The robot roams around the arena using its long range sensors to search for cans. It moves for 2 seconds and does a sweep. if it does not find anything, it goes around until it detects a wall, in which, it then changes direction and repeats the search.

If the robot detects the signature of a can, it turns in the direction of the can, stopping every 2 seconds to obtain a confirmation and more accurately fix the position of the can. As the can comes into the effective detecting range of the medium range sensor, this sensor would assume priority over the its longer range counterpart and serve as the primary detection source for the robot. This is necessary as the effectiveness of each type of sensor degenerates outside their optimal operating band ( which is measured in distance). This goes on until the short range sensor comes into range whereby it would take over the task of guiding the robot towards the can. By combining the 3 types of IR sensors such that their optimal operating band overlap one another, we practically have one sensor that possess the maximum reach of the longest range component with the minimum of the shortest range sensor. 

When the can is within the grasp of the grabber, the servo-motor on the grabber shaft actuates the vertical movement of the shaft. During this process, the color sensor mounted within the inner claws of the grabber reads the status of the can determining if the can is red or blue, standing upright or fallen over. If the can is standing, the grabber reaches out and grip the can. Otherwise, the servo-motor would re-orientate the grabber so that it would now point downwards and capable of gripping and lifting the intended object. 

Upon recovery of the can, the robot would proceed to make its way back to the disposal area by following the contours of the arena walls. It would know if it has reached its destination when another color sensor detects the crossing of the boundary which is marked by a strip of black tape. Inside the disposal area. the robot drops the can and then reverses out of the area. Then it makes a turn and restart the search algorithm again.