The M68HC11 Microcontroller chip is based on the Motorola 68000s series family with self-containing CPU, memory, I/O ports, timers, counters and basic communication facilities.  

9V Motors

The 9V d.c motors move the robot around the arena. They are mounted at the back of the platform, powering the 2 rear wheels. Turning is achieved by setting the appropriate wheel in forward motion and reversing the opposite wheel. Since we are not able to control the exact angle-of-turn (and we found out that is not absolutely essential), we decided to use the timing as an approximate gauge.

Servo-Motors

Movement of the grabber is actuated by the servo-motor. As we need precise control of the grabber's vertical position, the best way to achieve this is to use either stepper or servo motor. The servo is chosen because we found that we can program the exact angular position of this device which translates directly to the vertical position of the grabber. This ensures that the can clears the ground completely when we transport it back to the disposal area.

Whisker Sensors

The whiskers sensors also known as the flex sensors resistance-activated analog sensors which would change its resistance reading when bent in one direction. By mounting these sensors on the side of the robot, it  allows us to know when the robot is in close proximity or direct contact with the walls or any obstacles along the sides. 

Infra-Red Sensors (short range - medium range - long range)

Infra-red sensors are used to detect any objects e.g. cans, walls, etc in front of the robot. An IR sensor is actually made up of a transmitter and receiver. The receiver picks up the reflected signal sent by the transmitter and sends the data to the handyboard. The Microcontroller deciphers the reading and decides what is in front of it. Each range of sensor has its own operating band, hence we have to combine them into maximizes its efficiency.

Color Sensors

Color sensors are optoelectronic devices that detect shades of the three primary colors, red, blue and green. Combining the 3 readings together would give us the actual color perceived by the sensor. Color sensors on our robot have 2 main functions. To sense the color of the can and to detect the black strip on the can disposal area,

Gripper

The robot mounts a 2-axis, gripper with 1 degrees-of- freedom. It can move a vertical distance of 10cm, powered by a 4.8V servo-motor. The holding mechanism is made up of 2 pincers mounted at 30 degrees and also powered by a 4.8V servo-motor.