Summary
The Surfbot is a programmable mechatronics device that applies a coat of wax onto a surfboard based on a user’s preferred waxing pattern.
It utilizes 2 stepper motors to control a compliant wax-head that applies a consistent wax coat over uneven contours. The system uses an Arduino to control it and a closed loop controller was designed to assure accurate path tracking. |
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Hardware & Software
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Wax Holder:
Using an Arduino Uno, rotary encoder, and Rasberri Pi, the surfboard waxer implements a closed loop feedback control system. By pulsing to the motor drivers and reading wax head position, a PID controller was implemented via communication between the Rasberri Pi and the Arduino. |
This feedback controller ensures that the various trajectories of the wax head are robust when subject to disturbances, resulting in the most even coat of wax. A linear quadratic regulator was designed using the premise of impedance control for implementation in the further design iterations of the waxer, in which the actuated wax head shifts automatically to a position which provides a predicted level of contact required between the board and the wax. This allows for adequate coverage given changes in board shape, board curvature, and surface friction from previous wax layers.
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