E T
G A B E W A L D B A U M
C A T H E R I N E Z E N G
ミツバチ
Mitsubachi

Seeders: The Mitsubachi
Project Proposal
Jackie Nguyen, Liem Vu, Gabriel Waldbaum, Catherine Zeng, Tom Zimet
ENGR 105 AB

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqhn/
Tom Zimet
My name is Tom Zimet and I am a ﬁrst-year student at UW. I am in the
Direct to College Engineering program and will be applying to
Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering in the
summer. I love to be active and compete so I enjoy playing sports with
my friends in my free time. A fun fact about me is that I have three
citizenships, as I was born in England, my dad is American, and my
mom is Japanese.
www.linkedin.com/in/tom-zimet/
Jackie Nguyen
I’m Jackie Nguyen and I am a freshman in the Direct to College
program at the University of Washington Seattle. I hope to major in
mechanical engineering and minor in Japanese within my four years
here. Outside of academics, I am a member of ASME and an officer for
Japanese Student Association (JSA). Some interests of mine are
traveling, planning, and watching either true crime shows or history
documentaries.
Catherine Zeng
Hi, 你好! I am Catherine Zeng, a freshman in College of Engineering of
UW. I hope to double major in Human Centered Design Engineering or
Computer Engineering, with Informatics. . While being passionate in
UI/UX, arts, and technologies, I am also a dancer, a cellist, a blogger,
and a tennis player. I love meeting new people and learning new things.
Fun fact: this is an awesome team. :)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yilinz8
/
Hello, my name is Gabriel Waldbaum, and I am freshman who was directly
admitted into the University of Washington’s College of Engineering. Over
the course of next year, I will be applying to the Mechanical Engineering
major and Entrepreneurship minor. Along with my studies, I am an avid
rock climber, competitive runner, member of Alpha Epsilon Pi, and a part
of Woof3d. One big challenge that I want to accomplish is “50 before 50”: a
goal to travel to all 50 states before the age of 50 (I am currently at 12).
Gabriel Waldbaum
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrie
l-waldbaum-869742188
Liem Vu
Hello! My name is Liem Vu, and I am a freshman at the College of
Engineering at UW. I intend to major in Bioengineering or Chemical
Engineering, to pursue my passion in health sciences in the future.
Outside of education, I enjoy cooking, watching tv, photography, and all
types of sports. A fun fact about me is that I am a certiﬁed nursing
assistant.
www.linkedin.com/in/quoc-liem-vu

Seeders: The Kuwagata
Jackie Nguyen, Liem Vu, Gabriel Waldbaum, Catherine Zeng, Tom Zimet
ENGR 105 AB

1

Project Ideas:

Document 1: Mind Map

Document2: 100 Ideas
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Stakeholder: Hikers)
1. Tide Pod Water
2. Compass
3. Gps tracker
4. Clean water analyzer
5. Eyeglass pathfinder
6. Weather analyzer
7. Optimal hiking routes
based off of apps
8. Firewood fetcher
9. Hiking shoes
10. Commercial plant
planter
11. Trash sorter
12. Surface level trash
collecting boat
13. Waterproof gear
(clothes)
14. Heat technology coat
15. Campfire starter
16. Animal sensor
(beware of wolves or
something)
17. First aid kit
18. Protective glasses
19. Knife
20. Optimal s’more
rotator
21. Lightweight tent
22. Map
23. Energy bar
24. Water bottle
25. Windproof clothing
26. Waterproof clothing
27. Breathable clothing
28. Muscle-ache
weakener
29. Data-able phone
30. Tree climbing
2

31. Garbage pick-uppers
32. Machete
33. Anti-bear spray
34. Anti-insect spray
35. Temperature
regulating clothing
36. Non-slip shoes
37. Night vision
glasses/goggles
38. Rations
39. Synthetic socks
40. Warm hat
41. Gaiter
42. Air pressure gauge
43. Bag carrier
44. App that instantly
uploads photos to
instagram
45. Animal repellent
46. Umbrella hats
47. headband
48. Heat reduction
49. Water carrier
50. Lightweight fleece
51. Lightweight
hammock transporter
52. camera
53. Go pro
54. History behind the
trail app
55. Anti-mud gear
56. Rope
57. Altimeter watch
58. Star constellation
finder
59. Anti-heat spray
60. Antiperspirant spray
61. Deodorant
62. Clothing made of ice
63. Clothing made of fire
64. Anti-burn spray
65. Sunscreen
66. Compostable
toothbrushes
67. Cold-able
compostable poop
bags
68. Water purifier
69. Mile and altitude
tracker
70. Portable food
71. Temperature sensor
72. Flashlight
73. Hand sanitizer
74. 360 view capture
75. sunglasses
76. Anti-scent releasing
cans for food
77. Toilet paper
78. Animal
analyzer--tracks,
birds, sees what’s
around
79. Gear-repair kit
80. Robot piggybacker
81. Wings for humans
82. Shoes that you don’t
get sand in
83. Air filtering mask
84. Avalanche or
landslide detector
85. Fire generator
86. Rations
87. Emergency signal
button
88. Robotic shoes if
you’re too lazy to
hike
89. Portable house
90. Netting near cliffs
91. Anti-selfie death
fences
92. Trail manager
93. Emergency
communications to
trail manager ^
94. Anti-cougar/mountain
lion gear
95. Bug distractor
(food/mating signals
far from user)
96. Bug repellant force
field
97. Magnetic dog collar
to keep dog close
98. Ski lift/gondola for
trails
99. Snowboarding/skiing
for dirt/grass
100. Off-road cart
101. Robotic
horse/mule (for
carrying things)
102. Hang glider
103. Jetpack
104. Portable bike for
decent
105. Steroids
106. Binoculars
107. Notebook
108. Pen
109. Pencil
110. Radio
111. 911 instant dialer
112. Collapsible
walking stick
3

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Planting Robot: This project would be an autonomous robot that could dig a hole, plant a seed,
and cover up the hole with the dug-out soil. This project would be useful for various purposes
depending on the person that is using the robot itself. This robot could be used by ordinary
homeowners looking to grow vegetables, gardeners tackling on large flower bed projects, or
even Christmas tree farms if the robot is large enough to plant saplings. This robot could also
help people who cannot bend down to plant flowers as it is doing the job for them. As long as
there is something to plant, this robot could be put to use. Since our robot would be confined
within a certain area, we plan to have sensors to know when the robot would hit a wall. We also
know that there are optimal planting distances, so we want the robot to move a certain distance to
plant another seed in the row. The project may require outside items such as rubber tread and
metal spades to dig. (Project research: We found out a planting robot called TreeRover [5]. It is
bigger than the size of our design, and instead of planting seeds into the soil it will plant a tree.
Yet we learn from their planting mechanism and navigation system and compare the approaches
with our project so to see what areas of improvements we can make. )

