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MikeDYur · 2017-05-26 18:34

I'm sorry but as a person that always looks for the possibilitys or alternatives, I must proceed.

We have taken in my daughter's family dog, a half-pint Yorkie. For the foreseeable future we will be homing her. She did come with all the amenities. One of them being a pooper scooper, consisting of a brand new rake and shovel. I looked at the shovel piece for a month sitting out in the driveway, before I took it in. It had maybe only seen use once or twice. So I gave it a thorough cleaning, removed the giant label inside with WD-40, and again gave it a thorough cleaning. Overkill even though there wasn't anything on it in the first place.

Better to be safe than smelly(sorry).

But this thing was just too nice to be used in this way. Totally made of aluminum down to the rivets. And a futuristic design to boot!

I have too many unfinished projects to think of starting a new one, but this would make an excellent soil sampler for a rover, to collect and carry items, or a robot in its own right.
I didn't live through the great depression, but I had it instilled in me by many family members that did. That way of thinking, if it could possibly have a use, it's worth saving. and this would have just got ruined out in the weather anyway.

Mike

David Betz · 2017-05-26 18:45

I thought you were going to suggest making a robot that would clean up after the dog!

Dave Hein · 2017-05-26 19:21

A pooper scooper robot would be great! It could follow the Yorkie around everywhere it goes, and pick up anything that the dog might drop. BTW, if the pooper scooper was sitting in the driveway for a month how did you manage to clean up after the dog?

MikeDYur · 2017-05-26 19:29

Dave Hein wrote: »

BTW, if the pooper scooper was sitting in the driveway for a month how did you manage to clean up after the dog?

I have full scale equipment for that job. Having a dog that would make fifty of that Yorkie, you learn to have the right equipment for the task.

BTW: If you ever visit my place, you had better tip toe through the tulips.

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) · 2017-05-26 20:45

I you turned it upside down, it would make a nice can o' pee for a bot. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

-Phil

tomcrawford · 2017-05-26 21:50

I have given thought to a machine that would wander around the dog yard and leave marker flags where appropriate. It would use a methane sensor.

xanadu · 2017-05-26 21:51

Let the funky chassis 2017 contest begin!

MikeDYur · 2017-05-26 23:05

Hey guys lets get something clear, this piece will never scoop so low again. Not sure I would want a robot that does that sort of thing. And not sure I could program a robot in the finely tuned art of such a thing. As Tom mentioned, make a gas sniffing robot. But I have stepped into some pretty big bird droppings, It's tough out there.
A few years after we moved in here, I was getting rid of a half gallon of white latex paint that was unusable. I had my wife convinced that a giant bird dropped it in the center of the driveway.

BTW: Is there any room for a candy sorted by color delivery bot.

EDIT: Mistakenly mentioned the wrong name above, and corrected it.

http://www.industrytap.com/biggest-mechanically-driven-dump-truck-world/25905

Heater. · 2017-05-27 02:12

You could use it as a robot chassis. Bolt some motors and wheels on to it, put the electronics inside. Put the sensors on a pole where the handle goes. Or some such.

MikeDYur · 2017-05-27 14:10

Heater. wrote: »

You could use it as a robot chassis. Bolt some motors and wheels on to it, put the electronics inside. Put the sensors on a pole where the handle goes. Or some such.

I almost thought about drilling out the rivets on the handle bracket. But that is an excellent place for sensors and a camera mount.

Right now I'm going to explore a good way to make this a dump bed. One thing I would like to do is: Have a servo lift and lower as a regular dump bed, also see if I can figure out how that same servo can compress a spring, engaging a trigger mechanism, that can be released remotely.
Say the neighbors dog does his business in your yard. You could pick up and deliver the offending poo to the property line and pitch it over the fence.
Hypothetical scenario, but that dump bed can be added to a robot or make one around it.

As Phil mentioned it does look attractive as a hood, but I can't find a use for that handle bracket on the front of a vehicle.

MikeDYur · 2017-05-27 14:32

Exploring the possible use of this as a dump bed, I am finding that the capacity may not be up to the task.

xanadu · 2017-05-27 16:58

I like the dump bed idea.

MikeDYur · 2017-05-27 17:38

Thanks Jon, I really enjoyed that look back.

Well you came up with the perfect implementation for this piece of metal, an aluminum dump bed smart trailer. Able to be remotely attached/detached from the tractor. With a sensor platform and camera mount. And able to communicate with the mothership, which in turn keeps me updated remotely. Takes a lot of burden off of the rover.

MikeDYur · 2017-05-27 18:02

I remember I was too old for such a thing back then. >:(

ajward · 2017-05-27 23:38

Dave Hein wrote: »

A pooper scooper robot would be great! It could follow the Yorkie around everywhere it goes, and pick up anything that the dog might drop. BTW, if the pooper scooper was sitting in the driveway for a month how did you manage to clean up after the dog?

Sweet idea Dave! :-)

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