When I finish my work and return home on a Friday, I'm often in need of relaxation, after all I've worked hard all week. I've found drinking beer to be an excellent form of relaxation, however this activity can meet with numerous pitfalls. For example, it would appear, the bottomless beer can has not yet been devised by our scientists, or inventers. The work around to this problem is usually to store a set amount of beer in individual containers, often made of aluminum, with a convenient opener on it's top side, which doubles as a mouth piece. This is great, but the problem occurs when the beer receptical is empty. I find myself surrounded by empty beer cans and eventually in a beer induced state of mind, which can't comprehend the complexity, of moving the emptys into the bin. I realize this could be done at the end of each beer, but I do like to keep tabs on how many I've consumed.
An inventory of empty beer cans would usually take place, the following morning, when woken by a discordial wife, complaining about the empty beer cans on the floor.
After considering my options, I've come to the conclusion a great use for my robot, would be to clear up empty beer cans. This would require my robot to do all the below...
Recognise a beer can
Recognise the difference between an empty beer can and a non empty beer can.
Recognise the receptical for beer can disposal
Have the ability to pick up, transport and place the empty beer cans
Count the number of empty beer cans, disposed of
As my usual tipple on a Friday night, would be Fosters. The cans will be mainly blue in color. This I assume will give an identifying feature to the items requiring collection.
An empty beer can weighs less than a full beer can and should give an indication of the contents, as the last thing I want, is a robot running off with my beer. Although the thought of a drunk man chasing a robot, that's pinched his beer, is hilarious in my mind.
The bin for emptys could be identified, by color, or maybe an ir beacon.
For lifting, transporting and placing the can, I have in mind a scoop, with an arm to steady the top. This would weigh the can and prevent spillage, if not empty.
The counting of the emptys would be simply, how many times the operation is performed.
This may be way too much, for me to work out, so the alternative, would be to stand empty beer cans in a triangular shape and send the robot at full speed towards them, to see how many get knocked over. A kind of 10 pin beering, if you will?
So, does anyone have any thoughts on this? Is it doable? Or more to the point, is it doable for me?