Trash Sorter: The trash sorter would do as it is named, sort trash. We plan to accomplish this by
incorporating it within a trash can system that can separate the item dropped in into either
garbage, recycle, or compost. To do this, we would incorporate an interface where the person
would select what they believe the item belongs in or if they are not sure. If they are not sure, we
would then allow them to drop their trash in a compartment where it would analyze various
properties of the object, from weight to the density of the object. From this, the trash can would
guess the bin that the item would belong in and classify it correctly. A bin like this would appeal
to many as it aids in the sustainability of our planet by making us more green as a society.
However, we realize that this project is difficult and requires outside items to build it. (Project
research: We find a trash sorter, the recycling robot designed by the company ZenRobotics [6].
Even though we are unable to create a system with AI to sort the trash, we are still excited to see
how the metal sensor is incorporated with 3D laser cameras and spectroscopic cameras to
successfully sort the trash.)

High-Traction Shoes: The high-traction shoes would not be shoes, but be a sleeve that is custom
fit that you could slip over your shoe and transform them to withstand rough terrain. This project
would be something that our group finds great interest in as it involves the outdoors and would
allow people to go and explore different terrains on the go without carrying a bunch of different
pairs of shoes. To properly manufacture this project, we were planning to custom make a sleeve
for a certain type of shoe of a certain dimension, and that sleeve would then have a perfect fit to
the shoe that would now allow it to have a high traction sole. For example, this product would
allow people who run in places that involved various terrain to be able to do so safely without
4

worrying about the grip that their tennis shoe has on cliffs and such. The shoe sleeve would
require materials outside of the class such as various high traction materials that are able to be
shaped and flexible enough to be slipped on the shoe that it is custom fit to. This project is
mainly a material science challenge. (Project research: This idea requires comprehensive
knowledge in Material Science and Engineering, which are something we all hope to learn better
of. During the research, we find out that a lot of companies are selling high traction shoes made
with a variety of techniques, and we learn about the science behind frictions and tractions
through this article “THE COMBINED BENEFITS OF SLIP-RESISTANT SHOES AND HIGH
TRACTION FLOORING ON COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION...” [7].)

“Tide Pod” Water: Our group wanted to explore a chemical engineering approach to an issue, so
we decided to think about water that did not necessarily need to be confined in a bottle but rather
be able to be “popped” in your mouth. We got the inspiration from popping boba and with how it
has an outside “seal” that contains liquid on the inside. We wanted to replicate this on a much
larger scale with water. Popping boba is formed with molecular gastronomy so we would have to
figure out a way to replicate this process on a much larger scale as our aim is to have the entire
water bubble be edible [4]. This would allow people like marathon runners to run without having
to carry a heavy water bottle, but simply a pouch that could contain essentially a mouth-sized
bubble that they could pop into their mouth for a refreshing drink. This water bubble also would
reduce plastic waste in the world and aid in reducing plastic pollution and making us a more
sustainable society. We plan on experimenting with seaweed for the outer seal and molds to
build the actual bubble itself. This project would require materials outside of the classroom.
(Project research: this project idea is inspired by the edible water pod [8] we found on the web
source. It is innovative and also environmental-friendly, because the outer material is completely
digestible and compostable. We hope to find either similar or different materials for our water
pod, with cheap and accessible options as well as good quality.)

Surface Trash Boat: For the surface trash boat, our aim would be for it to be able to be buoyant
and be able to pick up various pieces of garbage or objects in water and collect them all up with
some sort of conveyor belt system. We wanted to do this as something to not only target trash,
but allow for homeowners to use for things such as cleaning the pool for dead leaves or kid toys
without having to get a rake to collect the items. This boat would be remote controlled and have
a joystick interface to allow for the most comfortable user interface. Since there is a limit to how
many materials we have as well as a build capacity, our boat would be fairly small and would be
limited on how many items that it could pick up. This project would definitely require materials
outside of the classroom such as rubber track. (Project research: This giant floating trash
collecting ship [9] we found not only uses a great anti-collision system to keep other stray ships
from running into it but also applies a net-water mechanism to push fish and other particles away
from the trash collection process. We learn that in order to create a successful surface trash boat,
5

we have to take a lot more factors into our considerations, not just the scientific and engineering
aspects but also the ethics, and the social and environmental implications behind.)

Decision Matrix:
Document 3: Decision Matrix
Project Interest Plausibility Materials Challenge Stakeholder Cost Total
Weight
(1-10) 3 8 5 6 7 4
Planting
Robot 10 10 10 4 5 5 239
Trash Sorter 6 5 5 2 9 2 166
High-Tractio
n Shoes 8 8 7 4 4 7 203
"Tide Pod"
Water 10 2 4 3 8 4 156
Surface
Trash Boat 9.9999 7 7 7 8 5 238.9997

As shown in the decision matrix in Document 3, plausibility is our highest weighted category
because it determines if our project is worth conducting and whether or not we are able to attain
our expected goals within the capabilities given to us. Stakeholder is our second most important
category because we want to recognize how the project is going to be used if it is distributed out
to consumers and we wanted to realize how this also impacts the government along with
engineers and designers. We also believe that challenge is an important factor, as we aim to
make a project not far beyond our knowledge yet still contains certain level of difficulty for us to
adventure and learn as engineers throughout the process. Materials is less weighted than the
others but we recognized that it is also crucial. Our team needs to be considering the attainability
and availability of resources, and other possible factors including sustainability, weight,
appearance, etc. whilst selecting our project. This factor adds to the plausibility of our project
overall. Cost is also closely connected to how realistic our project is as it plays to the hurdles we
have on both making and manufacturing the prototype and putting it on the market. Last but not
least, interest is also part of our consideration because as engineers we want to feel inspired and
motivated throughout the process of design and production, so to better boost creativity,
responsibility, and capability of our own.

