Make a cocktail dispensing robot controlled with WiFi to mix your drinks. via seancarney
Description
The Barbot is a cocktail dispensing robot which allows users to order cocktails from a webpage. The robot hosts a wireless access point which local users can connect to, or it can plug into a wired network which allows it to be accessed remotely over the Internet. The webpage lets the user input the liquor they have on hand and a list of potential cocktails is generated. The webpage then allows users to order cocktails and also rate the cocktails they’ve enjoyed.
Hardware
The device is based on a BeagleBone Black with a USB WIFI adaptor. The BeagleBone takes inputs from 5 sets of switches, one to toggle the pumps and another to select the direction of flow, which allow the user to prime and purge the pumps. The pumps are standard peristaltic pumps which are driven by a H bridge for direction control. The control buttons and pumps are all set in a laser-cut plexiglass control panel. The control panel and other plywood panels are all mounted on a sturdy angle iron frame.
Software
The BeagleBone Black runs Ubuntu 13.04 with Apache2, MySQL, PHP, bind, and dhcpd installed. Apache2, MySQL, & PHP are used to host the web interface and bind & dhcpd are used to create a captive portal for WIFI users. The web-server directly controls the pumps by using PHP to write into the GPIO sysfs files.
A web based interface allows users to order and rate drinks. A list of drinks is available, which shows their ingredients and current ratings by other users. Configuration tasks are also accomplished over the web; such as selecting the liquor for input, enabling and disabling the physical prime & purge switches, and restricting access by function (browse, order, rate, configure) to certain users and groups.
Additional detail on the software configuration is available.Try it Out Yourself
A publicly available mock-up of the web interface is available at http://barbot.seancarney.ca.
Each Tuesday is BeagleBone Black Day here Adafruit! What is the BeagleBone? The BeagleBones are a line of affordable single-board Linux computers (SBCs) created by Texas Instruments. New to the Bone? Grab one of our Adafruit BeagleBone Black Starter Packs and check out our extensive resources available on the Adafruit Learning System including a guide to setting up the Adafruit BeagleBone IO Python Library. We have a number of Bone accessories including add-on shields (called “capes”) and USB devices to help you do even more with your SBC. Need a nice display to go along with your Bone? Check out our fine selection of HDMI displays, we’ve tested all of them with the Beagle Bone Black!