Service Robot for Household Waste Compacting

Nowadays, we have several robots in the market to optimize a variety of household tasks, such as vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers, pool cleaners, etc. In relation to the urban waste management, the applicable processing ways and final disposal are compaction, shredding, incineration and landfill. The application of compacting process is interesting because reduces the initial volume of waste, favoring the transportation and subsequent final disposal. Usually, this task is only performed after the waste collecting from a residence. However, this process could be started from home, by means of a service robot capable of performing the waste compacting, from an autonomous way, which motivated this research. Therefore, the objective of this work is to present the design of this robot. Initially, it was determined the type of waste to be compressed and its disposal in the dump. Then, the systems were studied: hydraulic, driving, electronic and control. In the hydraulic system were specified hydraulic actuators, valves, pump and motor. In the driving system was determined the type of wheel and the most suitable configuration for the robot, as well as the motor and transmission system. In the electronic and control system were chosen the robot sensors, the controller board (Arduino), the control logic and programming. The parts that make up the compacting robot can be easily found in the market, with estimated final cost not too high, which enables its manufacturing. The project benefits are: the waste arrive semi-processed in the treatment plant; a single collecting waste truck can cover a larger area, since it could carry a greater amount of waste per journey; greater availability of street cleaners to work in other parts of the city; and easier to treat in landfills.