1st choice Project: Planting Robot
2nd choice Project: Surface Trash Boat
3rd choice Project: High-Traction Shoes
Final decision: Planting Robot
6

Stakeholder Analysis:
Document4: Stakeholder Analysis
Stakeholder
Stake In
Project
Impact On
Project
Impact By
Project
Perceived
Attitudes or risks
Stakeholder
management
Consumers
Main users of
the project
Approval
and
satisfaction
determines
success
Assists
elderly or
disabled or
common
homeowners
in growing a
garden
Concerned with
pricing,
functionality,
safety, and ease of
use
Involved with testing
and reviewing and
main group that we
are catering to
EPA (Govt.)
Make sure
the product is
safe for
consumers
and
environment
Impact on
what can
be used
and
process for
the project
Taxed good
provide
money to the
government
Dangerous items
or production. Also
if the product is
environmentally
harmful
Involved with
making sure the
project is safe for
consumers and
approved with
government
regulation
Engineers
Creators of
the project
make sure it’s
working, safe,
and executes
functions
Main
impact on
design, and
functionality
monitoring
Success or
failure
through
monetary
value
Responsible for
production,
troubleshooting,
bux fixing,
time-commitment,
and safety
Make sure project is
useful, functional,
safe, and read for
public usage

Proposal:
Introduction:
We are creating a robot that will plant seeds in a bed automatically, which can help
elderly and disabled people garden. If successful, a similar design can be used to reforest areas,
automate farming, and even help colonize extraterrestrial worlds such as Mars.

Problem Statement:
Gardening is a popular and rewarding hobby for many people. However, it can also be
hard on the body and difficult to do for elderly people and people with injuries and/or
disabilities. People also may be too busy to fulfill their desires to garden. We want everybody to
be able to experience the joys of gardening regardless of ability or availability. Our product will
allow anybody to enjoy the experience of gardening without the difficulties that come with it.

Engineering Specifications:
7

Our robot needs to be able to hold a volume of 8.75 cubic inches of seeds. This is the size
of two seed packets, which will be enough to plant 10 square feet of garden [1]. The robot will
be refillable and 10 square feet will cover a significant amount of ground before the user must
refill the robot. The robot must also be light enough for an elderly or disabled person to manage.
Since these people can normally hold a baby, and the average weight of a baby is 5.5 to 9.9
pounds [3], we want our robot to be less than 10 pounds. We would also like the robot to be able
to move at a decent speed so that it gets done in a timely fashion and does not wear out battery as
much. In order for 10 square feet to be done in an hour, we would need it to move at least
0.00189394 miles per hour. The robot also must be less than a foot in width in order to be able to
plant the seeds in rows at least a foot apart, which is ideal [1].

Research:
A similar project we found to ours was a tree-planting robot [2]. Our project is much
smaller scale and will be less advanced than the tree-planter but we plan to use its method of
digging holes to help with coming up with ours. The tree-planter has a sort of magazine of
saplings and a foot piston to fill the hole which we will not incorporate in our design because of
the differences in what is being planted.

Plan of Action:
Our robot will utilize treads to be able to navigate the soil in which it is operating. All of
the circuitry will be in the body of the robot, which will be made of plastic to maintain its use in
all weather. We will have some sort of mechanism to dig a hole in the soil and then a chute
which will allow a certain amount of seeds to be released from the seed container, which will be
on top of the robot. The end of the digging mechanism will be made of metal, with the rest being
plastic. These two attributes have not been finalized yet. In order to fill the hole back up, two
plastic “jaws” will scrape the misplaced dirt back into the hole. We will also have a sensor that
will tell the robot to stop when nearing a wall, as well as one that senses the lack of seeds and
will stop moving. Since our robot resembles a stag beetle, we dubbed it “kuwagata,” the
Japanese word for stag beetle. Going off of this decision, we will 3D print all plastics in black, as
that is a common color for that beetle. These design choices will help us achieve the goal of
having an easy to use, efficient robot, as all the user will have to do is turn on the robot and place
it in the bed.
8

Document 5: Bill of Materials
Part Quantity Price Links Use
super glue 1 $1.05 NA To glue separate parts together
arduino uno 1 $11.86 NA
Converts software programming to
hardware
screw driver 7 $17.99 NA to help attach parts
hot glue sticks 5 $0.35 NA to stick parts together
9V batteries 2 $2.50 NA
To provide a source of power to
robot
AA batteries 4 $1.16 NA
To provide a source of power to
robot
Round D-Port 1 $7.45 NA to connect a system to a d-port
wiring 14 wires $0.81 NA to complete circuits
Digital Caliper 1 $19.69 NA to precisely measure distances
electrical tape 1 roll $1.40 NA
to bind parts together without
worrying about the electric current
9

bread board 1 $2.50 NA a board to replicate our circuitry
wood glue 1 bottle $5.97 NA glues wood together safely
servo motor 1 $2.36 NA
tells shovel to rotate certain angle
after digging
DC motor 2 $3.25 NA electric motor that causes rotation
rubber tread 2 $14.93
https://www.amazon.com/Keepe
r-05680-Safety-Step-2-pack/dp/
B00004Y622/ref=sr_1_4?keywo
rds=rubber+tread&qid=1555554
794&s=gateway&sr=8-4
Provide movement for the seeder
through varying levels of soil
wooden planks 8 $0.00 NA base structure for robot encasing
steel plate 1 $11.99
https://www.amazon.com/Cheer
y-Lynn-Designs-S114-Adaptor/d
p/B00B8X7W4A/ref=sr_1_12?k
eywords=metal+plates&qid=155
the material used to make the
shovels for digging
Daisy Flower
Seed Packets 4 $3.00
https://www.americanmeadows.
com/flower-seed-packets/individ
ual-flower-seed-packets/daisy-s
eed-packet To test our robot capabilities
ASA
Acrylonitrile
Styrene
Acrylate 1.75
mm 1 $34.86
https://www.matterhackers.com/
store/l/fillamentum-black-asa-fila
ment-175mm/sk/ML3TU6C3?rc
ode=GAT9HR&gclid=EAIaIQob
ChMIxPOzzNXY4QIVmR-tBh1J
CAXfEAQYASABEgIuwPD_Bw
E
3D printing filament that is durable,
UV resistant, good for outdoors,
heat resistant. (if possible)

Document 6: Project Management
10

Analysis & Conclusion:
Sowing is a process of farming that requires a lot of human effort. The planting robot
Kuwagata will help the consumers to plant flower, fruit or vegetable seeds into the seedbeds or
planter boxes with ease. The consumer ranges from disabled or elderly who enjoy gardening but
are not able to bend down and dig, farmers, homemakers, people who want to start a garden with
ease, or potentially, even NASA in the future to help colonize other planets. Powered by
batteries, this robot can analyze the effective amount of space between each plot to utilize the
maximum amount of plants. The robot’s rubber tread allows it to advance on a variety of
surfaces, especially soil depending on varying conditions. The mechanical arms on the head of
the robot performs the main digging and seeding function. We believe that Kuwagata serves the
community in a meaningful way and benefits gardeners and land owners ranged from private
premises to large-scale industries. Not only does Kuwagata maximize efficiency and normalize
procedures of sowing, but it also leaves room for the future of the product and promotes the act
of planting; so to foster a greener and healthier environment around us.
“Plant the seeds, plant the happiness.”

