Teabot layout concepts
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Carousel
All modules mounted on a rotating carousel hot water module potentially stationary in the centre with a rotating nozzle modules could possibly be two storey
- + Position control easy
- + Single unit
- + No electrical connections that need aligning
- + First version relatively easy
- ~ Scaling requires a new carousel, but could be relatively straightforward
- - Minimal theatre
Recirculating track
Modules arranged along a back row, cup dispense stations arranged along the front activie modules are carried from the back to the front as required.
- + Lots of movement going on
- + Very scaleable
- + Modules are descrete and can be tested alone
- ~ Scaling requires a longer track
- - Electrical connections need to be robust
- - Many crictical positions needing precise alignment
- - How to safely dispense hot water?
2 axis crane
Modules and cup positions arbitarily assigned. modules picked up and moved to cup positions as required
- + Maximum mystery and theatre
- - Complex, multi axis movement system
- - Many positions and connections required
- - Scaling requires rebuilding complex component
'The barrister'
Cup moved to modules along a linear axis
- + Relatively simple
- + Scaling requires a longer track
- + No moving/changing electrical connections
- - Less theater than some designs
- - Moving cups with hot water
Flexible pipes
Modules are stationary but interact with cup(s) through flexible pipes/actuators. For mk1, pipes fixed to one position. mk2 has robot arm moving pipes/acutators to multiple cup positions.
- + No moving/changing electrical connections
- + Mk1 is as simple as possible to implement
- + Robot arm gives lots of theatre
- + Infrasturcture requires minimal hardware development
- ~ Scaling may require a new, larger robot arm
- - V1 has low theater
- - Pipes may cause reliability/cleaning issues or change hot water temperature
