Society of Robots - Robot Forum

Mechanics and Construction => Mechanics and Construction => Topic started by: Cronicman_7 on February 21, 2012, 09:44:22 AM

Title: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: Cronicman_7 on February 21, 2012, 09:44:22 AM
 :D
Okay so I have been thinking of a machine to create that will absorb oil, much better then the MIT oil eater. The thing is I dont know how to create robots. I'm sure I will be a millionaire if I can create a prototype. I need to know how to create a robot that can swim like one of the underwater scooters except on their own without a host. Any ideas?
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: newInRobotics on February 21, 2012, 11:18:56 AM
That's fairly easy. You get underwater scooter and replace buttons with MOSFETs controlled by microcontroller.
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: Cronicman_7 on February 21, 2012, 08:01:54 PM
Okay and after I do that I'm going to need a special sensor for the robot. One that can detect specific objects.
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: joe61 on February 21, 2012, 10:52:08 PM
Be sure to buy the specific ones you need.

Joe
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: Cronicman_7 on February 22, 2012, 06:36:43 AM
Ill try but I dont know where to get them at, it has to detect oil. How would I set  that sensor up?
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: newInRobotics on February 22, 2012, 06:42:30 AM
What sensor are we talking about?
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: Cronicman_7 on February 22, 2012, 07:26:42 AM
I'm not sure, but one that can operate underwater.
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: newInRobotics on February 22, 2012, 07:38:25 AM
I'm not sure, but one that can operate underwater.
One would think  ;D

My question is, do You have any techniques in mind used to detect oil in the water?
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: Cronicman_7 on February 22, 2012, 08:22:36 AM
I guess a sensor that beams a light ray out in any direction and as it hits oil it will send a beam back at the sensor to confirm the substance is oil. The thing is it would have to be programed to only beam back oil which seems extremely complicated to do since there will be other object in the water. Now this one sounds crazy, or a video camera that live streams to see a spot that looks like oil, approaches it and takes a sample to confim its oil. Or we can do with out a sensor and a video camera and just send it in the wilderness just to consume water and oil simultaneously but in the process seperate the oil from the salt or fresh water.
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: newInRobotics on February 22, 2012, 08:56:47 AM
I guess a sensor that beams a light ray out in any direction and as it hits oil it will send a beam back at the sensor to confirm the substance is oil. The thing is it would have to be programed to only beam back oil which seems extremely complicated to do since there will be other object in the water.
I don't know about You, but I haven't seen or heard of any light based sensors used underwater. Probably there are reasons why sonars are used to detect submarine objects.

Now this one sounds crazy, or a video camera that live streams to see a spot that looks like oil, approaches it and takes a sample to confim its oil.
Detecting oil spill with camera placed well above water level is doable. Using CV to detect oil from an object floating on the surface of the water - next to impossible. Detecting oil from underneath - might be possible. I think Admin has experience with water robots.

Or we can do with out a sensor and a video camera and just send it in the wilderness just to consume water and oil simultaneously but in the process seperate the oil from the salt or fresh water.
How is that possible? With no sensors, how Your robot is going to understand what it has to look for.

The only solution I see is to constantly sample water of the area  in question.

All in all I understand that You might have only part of brilliant idea that could revolutionise tackling of oil spillages  ;D
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: Cronicman_7 on February 22, 2012, 09:54:46 AM
I have the rest of the idea in my head but first I want to build a robot that can detect oil spills. I have a gopro so I can use that to detect oil spills underneath water. So far I have a underwater scooter that can operate underwater (Still need to buy) a gopro to detect oil. Now I need to put those together so it can operate in an efficent way to search. The next part is a way to capture the oil with the underwater scooter (I already have a plan on where to store it).
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: Resilient on February 22, 2012, 11:25:26 PM
So just to be clear, you have a great idea for an oil collecting robot, but just need help figuring out how to make it get to an oil spill, detect the oil and collect the oil?