References:
[1]: American Meadows. ‘Daisy Seed Packet’, 2019. [Online]. Available:
https://www.americanmeadows.com/flower-seed-packets/individual-flower-seed-packets/daisy-s
eed-packet [Accessed 17- April- 2019].

[2]: Autoblog. ‘This tree planting robot wants to save the environment’, 2018. [Online].
Available:
https://www.autoblog.com/2018/04/19/treerover-autonomous-robot-wants-to-save-the-environm
ent/ [Accessed 17- April- 2019].

[3]: Wikipedia. ‘Birth weight’, 2019. [Online]. Available:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_weight [Accessed 17- April- 2019].

[4]: Fanale. ‘How is Popping Boba Made?’, 2014. [Online]. Available:
https://fanaledrinks.com/blogs/blog/18322291-how-is-popping-boba-made [Accessed 17- April-
2019].

[5]: Indiegogo. ‘TreeRover: A Tree Planting Robot’, 2018. [Online]. Available:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/treerover-a-tree-planting-robot#/ [Accessed 24- April-
2019].

12

[6]: Forbes. ‘This Recycling Robot Uses Artificial Intelligence To Sort Your Recyclables’, 2017.
[Online]. Available:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2017/04/04/this-recycling-robot-uses-artificial-intelli
gence-to-sort-your-recyclables/#17b33bd12d35 [Accessed 24- April- 2019].

[7]: Sagepub. ‘THE COMBINED BENEFITS OF SLIP-RESISTANT SHOES AND HIGH
TRACTION FLOORING ON COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION EXCEEDS THEIR
INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS’, 2017. [Online]. Available:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1541931213601715 [Accessed 24- April- 2019].

[8]: The Environmental Magazine. ‘Edible Water Pods Could Replace Billions of Plastic Bottles
Per Year’, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://emagazine.com/edible-water-pods/ [Accessed 24-
April- 2019].

[9]: USA Today. ‘A giant floating trash collector will try to scoop up the Great Pacific Garbage
Patch’, 2018. [Online]. Available:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/science/2018/08/07/giant-floating-trash-collector-heads-pa
cific-garbage-patch/831803002/ [Accessed 24- April- 2019].

13

Concept Design Report

Design Requirements:
Goal 1: The dimensions of the Seed Planting bot will be 6”x7”x8”. This will allow the
robot to stay within the foot width requirement so it has room to plant more than one row of
seeds within planter’s box.
Goal 2: We will use a funnel that has a radius of two inches and a height of three inches
in order to have a total volume greater than 8.75 cubic inches. The specified volume is the total
amount of space needed to fill two seed packets
Goal 3: The robot will use 100 mm wheels in order to keep a constant speed over uneven
soil. The programming in the robot will use the rotation of the wheels to calculate the speed of
the robot over the 10ft distance. With this method we can calculate the constant 0.00189394
miles per hour.
Goal 4: We will be using lightweight materials for the supply funnel, Seed Tube, and
electronics. Besides the electronics, everything listed will be 3D printed. The only parts that
would be greater than a couple ounces would be the tip of the drill, the base of the robot, and the
wheels. These parts are heavier than the rest to weigh down the robot so it has greater stability.
The base will be made out of wood in order to weigh it down. In the end it should all weigh less
than five pounds.

Research Similar Projects:
Research 1: This robot [1] has similar dimensions to our design. It uses four motors to
run in desired directions. It aims to be fully automatic, and the goal can be fulfilled by inserting a
bent plate at front and a bent rod at the end. The plate would loosen the soil and the rod could
pour soil back on the sowed seeds. The product meets the stakeholders’ needs because it is
efficient and fast farming, and is cheap because the materials do not include advanced
technology. Also, it is portable and light-weight. It does not mention the material for each part,
but from the pictures and videos provided we observe that most parts are recyclable, and
environmental-friendly. Because it is designed without coverings in a manageable size, it would
not require a lot of materials to build the product. It follows design ethics, but could be more
careful with safety issues. The supporting frames contain sharp edges and the sprockets should
not be exposed.
Research 2: This robot [2] is a five-legged machine that can navigate in any direction and
avoid obstructing objects. It can also sense if there are already seeds deployed underground, so to
find available spaces to sow new ones. There is a vertical retractable drill to dig the soil, and a
scoop that swings back and forth to recover the ground. One really great consideration of it is to
spray the ground with white markings, so to inform the users whether a seed is successfully
planted. Its belly is equipped with herbicides and fertilizers; it can also communicate to other

robots via infrared. It meets some of the stakeholders’ needs such as having multiple functions,
and is artificially intelligent. It is pretty safe to use. However we are not sure whether the
component of the white spray is environmentally friendly or not. Also it costs a lot of materials
to build just one machine, and the sowing process takes a long time, which is not efficient,
despite of the advanced technology equipped.
After researching these similar ideas, we hope to make both a practical design change and
a theoretical one. We would like to add a marking system to inform our users where the seeds are
planted, and substitute the arms to a drill to dig into the ground. Also, theoretically, we want to
make sure that our robot can move at a faster pace by redesigning the seed distribution process.

Concept Sketches:
Figure 1: General Design (sideview) Figure 2: Design Segments

In the images above, we brainstormed several different ideas to figure out the main
function of our robot. The above sketches represent the main functional component method we
are going to move forward with. Our fundamental idea is to stick a retracting tube into the dirt
that can dispense a seed. Some challenges we faced was to see think of how we can limit the
number of seeds being dispensed than a waterfall of seeds. Another issue we faced is to how we

can lower the tube with enough force to get into a far enough depth into the soil. Our final
decision was to place a door on the tube, so when it descends into the soil a funnel supply of
seeds would drop a few seeds into the tube that would eventually fall to the bottom of the tube.
We are hoping minimal dirt would get into the tube and the tube has reached a reasonable depth
to drop a seed and the soft soil would collapse onto itself to cover the hole. The robot body itself
is a box-shaped that would contain the circuitry, motors, and the seed supply funnel. On the
exterior of the robot body, we will have an infrared sensor that could sense a wall and stop when
approaching a wall.
In the end, we opted for a simplistic design with simplistic function due to time and
financial constraints. The general design of the robot will be a cube on wheels with a tube in the
center of the bottom side of the cube.

