Description
"Arthur"...The Door Butler will resemble a very normal door. As you
approach you will see a door mounted in a partial wall with a very
standard motion detector mounted at the top and a porch light to the
side. A welcome mat will greet the visitors.
Operation
As the visitors approach, the motion detector will turn on the porch
light and enable the door to greet the individuals. When the visitors
step on the welcome mat Arthur will open and then close the door for
them. First, a compartment on the side of the door will open, a robotic
arm will unfold, raise itself and position to grasp the door knob.
Arthur will then grab the door knob rotate it and open the door. A mat
on the other side of the door will signal Arthur that the individual has
passed through. The arm will then close the door, release its grip and
refold itself up closing it's access door.
Artistic and Technological Content
Art, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder. From my perspective
the door represents a sculpture in motion. The image of an automatic
door does not invoke much artistic impression. A door that lends a
hand and opens itself however, tends to be a bit more intriguing if
not novel. The technological content is center around making a light
weight yet strong arm and gripper. This project will explore the use of
different sensors to detect individuals, the door knob etc. Differing
techniques will be used to center the gripper on the door knob, close
around the knob and rotate to open it. This project will also explore
the control aspects using the HC11E9. Special efforts and attention
will be placed on the construction of the arm in order to build a light
weight, strong arm. The arm will be constructed of either PVC pipe or
Styrofoam coated with epoxy fiberglass.
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