Description
I created The Cooperative Cupholder as my final project. The concept of this project is to have a small, friendly-looking robot that can hold a cup and bring it to its users. This lovable robot is not your average cupholder and can help user do anything from passing snacks around at a party to faithfully holding your pens and keeping you company when you're cramming for a final. I used sanded laser cut acrylic for the main body and 3D printed the head and wheels.The robot uses 2 Arduino step motors and a IR remote and receiver to allow the user to control where the robot goes. The 4 blue buttons on the remote corresponds to the different directions the wheels turn, allowing the cupholder to move forward, back, left and right. The robot is powered by portable battery and is roughly 8 inches tall 7 inches deep and 5 inches wide.
User testing
I asked 4 individuals to user test my product and recorded their responses. I compiled a list of questions to assess how well the user felt my project did its job.
Some recurring high points mentioned about my project were the friendly aesthetic look/design of it and its movability. Users especially liked the colors and the big eyes. Concept-wise the users rated it very positively. They liked the idea of having a product that could easily transport items to different individuals around a room without getting up. Caty, my first user, mentoined that she especially liked the idea because of how it could help accommodate people with disabilities or mobility issues. Each user had little to no difficulty maneuvering the robot to different spots across the room and many commented on the self-explanatory design.
The main concerns my users had were that the range in which the remote reached wasn’t super far, and that the wires sticking out might get caught on something. Some users had concerns with the wheels, in that they weren’t sure if there would be enough traction or that it would be able to go over bumpy surfaces. The users also mentioned how they would prefer the robot to be able to move faster and more smoothly.