6-3-5 Sketches
Figure 3: 6-3-5 Sketch A Figure 4: 6-3-5 Sketch B

A common theme we had with our 6-3-5 sketches is that we wanted it to traverse the
land, have a seed dispenser, be able to scoop up dirt and be resilient to natural elements. Our
methods for scooping varied with each drawing, including a excavator type of idea and an
automatic shovel.We eventually decided on the ground piercer. We were debating between a
walking robot, a robot on wheels, and a robot with treads. Eventually, we decided on wheels for
the extra height over treads and the simplicity over a walking machine. Another area we had to
figure out was the user interface. We were debating between a remote control and Bluetooth, but
we eventually decided on an on-and-off button. We thought the whole point of the robot was to

Figure 5: 6-3-5 Sketch C Figure 6: 6-3-5 Sketch D

be an automated seed planting machine that
doesn’t need to be controlled other than to
plant on its own. Throughout this process we
thought of multiple other creative methods in
improving the robots functionality, such as
having it scan the area which it is working
with and do a calculation on the best way to
fit as many seeds into that area, or a touch
screen in which the robot can have inputs
such as the depth it needs to plant for a
particular seed and the distance away from
other seeds. Overall, these functions were
deemed too complicated to be done in a short
Figure 7: 6-3-5 Sketch E span of time for this class, and we opted for a
device that can dig, plant, and refill instead. device that can dig, plant, and refill instead.

User Interface:
The goal of our project is to have a large variety of people be able to use it so we want
the user interface to be as simple as possible. Since we have a wide range of users, such as
homeowners to elderly people who may have difficulty crouching and planting, we want the
interface to be easy and simple for them to use. The direct interface includes a switch that
activates the system on and off which would start the robot’s motion. Other than that, the user
would also be filling up the robot with the seeds. To signify that the robot has stopped it’s
motion or that there are no more seeds in it’s supply, we would have two different LEDs that
would light up respectively to signify the issue that it ran into. Though we are not completely

sure what the supply will look like yet, (see Figure A from the Concept
Sketches) we plan for the user to simply dump a packet of seeds into
the supply holder.

We feel as though that a toggle switch would be the best way
for the robot to turn on and off. The goal of the robot, as stated
previously, is that it would move on it’s own so there would be no user
interface controlling the robot such as a joystick or a bluetooth connection.
Figure 8: toggle switch
With the robot doing all the work of planting, it would allow many different people,
either because they are too busy, want to multitask, or are physically incapable of planting seeds
to do so with the assistance of this robot.

System Environment:
The robot will operate in a flower bed, meaning it will tread on fairly even soil. Although
this surface is not the most extreme, the robot will need to be able to have a fair amount of
traction and torque, as it is not a completely flat and smooth surface. The robot will function
outdoors, meaning it must be prepared for high and low temperatures, as well as wet and dry
conditions. As a result the robot must be waterproof and able to function in a reasonable
temperature range. The robot is not recommended to be put to use in extreme conditions such as
dangerously high winds, snow, and hail, though because of the way planting seasons work, these
conditions likely will not be faced.

System I/O (Input/Output):

Figure 9: System Input/Output Flowchart

Calculations:
➢ Circumference for wheels:
C1=2πr1
C1=2π(100 mm)=200π mm
➢ Distance for wheels:
∆x=k1C1
∆x=k1200π mm
The circumference of the wheels will be the basis on how far the cart travels. The wheels will
have a radius of 100 mm and the distance traveled rely on the variable k1. The limiting factor
would be the wall the seeder would have to stop for.
➢ Motor gear circumference:
C2=2πr2
C2=2π(10 mm)= 20π mm
➢ Depth Seed Tube travels due to motor gear spinning:
∆y=k2C2
∆y=k220π mm
The circumference of the motor gear will help determine the depth the Seed Tube will travel.
The y variable represents the depth of the tube and the k2 variable is how many rotations the gear
makes in order to lower the tube.

Updated BoM and Gantt Chart:
Figure 10: Gantt Chart:

Table 1: Bill of Materials:
Part quantity price Links use
super glue 1 $1.05 NA To glue separate parts together
arduino uno 1 $11.86 NA
To convert software programming to
hardware
screw driver 7 $17.99 NA To help attach parts
hot glue sticks 5 $0.35 NA To stick parts together
9V batteries 2 $2.50 NA To provide a source of power to robot
AA batteries 4 $1.16 NA To provide a source of power to robot
Round D-Port 1 $7.45 NA To connect a system to a d-port
wiring 14 $0.81 NA To complete circuits
Digital Caliper 1 $19.69 NA To precisely measure distances
electrical tape 1 $1.40 NA
To bind parts together without
worrying about the electric current
bread board 1 $2.50 NA To replicate the circuitry
wood glue 1 $5.97 NA To glue wood together safely
servo motor 2 $4.72 NA To tell shovel to rotate certain angle

after digging
DC motor 2 $3.25 NA To cause rotation
Daisy Flower
Seed Packets 4 $3.00
https://www.americanmead
ows.com/flower-seed-pack
ets/individual-flower-seed-p
ackets/daisy-seed-packet
To test supply capabilities for the
robot
ASA
Acrylonitrile
Styrene
Acrylate
1.75mm 1 $34.86
https://www.matterhackers.
com/store/l/fillamentum-bla
ck-asa-filament-175mm/sk/
ML3TU6C3?rcode=GAT9H
R&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxP
OzzNXY4QIVmR-tBh1JCA
XfEAQYASABEgIuwPD_B
wE
To 3D print the robot’s body (with
durable filament which are also UV
resistant, good for outdoors, and heat
resistant)
Icing tip 1 $5.60
https://www.amazon.com/C
JESLNA-Russian-Piping-N
ozzles-Decorating/dp/B01E
MWQV3Q/ref=sr_1_6?key
words=icing+tips&qid=1556
757406&s=gateway&sr=8-6 To dig the soil and drop the seeds
Rubber Wheel 1 $16.99
https://www.amazon.com/B
uggy-Rubber-Tires-Spoke-
Off-Road/dp/B00W10IJEG/
ref=sr_1_21?keywords=min
i+rubber+wheels&qid=1556
1 To move the robot

Sources of Reference:
[1]: NevonProject.com, “Automatic Seed Sowing Robot”,
https://nevonprojects.com/automatic-seed-sowing-robot/, 2017.
[2]: EnGadget.com, “Prospero the robotic farmer robotically plants seeds, makes humans even
more lazy (video)”,
https://www.engadget.com/2011/03/01/prospero-the-robotic-farmer-robotically-plants-seeds-ma
kes-huma/, 2011.

