Robby Connor, Richard Evan Cross and Zach Rasmor made a cool Automatic Wireless Drink Mixer for their University of Washington Electrical Engineering embedded systems ee478 class. Do you recognize that display they are using? Yes it is made by 4dsystems who sponsored one of our recent contests!
Via: TechEBlog
“Automatic drink mixer features:
-Remote touch screen allowing users to pick from preset drinks or customize their own. Touch screen donated by 4DSystems (www.4dsystems.com.au)
-Remote interface sends drink selection via wireless to the main controller (Microchip PIC32).
-Local LCD touch screen allowing users to scroll through preset drink options and select a drink.
-Infrared cup sensor that detects if a cup is in the fixture. Liquid will only dispense if a cup is present.
-RFID sensor that detects if an RFID cup is in the fixture. If so, it remembers the last drink that the cup ordered. If it sees the cup again, the local LCD will jump to the last drink selected.
-Drink valves are turned by servo motors
-Windows GUI that allows the user to change the available liquids and add new preset drinks (not shown)”
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Yet another way to turn extracurricular activities into a grade! Fairly well executed but could benefit from user feedback (cup not present error beep) and error checking (after dispensing drink cup must be removed before dispensing next).
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I’m going to UW this quarter. What sucks is that our rival school WSU already has a drink mixing vending machine.
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It’s a good final proyect for a class
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One thing it’s true.
This guys have a lot of money to spend, and a lot of time to waste and to drink.
;D
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You’re rigth.
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I wish there was a link to the build list. I want to know what valve they are turning with the servo, I’m working on making a arduino controlled plant watering system and I need a either signal controllable valve or a easily rotated one via a servo. Doesn’t need to be pressure rated.
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interesting is the fact that they can’t controll the flow of liquid too acurately.
the rate of flow of the drink varies acording to the fizziness of the soda/cola/etc, the remainiing
quantitie of liquid in the bottle etc. They just time it to let the valve open for a specific time
it’s yet another classic case of cracking nuts with a sledgehammer.
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This didnt interest me much untill i see the touchscreen with adjustable percentages..
this is amazing! do you have any source code of schematics?
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