The automatic recycling machine is designed to bring a process that is currently only done on an industrial sale, that is, the sorting of recyclables to a smaller and more personal scale. I intend for this machine to be used primarily on college campuses and areas of high traffic. I hope for people to understand the importance of recycling by being more involved in the process.

Overall View of the Recycle-Tron

View of the interior wiring

Video of a glass bottle being recycled

Video of the Recycle-Tron getting angry at someone who doesn’t recycle

Code:

/*
         ---Automatic Recycling Sorter---
--Making Things Interactive Spring 08 Final Project--
                 ---Cat Adams---
*/

//states
static int Idle = 0;                        //name for Idle state
static int Excited = 1;                      //name for Excited state
static int Angry = 2;                        //name for Angry state
static int BigReward = 3;                    //name for the post-recycling Big Reward state
static int SmallReward = 4;                  //name for the post-recycling Big Reward state

//regular ints
int redLED = 2;                              //red LED connected to digital pin 2
int blueLED = 3;                             //blue LED connected to digital pin 3
int greenLED = 4;                            //green LED connected to digital pin 4
int siren = 7;                               //buzzer connected to digital pin 7
int pir = 8;                                 //pir sensor connected to digital pin 8
int currentState = Idle;                     //sets the beginning state to Idle
int numberCycle = 0;                         //sets the number of items recycled to zero

//recycling ints
int servoM = 10;                             //Metal sorting Servo
int Mangle;                                  //angle at which to turn servoM, set later
int servoG = 9;                              //Glass-Plastic sorting servo
int Gangle;                                  //angle at which to turn servoG, set later
int switchMetal = 12;                        //Metal sensing wires
int switchGlass = 11;                        //Glass-Plastic sorting swtich analog pin 1
int bottlesense = 13;                        //button switch sensing presence of a bottle
int GAngle2 = 45;                            //angle for servo to sort out glass (from plastic)
int PAngle = 90;                             //angle for servo to sort out plastic
int GAngle = 90;                             //angle to sort glass/plastic from metal
int MAngle = 45;                             //angle to sort metal
int pulseWidth;                              //servo variable 

//program for moving the metal servo
void metalPulse(int servoM, int Mangle){
  pulseWidth = (Mangle * 11) + 500;
  digitalWrite(servoM, HIGH);
  delayMicroseconds(pulseWidth);
  digitalWrite(servoM, LOW);
  delay(20);
}

//program for moving the glass/plastic servo
void glassPulse(int servoG, int Gangle){
  pulseWidth = (Gangle * 11) + 500;
  digitalWrite(servoG, HIGH);
  delayMicroseconds(pulseWidth);
  digitalWrite(servoG, LOW);
  delay(20);
}

//program for pulsing just one LED at a time
void PulseOne (int pin) {
  for (int i=0; i<=255; i++) {
    analogWrite(pin, i);
    delay(2);
  }
  for (int i=255; i>=0; i--) {
    analogWrite(pin, i);
    delay(1);
  }
}

void setup(){
  pinMode(switchMetal, INPUT);
  pinMode(servoM, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(servoG, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(switchGlass, INPUT);
  pinMode(siren, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(redLED, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(blueLED, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(greenLED, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(pir, INPUT);
  pinMode(bottlesense, INPUT);
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop(){

  //Idle State: all LED's off, print "Idle" on computer screen
  if (currentState == Idle) {
    Serial.println("Idle");
    //turn all the LEDs off (in case a later state does not turn an led off)
    digitalWrite(blueLED, LOW);
    digitalWrite(redLED, LOW);
    digitalWrite(greenLED, LOW);

    delay(2000);

    if (digitalRead(pir) == LOW){                //if the pir sensor is tripped, a person is near and the machine goes into Excited mode
      currentState = Excited;
    }
    else{                                        //if no one is around, do nothing
      currentState = Idle;
    }
  }
  //Excited State: pulse all three LED's, print "Excited"
  if (currentState == Excited){
    Serial.println("Excited");
    delay(2000);
    digitalWrite(blueLED, HIGH);
    digitalWrite(greenLED, HIGH);
    delay(1000);
    digitalWrite(blueLED, LOW);
    digitalWrite(greenLED, LOW);
    delay(1000);
    digitalWrite(blueLED, HIGH);
    digitalWrite(greenLED, HIGH);
    delay(1000);
    digitalWrite(blueLED, LOW);
    digitalWrite(greenLED, LOW);
    delay(2000);

