Robotics · Completed
The Deskinator
An autonomous desk-cleaning robot that our four-person team improved through mechanical, electrical, and firmware testing.
Boston University · EK210 · Team of four · Fall 2025
Objective
Our EK210 team set out to build a robot that could clean a 4 ft × 4 ft desk without driving over an edge. I wrote the Arduino C++ firmware for S-curve pathing, IR-triggered edge avoidance, and gesture activation. I also helped assemble the system and troubleshoot the mechanical and electrical subsystems.
Approach
- Drive: The original motors struggled under the robot’s weight, so we moved to 12 V N20 encoder motors.
- Vacuum: We replaced the original fan after early pickup tests showed that it could not collect rice reliably.
- Filter: When a shorter replacement filter was delayed, we built a perforated paper-cup-and-gauze substitute to keep the prototype moving.
- Nozzle: We narrowed the opening and angled it toward the desk to improve contact with debris.
Test / Results
The report records an early trial with about 24% pickup and a final trial with 72 of 95 rice grains collected, or 76%, after the fan, filter, and nozzle changes. Our team placed in the top four of roughly 20 groups during the class demonstration.
The robot demonstrated edge avoidance and gesture activation, but neither behavior was fully repeatable. A better test plan would use timed runs across several debris patterns and record both pickup percentage and successful edge detections.
