The sidewalks of UNSW, are witnessing a strange phenomenon. A motorized couch is catching the fancy of a large number of visitors and students, who stand to check it out.
The need to chill and relax on the couch was inspiration enough for a bunch of engineering students, to build a sofa that is controlled by the gaming pad of an Xbox.
The sofa rests on four wheels and has an electric motor mounted under the armrest. The highly efficient RasberryPi has been deployed in order to have complete maneuverability of the wheels. It took a group of nine, just a year to churn out a robotic sofa, complete with all the essential components.
Couch surfing has now been elevated to a new level altogether. The couch can move in any direction. The user controls it completely with the Xbox gaming pad and no aimless wanderings are permitted.
They key element in this design are the wheels. The students have installed mecanum wheels that have inbuilt rotational rollers in order to aid movement in any direction. This Robotic couch has a wooden frame and a customized steel chassis that has four wheels custom designed for this purpose. The motors are the same as that in a scooter motor, connected to a central zone that manages the speed of the couch.
After exposing the robotic sofa to many stringent tests, it has now been launched for the public on the 6th September, on UNSW Open Day. UNSW is known worldwide for encouraging students to believe in their ideas and convert them into reality. Projects like these are great learning experiences for students, in order apply the same approach to bigger problems in the industry.
Steph McArthur is the inventor of this design, with a little help from Mill Andrew. The project is now being funded by the School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications. Industry experts are quick to point out towards the potential of the untapped market for robotic lounges.
The students are still working hard to make improvements in the design that would keep it stable on uneven and steep terrains as well. At the moment the smooth gliding movement of the couch gets affected if the wheels come in contact with different surfaces and if there is an uneven distribution of weight.
The couch has met with roaring success in the corridors and the lifts. It just needs a few sensors here and there that are programmed for mapping the location, in order to make crashing into things next to negligible. And we must mention here at the end of the day its a couch that will look pretty parked in any corner of your home, raring to go on your command.
McArthur and Andrew are tempted to next work on robotic fridge that is on the beck and call of its owner.
Via: Newsroom