If only I could be so full of hope.
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: newInRobotics on February 23, 2012, 04:20:43 AM
Question: Why do You want a submarine robot if oil floats?
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: gerard on February 23, 2012, 05:44:21 PM
Are you just talking about an rc sub that has oil sensors on it?
Or will it be independent?
Cause it will be way more difficult to make it independent, and still be sure that it will come back out of the water all on its own. :-\

newInRobotics is right
maybe a boat would be better?
you don't have to worry about it not surfacing...
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: Soeren on February 23, 2012, 07:51:22 PM
The thing is I dont know how to create robots. I'm sure I will be a millionaire if I can create a prototype. I need to know how to create a robot that can swim like one of the underwater scooters except on their own without a host. Any ideas?
You want us to tell you how to build something that will make you a millionaire?
Why wouldn't we just build it and make ourselves millionaires then?

I'm sure you need to rethink your idea (on so many levels) before you become a real threat to MIT's bacteriae ;)

One issue that is alarmingly clear... To be of any real use, it would have to be able to hold how many tons of crude oil?
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: Cronicman_7 on February 24, 2012, 12:52:54 AM
I wanna use the submarine as a pod for the oil and have other robots on the surface to collect then transport it to the pod or I could just keep the pod on the surface. And i dont care who makes it gets credit for it and becomes rich from  it either way itll be beneficial for this world and economy but I would like all those :D
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: joe61 on February 24, 2012, 07:23:53 AM
I think you missed Soren's  point. Let's say you're collecting a spill from an oil tanker. If you're going to haul away the oil, you'll need something the size of an oil tanker to do it, right? Sounds expensive.

Or you'll have to use something small and make how many trips?

Joe
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: mstacho on February 25, 2012, 08:43:33 AM
For the record, a sensor that detects oil but is not a chemical sensor would be something like a spectrometer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectrometer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectrometer)  They shine light of various wavelengths and record the reflected light back.  These SHOULD work in water, though I'd imagine not very well.

Alternately, you can try sonar, and listen REALLY CAREFULLY to the difference between no reflection at all and partial reflection due to the oil.

Both of these things would be absurdly hard to do :-D  But that's not to say they're impossible.  A MUCH easier way to do it would be to have some external mothership figure out where the oil is -- the robot doesn't have to do THAT autonomously -- and then just send the robot down.  Of course, you're still stuck with the millions of tons of oil problem

Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: gerard on February 25, 2012, 11:18:04 AM
Is Cronicman_7 trying to make a device that just detects where there is oil? or that also stores the oil?

the problem is storing all the oil found, because that's a lot of oi ::)l
on the other hand, you could just make a vehicle that has a pass-through oil sensor (that doesn't collect the oil - just checks if it's oil)

then that vehicle would check for oil, and if any is found, it will tell you the location instead of collecting it
way easyer ;)
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: joe61 on February 25, 2012, 01:01:01 PM
But why would we need that? Are oil spills hard to find?
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: gerard on February 25, 2012, 09:02:12 PM
i guess that depends on the area you are going to search.....
making something that can find it's way around an entire ocean in search of oil sound difficult :(
you would also need a way of communicating with the vehicle with hundreds' of miles coverage
to build something like that you would need to be a mechanical engineer or be really lucky

maybe you could try something smaller as a prototype
like something that can detect objects or oil in a swimming pool
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: joe61 on February 26, 2012, 09:02:31 AM
No, I mean that if you have an oil spill, then by definition you have something it spilled from. That something is likely to be a tanker staffed with human beings who will have no problem locating the spill because they'll be there.

I guess I'm puzzled about the invention. It can't compete with bacteria for cleanup, and isn't needed to find spills. What does it wind up doing?

Joe
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: Cronicman_7 on February 27, 2012, 08:24:45 AM
Thanks for all your input!!!!!!!   :D Now I have a better idea woooo! :D but it will cost mucho money lol and could actually be an upgrade for the MIT oil absorber. Now I need a couple of tankers you see the tractors pulling, some how make them positively boyant and attach the MIT oil absorber to em or a device Ill try to create in my head. Then have all the oil transfered to the tanker!
Title: Re: I have a robot IDEA!!
Post by: beachboy612 on June 26, 2012, 02:38:24 PM
you are delusional kid