Technical Design Report
Electrical System Schematic

Figure 1: Electrical System Schematic

Figure 2: breadboard schematic 1

.
1
The numbers next to the color wire of the motors is the input slot on the Arduino Uno Board

Technical Drawings:

Figure 3: Seed Tube

The seed tube is the object that will penetrate the soil and inject seeds into said soil. The
tube was designed in order to be the same diameter as the icing tip being used, 19 millimeters.
This way the tip can be glued onto the tube and fit perfectly. The bottom 2.5 inches (63.5
millimeters) of the tube do not have the rack so it can penetrate the soil better. The hole in the
tube is the same height as the hole of the funnel (12.7 millimeters), so that they can align to
dispense seeds. The height of the tube is 203.2 millimeters, so that it will fit inside the body of
the robot.

Figure 4: Seed Funnel

The seed funnel is the device that holds all of the seeds, and enables them to move to the
tube. The funnel was designed so that it would align perfectly with the tube, which is why the
diameter of the indent is 20 millimeters. Since the funnel needs to let seeds to the hole in the
tube, it is perpendicular to the base of the robot on one side and the rest of the funnel leads to the
hole on that side. The volume, however, does not reach the intended 8.75 cubic inches of space.
This will be accounted for by creating an additional seed bank that will be more box shaped.

Figure 5: Full Assembly

The full assembly is not a final design, as some necessary components are missing, such
as all of the circuitry, motors, gears, sensors, the icing tip, and proper wheels. However, it gives a
good idea of what the final project will look like. It has not been tested yet as to whether or not it
will meet design criteria.

Digital Models:

Figure 6: Back of the Box

Figure 7: Bottom of the box

Figure 8: Front of the box

Figure 9: Side of the box

Figure 10: Top of the box

The aspect of our robot that we will not be 3D printing would be the box that we are
going to contain everything in itself. As shown in Figures 4-8, the boxes all have joints on each
side so it would fit like a puzzle piece when we assemble it. The joint cuts are the same as the
thickness of the material we are going to laser cut which is 0.25 in thick plywood and with the
joints, we will be able to create a box with the sides perpendicular to each other that will be
stable. To join these sides together, we will be using glue to make sure it stays intact and sturdy
and will not break during the operation of the robot. Some of the sides of the boxes have special
cut outs. For example, in Figure 5, there is a hole cut in the center of the box to accommodate for
the tube/rack and pinion system which will actuate up and down and dispense seeds. In Figure 6,
the front of the box, there is a small cut out for the ultrasonic sensor to fit in and peep out of.
Regarding Figure 7, we will be cutting out two copies of it since the sides should be identical and
the pair of holes in the box will be for an axle for our wheels to rotate with.

Simple Machines:

One of the simple machines that we learned about in the lecture that we plan to use
within our design is the gear. For our design we want a high gear ratio, thus, we will make sure
that the driven gear we have in the system has lower velocity which would result in higher
torque. The purpose of having the gear in the design is for it to operate with the rack and pinion

system that we are planning to use when we are having the seed planting tube move up and down
the rack and pinion system and from there, the tube has a hole in it that is going to collect seeds
from the funnel and dispense the seeds through there.

The equilibrium of our system is when our robot is at rest and the rack and pin system is
fully retracted (no seeds will be released). The mechanisms that will move our system out of
equilibrium will all be DC motors which will rotate the wheels about their axis and raise and
lower the rack and pinion seed tube. We chose the DC motor to do these things because we think
that it’s the most convenient and best way to do so with all the options of motors that we have.
The DC motors will help manipulate the direction of motion as they will spin and in turn, make
the wheels spin so that the robot is able to move back and forth.

Build Plan:

The body of the robot will be laser-cut using plywood. Each side of the body will be cut
in a puzzle piece manner so that the sides have greater support when connected. The bottom of
the base will be measured out and will have a hole laser cut into the middle with a diameter 0.5
mm bigger than the diameter of the tube that is in the rack and pin system. The top of the base
will have two hinges attached together it and to the back side of the robot. This will allow the top
to be a flippable lid and give the user the ability to fill the funnel up with seeds.
The funnel will be 3d printed and attached to the inside wall of one of the plywood
boards. At the bottom of this funnel there is a hole that will only feed the rack and pin system
seeds when the seed tube is at the maximum depth it can reach. The tube will also be 3d printed
and has a hole at the top it. When the filter’s hole and the tube’s hole line up, then the seeds
inside the filter will be able to fall directly into the tube. Until this point the tube blocks the
funnel’s hole, so no seeds can fall out.
The tube is raised up and down through a rack and pin system. There is a motor that is
attached to a gear. This gear is attached to pins on the side of the tube, so as the motor moves, the
gear moves, and then the tube moves. The gear will be 3d printed to fit the motor and the motor
is given to us.
The motor is hooked up to the breadboard that is glued onto the inside of one of the
plyboards. Also hooked up to this bread board is the arduino, batteries, an on and off switch, an
ultrasonic sensor and two more motors. One of these motors will be connected to the near the
front and the other towards the back of the robot. Both of them will have axles attached to them
in order to rotate the wheels of the robot.
The ultrasonic sensor will have a cutout area for it on the front wall of the robot. This will
allow the robot to be able to sense a wall if it is about to hit one.

Experimental Testing:

We will be testing our robots on empty fields at both UW Farm and Center For Urban
Horticulture. We aim to find three types of garden soils--sandy soil, silty soil, peaty soil--based
on moisture and drainage levels [1]. For softer soil we will be experimenting if the wheels would
be stuck, and if the weight of the robot would cause damage to the soil structures; for harder soil
we will be experimenting if the icing tip could penetrate into the ground and drop the seeds
successfully, and if the soil could retrieve itself after the tip is removed. In general, we also want
to experiment if the tube and the funnels are well connected, and the spinning speed of the
wheels match the distances in between seed-dropping.

The metrics being measured include the speed of the robot (cm/s), the distance between
two seeds (cm), the amount of seeds being dropped during one rotation (number of seeds), the
time spent to drop the seeds for once (s), and the distance in between the robot and the obstacles
sensed by the ultrasonic sensor (cm).

Calculations: Gabe

● Circumference for wheels:
C1=2πr1
C1=2π(4.75 cm)= 9.5π cm
● Distance for wheels:
∆x=k1C1
∆x=k1 9.5π cm
The circumference of the wheels will be the basis on how far the cart travels. The wheels will
have a radius of 1.87 in and the distance traveled rely on the variable k1. The limiting factor
would be the wall the seeder would have to stop for.

● Speed of rotations for motor:
304.8 cm= k1*9.5π cm
k1= 10.21 rotations
∆v= (Rotations)/(sec)

∆v= (10.21 rotations)/(3600 s)
∆v= 0.0333 rotations per second
This calculation deciphers how fast we have to make the motor turn in order to complete the
engineering specification of ten feet (304.8 cm) in one hour. We can program the arduino board
to turn the motors this fast with this calculation.

