Trash-Bot

They don't do this because the trucks are outfitted with a big "robotic" grasper that literally picks the "can" up and dumps it into the truck. And sets it back down, ostensibly in the same place where it picked it up from. (at least here in So. Cal, and probably lots of other places.) Designing/building/implementing something like that that could handle as unpredictable of a load as bags would be prohibitively expensive.

But building a little motorized cart that could carry the can to the curb should be almost trivially easy - just have it follow a wire, or for that matter, a slot! If you get snow, then a snow-blower attachment could be an add-on. ;-) But seriously, this is sounding increasingly simple - a low-profile 4-wheel dolly, with a large wheelbase (for stability), and a reversible motor, like a wheelchair. The technology has been in place for decades, there just hasn't been the volume to get the price down to pennies yet.

And to keep anybody from stealing it, tether it. :-)

Good Luck! Rich

What you need is therapy to release your self-hatred, just like Jim T.

Good Luck! Rich

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Well, however you do it, don't use a "car" battery. They're optimized for "cold cranking amps", but not for deep discharge. Use wheelchair batteries, golf cart batteries, trailer batteries, boat batteries, any kind of "deep cycle" battery, but _don't_ use a car battery.

I'm curious - is this a one-off for home use, or are you talking about fielding an actual product for market?

Good Luck! Rich

You are correct in that a deep-cycle battery is preferable to a "car" battery, which are optimized for the quick discharge.

. But the demands are low in this situation, so the choice isn't critical. A cheaper 12 V lead-acid battery of almost any type would do.

I chose 12 V because there are plenty of really-available components that work at that voltage.

I basically want to make a working thing, and I'm in the design & engineering phase. I can assess market potential after I have a working prototype. I'm not concentrating on that now. For now, I'm working with the concept that this is a one-off project.

It's not. This is a myth created by the CDC. Not an intentional myth, but an overhyping of research data which were found to be faulty. Using the CDC criterion Will Smith fit into the Obese category. An overzealous press trumpeted the story for a couple of months, and when the story became old the mistake was uncovered, only by then nobody was interested and the press didn't want to lose face.

(yes, I know not everyone likes Fox news, but the facts are right about the CDC)

The U.S. media will point out any problem in the U.S. first, and this information is broadcast all over the world. CNN, Fox, etc. will tell you about the health of U.S. citizens, but they will only infrequently tell you of similar trends in Europe or anywhere else. Not too many months back it was in the UK and European press that weight gain was as much, if not moreso, a problem in Europe than the U.S. I know because I visit every year. Two trends:

1. The world as a whole is now richer than it ever has been. People are able to spend more money on anything including food. Snack foods and treats were rare when I was young, and just weren't as available as they are now.
2. People are living longer due to new medical and drug treatments. The CDC and the WHO along with researchers the world over conquer problem after problem, until the #1 impediment to good health is now seen(or at least was for a couple of months) as bad diet and lack of excersize(spellcheck?). This is only the next domino to knock down, and so it gets the press. I wonder what the #1 cause of death will be when the average lifespan is 85?

Now, don't believe everything you read, and don't throw around the latest disinformation in a defamitory way just because you can't bother to look up the facts.

Brent S.

If you've got the bucks, just use a wheelchair undercarriage. Figure out how to interface an ordinary RC controller box, and you're done. ;-)

Good Luck! Rich

Does the bot need to be free standing? Can you put it on a track? If you are using the guide wire method you would wind up digging some kind of channel to bury it anyway. Another thought is to think of a similar methodology as a cable car, rather than mounting the locomotion onto the bot, mount it at the bots 'station'.

just a thought... material movement machinery has been around a long time, perhaps looking through a company that sells this type of equipment may spark some ideas...

[snip] [snip]

Old age ?:-)

My father is 87 and I see signs that his body is simply wearing out :-(

...Jim Thompson

Dean Burell -

Nehmo - A track would be fine; no steering would be necessary. But tracks are expensive and require installation. This bot should work in the common situation of a driveway leading the curb. The current state of technology is advanced enough so that the navigation can be provided by small a video camera, a computer, a steering servo, and some software.

For this first one, I'm pretty much settled on the chassis being built from the Harbor Freight cart

I don't know how to accomplish the steering and navigation yet.