Re: Picking up Cigarette Butts?
 

Im thinking the needles might have issues on none flat ground. Obviuosly there are ways around this but a vacuum seems to be the easier method. I would prototype them both first and see which works better before I made any full scale models or final decisions.

Re: Picking up Cigarette Butts?
 

If you have a high poower blower and a strainer, the light stuff would be sucked up and the strainer would hold the butts and deposit everything else out the back. It might be a bit dusty but it could get the job done.

Re: Picking up Cigarette Butts?
 

I thought of this just a moment ago and this may be the best solution. If I were to periodically move a collection system under the vacuum and power it down, the butts and smaller debris would fall down into the sack. Thanks Al.

Re: Picking up Cigarette Butts?
 

try a steam roller-esk thing covered with needles and on the topside have a rake that fits between the rows of spikes to get the cigarette butts of the spikes

i was thinking that you might have issues with fine dust or sand if you use a vaccum

Re: Picking up Cigarette Butts?
 

I like this steamroller idea. I could totally see this working... but you don't want it going haywire and start running over cars with sharp spikes....

And I love flamethrower idea :p

Jacob

Re: Picking up Cigarette Butts?
 

you could always work on your gratious professionalism by trying to talk your way out of it :confused:

Re: Picking up Cigarette Butts?
 

Talk my way out of what?

The steam roller idea won't work because it won't be able to go on all terrains, it's mainly a flatland thing.

Re: Picking up Cigarette Butts?
 

I would go the vacuum route. What you could do is have a small vacuum on the end of an arm so you can use it on any terrain. Dust would be kicked up but would be sucked in by the vacuum, and you could use filters to try to catch or leave behind certain materials. You would have the vacuum first run through a large filter that catches large rocks and such, and have this filter slanted to the side with openings so that all the rocks and such fall back onto the road(or if you want to vacuum up large objects for some reason you can simply close these vents off) and then have everything else pass on to the next level. The next level would be small enough to catch the cigarette butts and but be large enough to let dust pass through. After the dust filter you have an opening either right under or behind the robot and have dust simply fall through this opening onto the ground so it doesn't weigh the robot down.

Seems good in concept. However that tends to mean little when you finally build something so I would suggest exploring a couple of the ideas in this thread and prototype them.

Re: Picking up Cigarette Butts?
 

wait what is the harshest terrain conditions that you will be operating on? any sand? gravel?

i think before you start to design you should go around and find out exactly what you will be designing your robot for.

just my two cents, vivek