Animation (with sound)
Citra
Summary of Project:
Tray Return is an ongoing problem that the Singapore government has been trying to tackle throughout the years but has achieved little success. When dirty dishes are not returned to the cleaning station after each meal, it will not only affect the hygiene of the food centre but also decrease workflow and customers’ satisfaction. In view of the growing trend of food industries turning to automated services to tackle the lack of manpower, I have designed CITRA; a Customer Initiated Tray Return Assistant that acts as a faster and more accessible tray return alternative for customers. CITRA is an automated tray return assistant that is equipped with a vertical conveyor belt and self-unloading system to hasten the process of tray return. Cleaners will be stationed at tray return stations rather than having to go around the food centre collecting trays and Halal and Non-Halal bowls can easily be distinguished by their respective colour codes.
Additionally, CITRA serves not only as a Tray Return Assistant but also as a system that could advocate the habit of tray return especially in the younger generation, making it an ideal investment for the society in the long run.
Dimensions
Citra is designed to be compact so that it is space efficient and does not obstruct the daily operation at the food centre. At the same time, it is built in such a way that it is user friendly especially for the children. Citra is designed for customers as young as 8 years old to return their trays, thereby aiding in advocating people to return their trays from a young age.
Model Making
How Citra Moves
Every Citra unit patrols 3 lanes and they all move either in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. This is to ensure that the lane between both robots will always have one robot patrolling so that customers do not have to wait so long. Also, in my later designs, the chairs are rooted to the ground. This is to prevent chairs being left in the robots' paths when they are moving.
Food Centre View
