The question
What has to work together for a robot to pick up a tennis ball?
Exploration
The portfolio includes alternative collection structures, sketches, material experiments, renders, and a proposed perception and control pipeline. I am treating these as separate parts to investigate, rather than evidence of a fully integrated robot.
Breaking down the mechanism
I separated detection, movement, and collection to make the proposal easier to examine. The central collection mechanism is the first part I need to validate before an integrated robot.
What I did
I broke the task into detecting a tennis ball, moving towards it, and collecting it, then developed an initial structural proposal.
Where it stands
Whole-system validation has not been completed. The renders describe intended behaviour.
What I am learning
A seemingly simple pickup involves several modules working together. I need to validate the central collection mechanism first, then integrate the other functions step by step.
Next question
Test the collection mechanism in isolation before combining perception, movement, and collection.
Source material
Selected process material from my portfolio.
View the original portfolio in Figma