    if (digitalRead(bottlesense) == HIGH){             //if the bottle-sensing button is pressed, the bottle is either glass or plastic
      Serial.println("glass1");
      for (Mangle=20; Mangle<=105; Mangle++){
        metalPulse(servoM, Mangle);
      }
      delay (1000);
      if (digitalRead(switchGlass) == HIGH){           //if the glass/plastic sorting button is pressed, the servo tilts and places the bottle in the glass bin
        Serial.println("glass2");
        for (Gangle=50; Gangle<=95; Gangle++){
          glassPulse(servoG, Gangle);
        }
        delay (1000);
        numberCycle++;                                //add one to the current numberCycle count
        if (numberCycle <=5) {                        //if the new numberCycle count is less than 6, go to Small Reward state
          currentState = SmallReward;
        }
        else{                                         //if the numberCycle count exceeds 5, go to the Big Reward state
          currentState = BigReward;
        }
      }
      else{                                           //if the glass/plastic sorting button is NOT pressed, the servo tilts and places the bottle in the plastic bin
        plastic();
        numberCycle++;
        if (numberCycle <=5) {
          currentState = SmallReward;
        }
        else{
          currentState = BigReward;
        }
      }
    }
    else{                                             //if the bottle sensing button is NOT pressed
      if (digitalRead(switchMetal) == HIGH){          //but if the switchMetal circuit is connected, there is a metal can
        metal();
        numberCycle++;
        if (numberCycle<=5){
          currentState = SmallReward;
        }
        else{
          currentState = BigReward;
        }
      }
      else{                                           //if neither the button sensing switch or the switchMetal circuit is connected, then
        currentState = Angry;                         //the person is not recycling, so the machine becomes angry
      }
    }
  }
  //Angry State: pulse red LED and print "Angry!!"

  if (currentState == Angry){
    Serial.println("Angry!!");
    delay(2000);
    digitalWrite(siren, HIGH);
    PulseOne(redLED);
    digitalWrite(siren, LOW);
    PulseOne(redLED);
    digitalWrite(siren, HIGH);
    PulseOne(redLED);
    digitalWrite(siren, LOW);
    delay(2000);

    if (digitalRead(bottlesense) == HIGH){          //the person has a second chance to recycle... see above for comments
      Serial.println("glass1");
      for (Mangle=20; Mangle<=105; Mangle++){
        metalPulse(servoM, Mangle);
      }
      delay (1000);
      if (digitalRead(switchGlass) == HIGH){
        Serial.println("glass2");
        for (Gangle=50; Gangle<=95; Gangle++){
          glassPulse(servoG, Gangle);
        }
        delay (1000);
        numberCycle++;
        if (numberCycle <=5) {
          currentState = SmallReward;
        }
        else{
          currentState = BigReward;
        }
      }
      else{
        plastic();
        numberCycle++;
        if (numberCycle <=5) {
          currentState = SmallReward;
        }
        else{
          currentState = BigReward;
        }
      }
    }
    else{
      if (digitalRead(switchMetal) == HIGH){
        metal();
        numberCycle++;
        if (numberCycle<=5){
          currentState = SmallReward;
        }
        else{
          currentState = BigReward;
        }
      }
      else{
        currentState = Idle;
      }
    }
  }
  //Small Reward: print "Small Reward" and pulse the blue LED then the green LED

  if (currentState == SmallReward){
    Serial.println("Small Reward");
    PulseOne(blueLED);
    PulseOne(greenLED);
    PulseOne(blueLED);
    PulseOne(greenLED);

    currentState = Idle;
  }

  //Big Reward: print "Big Reward" and pulse the blue then green then red LED
  if (currentState == BigReward){
    Serial.println("Big Reward");
    PulseOne(blueLED);
    PulseOne(greenLED);
    PulseOne(redLED);
    PulseOne(blueLED);
    PulseOne(greenLED);
    PulseOne(redLED);
    currentState = Idle;
  }
}