The Solver

The Solver

by Jordan Aronson, Alex Herriott, Oscar Arias

Project Overview:

The robot being built combined with a complex algorithm will take a rubik’s cube, evaluate it, and solve the cube.

Objectives:

To build this, we need these things:

• 1. Build a robot which includes a Raspberry Pi along with motors that can rotate parts of the cube horizontally and vertically.
• 2. Create code to take the set of instructions and give them to the robot which will execute the necessary moves to solve the cube.
• 3. Create code to detect the colors on a cube on each of its sides
  • Backlight the camera
• 4. Convert an algorithm to solve a cube into Python and produce a set of instructions based on its given colors
• 5. Connect the Raspberry Pi to the motors using circuitry

Challenges:

Challenges that we predict:

Mechanical:

• Designing grippers able to grasp and rotate the cube
• Ensuring the grippers rotate exactly 90 degrees so the cube can rotate cleanly.
• Trying to get the individual actions to take as little time as possible.
• Designing a convenient way for the cube to be inserted into the device and exit the device.
• Designing circuitry to connect the Pi (The Pi can’t deliver enough power or pins to drive all the necessary servos and steppers)
• Finding a way to power both the Pi and the actuators from a wall adapter.

CS:

• Designing an algorithm that can take the initial color positions and come up with a set of moves to solve the cube as efficiently as possible.
• Making sure the camera can distinguish the color patterns on each side of the cube
• Design code that can take that algorithm and translate it to what the robot can do. (The robot’s current design can only act on 4 faces at any given time. To access the other two, the cube must be rotated).