Recycling the components at end-of-life: 

At the end of its life cycle, our Micromouse can be recycled. The structural parts, such as the PCB board and the raspberry Pi Pico can be separated and sent to appropriate recycling facilities. The PCB can be shredded and crushed, breaking it into small pieces. From there, any metals in/on the PCB board can be separated using magnetic or electrostatic recycling methods. The electronic components, including sensors, motors, and the microcontroller, will be carefully desoldered and removed for reuse in future projects or used again in the same project next academic year. Any damaged/broken components can be sent to e-waste recycling centres, where any remaining materials of value can be extracted. Batteries will be disposed through proper hazardous waste channels to prevent environmental contamination. By doing all this, we will minimise waste and maximise resource efficiency, making sure that our project remains environmentally responsible. 

Reflection on how sustainability fed into your design: 

Although the Micromouse is not particularly lightweight or energy-efficient, sustainability still influenced its design in several ways. We prioritised the use of lead-free solder for the PCB to minimise environmental impact. While the energy consumption is higher due to the speaker and motor performance, we aimed to optimise power management to extend battery life as much as possible. The design also focuses on interchangeable components, allowing for easier repairs and upgrades, which helps reduce waste over time. These decisions will balance the functionality of the robot with long-term sustainability, even if the device isn’t the most energy-efficient or lightest. 

Cost breakdown of the micromouse:  

• Raspberry Pi Pico: £4.10 

• 10uF capacitor: £0.50 

• 100nF capacitor x6: £3.00 

• 1nF capacitor: £0.60 

• 1M resistor x3: £0.51 

• 47k resistor: £0.08 

• 62k resistor: £0.15 

• 10k resistor x5: £0.35 

• 1k x4 resistor: £0.40 

• 100 x3 resistor: £0.18 

• Integrated circuit 4093: £0.21 

• BC557 transistor: £0.11 

• 1N4148 diode x3: £0.06 

• LED diode x4: £0.24 

• DFPlayer Mini: £5.49 

• SD card: £5.99 

• Visaton FRWS 4 ND Speaker: £12.99 

• 10k potentiometer: £2.00 

• 3.3-volt battery: £1.50 

• Motors x2: £5.00 

• Pcb board: £0.20 

• Mircoboard Microcontroller Board: £3.00 

• N stop switches x4: £3.99 

• OLED LCD Display: £6.99 

• Wheels x2: £0.20 

• BluTac: £1.00 

Total cost of raw Materials: £58.84 

Labour Costs:

Labour costs:  

The labour costs take up a large majority of the overall spending, as we have spent a combined 800 hours working in the lab. 

Staff costs: 

This is slightly less than the labour costs, which is not what we expected. However, this is considering of Dr. Davies retiring last academic year, meaning costs significantly reduced. These costs are estimates (assuming all staff are paid the same), broken down from an estimate of the yearly wages for the staff.  

Final costs:  

The final costs are a rough estimate, and we calculate the total cost of billable time to develop the micro mouse and website to be £233635. However, this doesn’t consider of other factors, such as the cost of the lab equipment, cost of using the lab, cost of travelling and staying in Gregynog, and software on computer costs.