Trish, the Trashy Trash Can
Project Overview:
Trish is a trash can that’s really bad at it’s job: it runs away from you if you get near it, and it catapults any trash you throw in it right back at you. Why make a useless trash can? I was interested in designing a personality for an everyday item, through how it interacts with the user. Constructing Trish was one of the most fun experience I’ve had.
Personal Tasks:
Writing code for system actuators and sensors
Designing catapult mechanics and optimizing performance
Debugging issues with software and hardware
Ensuring compatibility of electronics and mechanics
Skills:
Debugging
Optimization
Mechanical Design
Wiring
The Brainstorming:
Our prompt was to design whatever we wanted, but to focus on how it interacted with the user. My team of three discussed a myriad of wacky ideas to develop. We considered CarFace (a pair of glasses with car like features), HighFist (a mechanical hand that high fives you if you come in for a fist bump, and vice versa), and even NotAlexa (an AI that interrupts you every time you try to call Alexa).
But ultimately, we knew we had to make Trish, the Trashy Trash Can. The basic idea was to design a trash can that ran away from you if you tried to throw trash in it, and would fling the trash back at you if you managed to get it in.
The Ideating:
We then went on to flesh out Trish’s attributes. The two main components of Trish were its ability to move, and its ability to fling trash. The base of the trash can would therefore have wheels to allow mobility, and a false-floor located halfway down Trish would be a catapult top fling trash back. Break beam sensors would be located inside the walls of Trish to detect any trash that made it inside.
We included some fun add-ons to the design: an accelerometer would notice when Trish is moving and play an annoying sound on a buzzer to mock the user Trish is running away from.
The Prototyping:
We divided the project into three subsystems: trash detection, trash rejection, and mobility. Trish’s ability to detect and reject trash were of the highest priority.
TRASH DETECTION
We used break beam sensors to detect trash entering Trish. When detected, a servo motor would leave the false floor to catapult the trash back out. An accelerometer detected Trish’s motion and played a buzzer sound continuously.
Additionally, we set up a reset button to allow us to reset the catapult without setting off the break beams.
TRASH REJECTION
A false floor was hinged to one end of the trash can, and rubber bands held it down at an angle (like a catapult). The rubber bands were pivoted with screws to the rim of Trish. A set of washers and a bracket firmly held the servo motor in place so it could hold up against the tension of the rubber bands.
MOBILITY
A simple remote controlled car was placed at the base of Trish. Another floor was fit into the sides with holes to accommodate the shape of the car and its antenna. The floor was also placed such that the wheels had lowest visibility but smoothest mobility.
The Final Solution:
Below you can see our final prototype of Trish, the Trashy Trash Can.
Takeaways:
Brainstorming: Wacky ideas are cool, as long as you think about how they interact with the audience
Software: Include a manual reset that lets you put your code on hold when you’re trying to fix a mechanical issue
Product Design: You don’t need eyes and a mouth to give an idea personality
Presentation: Keep a screw driver handy in case something goes wrong in the demo