Brainstorming For Robot

[hoosier122]

Hello all!

Yes I know this is my first post but, I've been reading for about 3 months and have completed the $50 robot, I have a good knowledge of electronics and especially programming (BS in CSCI). 

Anywho, I want to make robot to straighten dollar bills.  Basically the job I have we gather money (much of which is wadded/folded and we must straighten the bills before they can be counted by our bill counting machines.  I'm confused as to where to even start.

Imagine you have a pocket of 200 bills and you need to straighten them, what do you think is the best approach?  An arm type mechanism or maybe some kind of conveyor system? 

Any feedback/help would be greatly appreciated.

Chris

[Admin]

Imagine you have a pocket of 200 bills and you need to straighten them, what do you think is the best approach?

Like a wad of bills crumbled up into a ball? Or like a decently flat stack?

You'd need to use computer vision on your robot if you don't hand feed the machine the money . . .

[hoosier122]

Imagine you have a pocket of 200 bills and you need to straighten them, what do you think is the best approach?

Like a wad of bills crumbled up into a ball? Or like a decently flat stack?

You'd need to use computer vision on your robot if you don't hand feed the machine the money . . .

Some bills could be folded "hamburger" style (with multiple bills in each fold).  Some bills could be fairly straight, some bills could be wadded in a ball like a piece of paper.

[waymental]

Basically the job I have we gather money (much of which is wadded/folded and we must straighten the bills before they can be counted by our bill counting machines.

Are you a drug dealer?

[airman00]

Basically the job I have we gather money (much of which is wadded/folded and we must straighten the bills before they can be counted by our bill counting machines.

Are you a drug dealer?

lol

as for the machine to straighten bills, you might need to water it to unfold it and then dry it and straighten it out

[hoosier122]

Basically the job I have we gather money (much of which is wadded/folded and we must straighten the bills before they can be counted by our bill counting machines.

Are you a drug dealer?

No.  Amusement park cash control dept.  Bills get put into slots and mashed/folded/crumpled over the course of the day.  Then we have to hand straighten around 5,000 bills by hand per day. 

[Admin]

Ok this explains a lot!

There are machines that take in bills (like coke machines, etc) that are hand fed, then the machine flattens it and adds it to a stack.

Perhaps you can buy one of them? You'd still have to straighten the bill, but it might speed things up perhaps 20%.

I remember seeing one with two rollers that you can hand crank too . . . perhaps motorize it and drop in partially straitened bills?

Other than that hmmmm I'm thinking there isn't any solution cheaper than hiring highschool students or changing the money collection process . . .

[airman00]

entirely guessing here: but perhaps some sort of vibration in water would magically unfold these dollar bills?

[hoosier122]

entirely guessing here: but perhaps some sort of vibration in water would magically unfold these dollar bills?

The goal is to shorten the process

Sounds like money laundering

[hoosier122]

Ok this explains a lot!

There are machines that take in bills (like coke machines, etc) that are hand fed, then the machine flattens it and adds it to a stack.

Perhaps you can buy one of them? You'd still have to straighten the bill, but it might speed things up perhaps 20%.

I remember seeing one with two rollers that you can hand crank too . . . perhaps motorize it and drop in partially straitened bills?

Other than that hmmmm I'm thinking there isn't any solution cheaper than hiring highschool students or changing the money collection process . . .

High School students are already hired to handle this detail.  There are approximately 30 some "bill collection" bins so the "coke machine stackers" would be a little costly.

I'm thinking of some kind of mechanical (non-electric) possibly foot powered (ie guest sticks straight bill into slot, employer steps on something that plunges the straight bill into a stack)  But even w/this solution it would have to implemented at approx 30 locations throughout the park...

[stan]

what do casinos use for bill handling?

[waymental]

in casinos your bills have to almost be perfect. No bent corners and if to much of the bill is missing then the machines will not take them.