
Arduino-Programmed Human-Interactive Animal
Building Electrical Circuitry & Coding
During my 1st year of undergraduate studies, I worked with two teammates to build a moving "animal" in a makeshift exhibit that would interact with people as they walked by. As the Mechatronics Design lead, I primarily focused on coding the Arduino program and doing the electrical circuitry for the sensors!
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Our design for the animal was for the eyes to illuminate when a user placed their hands through two trees in our exhibit. In practice, I coded the break-beam sensors that would detect when a person placed their hands between the trees that had the two sensors on either side.
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In another interaction aspect, when a user pushed a button in our exhibit, a servo motor would move 90 degrees and trigger the distance sensor, which would in turn cause the dual stepper motors to move the animal up the dual rack and pinion system.
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Arduino Programming & C/C++ Coding
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Coded Arduino program to control servo motors, activate break-beam sensor for eye illumination, and synchronize dual stepper motors for coordinated movement
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Troubleshooting the hardware-software interface
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​Electrical Wiring & Breadboarding
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Optimized electrical circuit wiring of breadboard connections for motion sensors and actuators to improve system reliability
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Skills Used:
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Electrical circuitry​ & wiring
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Arduino Programming/C/C++
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Troubleshooting

Breadboard wiring for a break-beam sensor using the Arduino R3 board

Breadboard wiring for the ultrasonic distance sensor


Beginning stages of our dual rack and pinion system


Arduino Code for Dual Stepper Motor synchronization
Arduino Code for Servo Motor


Arduino Code for Break-Beam Sensor