Forced Equilibrium_Assignment 4_Alaa+Stephen_Concept
Human interaction through WiFi enabled physical touch relies on the presence and resistance of physical forces that we have decided to translate through hydraulics. This first video is the first iteration of the prototype that demonstrates the translation of force from one piston/syringe to the other and demonstrates the equilibrium of two input forces.
https://youtu.be/HLx4kFdfVtw
To translate this physical force through the internet, the input of the flow of water from one syringe to the other must be measured and the force must be reproduced through a pump. This next video demonstrates the working prototype of the flow meter measuring how much water is flowing between the two pistons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQOow363Umc&feature=emb_title
The next step was to assemble and program the pump. This was complicated because the pump required a minimum of 6 volts of electricity in contrast to the maximum 3 or 5 volts provided to the Arduino. We assembled an H-bridge to provide the power and translate the code commands. At first the code tested the mobility and the ability of the stepper motor to operate with the installation of a peristaltic pump attached. Below are the videos that demonstrate the successful prototypes.
https://youtu.be/1opo8mCi_Zk
https://youtu.be/Fi1RgaxGTVM
https://youtu.be/0R92M5knOsw
We are now focused on the last two steps of the project; perfecting the translation of the flow meter’s reading to influence the speed and direction of the pump, and integrating the system with the internet. We have determined that overcoming friction and increasing torque to the stepper motor will need to be addressed with additional voltage to ensure the pump can effectively transfer water and the lack of coding experience has been a challenge with programing the Arduino components and especially integrating the system with the internet. We have experimented with many types of tubes, connections, and sensors to find the best assembly. Our prototype is not completely operational but we have determined that silicon tubes and connections provided the most durable and flexible construction, and we have been testing the assembly and codes with an Arduino Uno before programing the system to be compatible with the internet on the ESP32.