Updated Gantt Chart and BoM:
Table X: Gantt Chart

Table Y: Bill Of Materials

Sources of Reference:

[1]: Barton, R. (2016). Know Your Garden Soil: How to Make the Most of Your Soil Type. [online]
Eartheasy Guides & Articles. Available at:
https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/know-your-garden-soil-how-to-make-the-most-of-your-soil-type/
[Accessed 15 May 2019].

Problem Statement:
Gardening is a popular and rewarding hobby for many people. However, it can also be
hard on the body and difficult to do for elderly people and people with injuries and/or
disabilities. People also may be too busy to fulfill their desires to garden.
We want everybody to be able to experience the joys of gardening regardless of ability or
availability, and that is why we hope to create this planting robot Mitsubachi. Our robot will
serve anybody who hope to enjoy the experience of gardening without the difficulties that come
with it. It also fosters responsible engineering practices including human welfare, sustainability,
and accountability.
Recent Updates/Changes:
The first change that we made was that we relocated the four DC motors to the exterior of
the robot for the new wheels. Regarding our old wheels, there was too much friction on the
rubber portion and they were not solid rubber, rather keeping the shape thanks to a removable
foam ring. We also had many issues with the axle that we attempted to connect the wheel to
snapping. Ideally, we wanted there to be no axle, however, with the laser cut plywood, it
would’ve been too thick to just stick the axle of the DC motor through and connect the wheel
with. Overall, the original wheels that we ordered would not be able to sustain the weight of our
robot. By changing to wheels with thinner rubber layers, our robots can move on top of the soil
more easily. They are also now directly connected to the DC circuit, we were able to eliminate
the axle completely which now makes it easier for the wheels to function.

Figure 1: Originally we had the four DC motors inside Figure 2: The new schematic shows that we have now removed
the robot with the blue 3D printed axles the DC motors from the inside of the robot
Another change that we made was that we connected an additional external power supply

to separate our servo motor and DC motors, because the 9V battery that we were using would
quickly die trying to power them together. To obtain a more stable testing environment and
reduce the errors, an extra power supply is able to assist in us running both the servo and the four
DC motors jointly.

Figure 3: We created a cardboard holder for both the 9V and the external power source
The third change we made was the funnel. Through testing the funnel and the seed tube
conjointly, we realized that the robot was dispensing too many seeds when the tube would
actuate up and down. Because the funnel and the tube have holes that would be aligned to
regulate the dispensing of the seeds, we had to change our design. Another issue that we had was
to have our funnel meet our engineering specification. We wanted our funnel to hold about three
cubic inches of seeds so that the user would not have to constantly refill the robot for
convenience. Through the redesign, we made the volume of the funnel larger and made the cut
out for the hole smaller so that these two issues could be resolved.

Figure 4: Our original seed tube design had a hole that was 12.7 mm tall which allowed too many seeds to fall through.
The funnel was also only 74.2 mm tall and a max width of 72.28 mm wide

Figure 5: Our new drawing shows that we have now decreased the height of the hole to be 10 mm instead which allows less seeds
to fall through. The new funnel has a height of 101.6 mm and a max width of 87.41 mm.

Figure 6: Updated electrical schematic
Build Process and Prototyping:
The build process of our robot was a challenging but fun one as we worked on refining
our idea with each model of the robot. The first prototype that we made was out of a cardboard
box and us cutting out pieces for the wheels, making a funnel and tube out of paper, and
generally, just trying to figure out how we would lay out the interior of the robot since we had to
fit both a tube and a funnel inside, not only the electrical schematic.

Figure 7: The cardboard iteration of our robot that we built in about 10 minutes.
Once we hit about halfway through the quarter we started making all the components of
the robot which included: laser cutting the box, 3D printing the seed tube, funnel, axles (which
we later scrapped from our design), and gear for the servo motor to function with the rack and
pinion system. Each component resulted in some sort of issue that we had to refine or fix. For the
laser cut box, we had to sand out the holes that we were intending to put the axles through since
the axles kept breaking and we wanted to make them thicker to try and prevent this problem. In
the end, we ended up scrapping the axles all together and just threading the wires of the DC
motors through the holes.

Figure 8: Originally we had the axles sticking out for wheels Figure 9: We ended up threading the wire through the holes

For our seed tube, we didn’t have any design issues, however, we kept having issues with
the 3D print malfunctioning with the tube being ‘shredded’ or the rack portion of the tube not

printing as clearly as we would’ve liked it to print. The same issue arose with the gear that would
attach to the servo: we could not get a clear of a print on the teeth. The funnel was redesigned
(see Figure 4 vs. Figure 5 on the redesigned components) to more strongly regulate the flow of
the seeds. Though we had many challenges with manufacturing the components of the robot, we
were able to overcome them.

Figure 10: A final look at how the 3D printed components and the laser cut box fit together

The most difficult part within our build process was the circuitry and the programming of
the arduino code to perform the functions that we intended our robot to perform. At one point of
the process, we even thought that we would need to have two arduinos because we believed that
there would not be enough voltage to operate both the servo and the four DC motors on one
board. Major adjustments like moving the wheels to the outside of the robot or drilling holes in
the laser cut box of our robot was because we had to make the robot work in the first place. We
had many frustrating moments where we simply didn’t know if our code or circuitry was wrong,
or a motor or H bridge was broken. We also had to solder many wires because we ran out of
them and we needed them. To prepare quickly for the symposium, we glued three of the six sides
of the box together with wood glue to place all of the circuitry and arduino in, and when we
finally got every component to work, we glued everything together except the lid and painted the
robot for fun as a result. Through these outside of class sessions, we really bonded as a team and
the shouts of excitement and shock when our robot worked after long struggles made all the
effort we put in worth it.

Figure 11: Liem working on circuitry Figure 12: Catherine working on the Arduino code from her Mac

Figure 13: The final set up of the Mitsubachi

Figure 14: We also painted the robot for fun

Experimental Results:
1. The new volume of the funnel is 3.4 cubic inches and is able to hold 4 seed
packets. The seed packet size that we used for the original engineering
specification was based on an industrial sized packet and not a market quantity
one. This was successfully done with an accurate 3d print.
2. The robot weighs 4 lbs. This was successfully done by using plywood as our base
material. Plywood is light and sturdy, so the robot would have strong frame but
also be light weight.
3. The motors turn 0.0333 rotations per second which is the exact specification we
wanted to reach. This was successfully done by picking the right motor and apply
the correct amount of voltage to it.
4. The frame of the box was designed to have the dimensions set to 9” x 9” x 9”.
This means that the robot is no longer than a foot wide in any dimension. This
was successfully done through accurate laser cutting.
Table 1: Engineering Specifications Comparison
Engineering
Specification
Why? How It Was Met
Hold a volume of 3
cubic inches of
seeds
Need to be able to plant at least
10 square feet of garden (2
seed packets) in one ‘round’
Analysis in SOLIDWORKS and
Fusion 360 our funnel would be able
to hold about 3.4 cubic inches of
seeds (about 8 seed packets).
Weigh less than 10
pounds
The average weight of a
newborn is 5.5-9.9 lbs and we
want the elderly to be able to
hold this weight
Our robot weighs about five pounds.
Move at a
relatively decent
speed (10 square
feet/hour)
Needs to plant at a relatively
timely fashion but not wear out
the battery
We set the motors to 255 PWM on
Arduino and get 120 RPM on the
wheels, which is in our range of a
reasonable speed.
Robot is less than a
foot in width
Seeds are ideally planted in
rows that are at least a foot
apart
The laser cut cube design of our box
is 9” x 9” x 9”

Challenges:
There were many challenges that we encountered when we were building the Mitsubachi,
however, we were able to overcome many of them together as a team. There were challenges that
were mildly annoying to deal with such as the 3D prints not working correctly or the prints
breaking. An example of this would be the axle wheels that we had for the wheels we ordered for
our robot. There were issues with the axles breaking when we would connect them to the DC
motor on one end and the wheel on the other. We probably did six or seven redesigns in our
printing and even sanded the holes we made in our laser cut box to be larger just to try and fix
this problem. We ended up being lucky and finding some wheels to use for our robot and
revamped our thinking of how our robot to be set up. Ideally, we wanted to eliminate the axles
entirely, thus we unsoldered the motors from their wires and resoldered them when we glued the
motors to the exterior of our robot. By doing this, the wheels were able to better support our
robot and function much more smoothly.
The most frustrating and time consuming challenge that we faced by far was regarding
the circuitry and coding. For coding with Arduino, it was challenging to combine codes of
separate parts together into one file, and to make multiple parts together using “blinking without
delay” approach. The servo and the motors were not working in conjunction with each other to
move and plant the seeds. We also had issues since we couldn’t tell if something wasn’t working
because of a coding/circuitry error or because our H bridge and motors were broken. The major
issue that we faced overall was trying to make the servo and motor alternate.
The problem was that we didn’t want to put too much voltage to the arduino because we
didn’t want to fry our H bridge since there weren’t any extra ones left. However, we needed
more voltage to operate all four DC motors and the servo. We needed to figure out the maximum
power input for the arduino that would not break what we had built so far. After extensive
Google searching and reading through various forums, we found that someone said the
maximum power input for an arduino is 20 V. Deciding to take the chance, we hooked up an
external power source to the arduino totaling at 18 V and tried it out. It worked but the wheels
were moving at the same time the tube was actuating which was not what we wanted. We figured
out that we forgot to sum the numbers in the code and it ended up alternating like we hoped that
it would.
Though we faced many challenges, what really helped us overcome things was working
as a team. We all had different perspectives on how to solve the problems we encountered and
knew when to lead and when to follow. The team synastry was really great and this was the
biggest reason as to why we were successful in overcoming every challenge that came our way.

Conclusion and Next Steps:
Our current robot moves the way we intended it to, however it does not quite have the
output we would have liked. Our current robot can move forward and stop, and move the seed
tube up and down, which dispenses seeds. The motors used for the wheels may not be strong
enough to propel the robot over soil, and the current tube system may not be strong enough to
pierce the Earth as deep as desired consistently.
If we had more time and more materials, we would incorporate the ultrasonic sensor into
the robot’s functions, make the body of the robot out of a more durable material, and get better
motors. We would also like to have the robot be able to deal with different seed sizes and
calculate optimal seed placement. Our project could be applied in the real world through
commercial gardening and smaller-scaled farms. We would scale-up the project by making a
bigger body, possibly replace wheels with treads, have more advanced electronics and motors,
and make parts out of metal. We also would want to make it able to plant not only seeds but
saplings as well. This could translate to a robot that could assist in agriculture or help colonize
other moons/planets to even planting trees on a Christmas tree farm.

Appendix:
Table 2: Bill of Materials

Arduino Code:
#include <Servo.h> //Servo library
Servo servo_test; //Servo setup
int angle = 0; // Servo setup
// motors
int in1 = 4;
int in2 = 5;
int in3 = 6;
int in4 = 7;
unsigned long previousMillis = 0; // will store last time servos were spinning
unsigned long currentMillis = 0;
const long interval = 5000; // interval between each round of spin
int trigPin = 3; // Trigger for ultrasonic sensor
int echoPin = 2; // Echo for ultrasonic sensor
long duration, cm, inches; // ultrasonic sensor setup
void setup() {

Serial.begin (9600);
pinMode(trigPin, OUTPUT);
pinMode(echoPin, INPUT);
servo_test.attach(9);
pinMode(in1, OUTPUT);
}
void loop() {
// The sensor is triggered by a HIGH pulse of 10 or more microseconds.
// Give a short LOW pulse beforehand to ensure a clean HIGH pulse:
digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
delayMicroseconds(5);
digitalWrite(trigPin, HIGH);
delayMicroseconds(10);
digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
// Read the signal from the sensor: a HIGH pulse whose duration is the time (in
microseconds)
// from the sending of the ping to the reception of its echo off of an object.
pinMode(echoPin, INPUT);
duration = pulseIn(echoPin, HIGH);
cm = (duration/2) / 29.1; // Convert time into distance
delay(250);
currentMillis = millis();
if (cm < 15) {
digitalWrite(in1, LOW);
} else {
// Turn on motors in FORWARD motions
digitalWrite(in1, HIGH);
digitalWrite(in3, HIGH);
if (currentMillis - previousMillis >= interval) {
previousMillis = currentMillis; // save the last time spinning the servo
digitalWrite(in1, LOW); // stop all motors

for (angle = 0; angle < 360; angle += 5) { // turn servo 1000 degrees
servo_test.write(angle);
delay(5);
}
delay(400);
for (angle = 360; angle>=1; angle-=5) { // reverse servo back to 0 degrees
servo_test.write(angle);
delay(5);
}
delay(1000);
}
}
}

Project: Mitsubachi

More Related Content

Similar to Project: Mitsubachi (20)

More from Yilin Zeng (10)

Recently uploaded (20)

Project: Mitsubachi