Sustainability was very important to us when we were designing the MicroMouse. We made a conscious effort to choose parts and materials that would reduce waste and allow for long-term reuse while the project was being planned and built.
Because it was made just for the IR circuit, our PCB can be used again and again in MicroMouse projects with similar sensor sets. Our environmental goals are met by designing a reusable IR circuit PCB, which cuts down on the need to make new boards for each version.
When we chose to add a special feature later in the project, we thought about making a second version of the PCB to fit it. We didn’t want to waste material or go over sustainable limits, so we decided to keep using the old PCB. We were able to add the special feature to the current design without having to remake it.
The choice to use the Raspberry Pi Pico as our microprocessor was also a key one for sustainability. Because it is flexible and can be reprogrammed, it can be used for more than one project. This cuts down on electrical waste and costs over time.
Parts of the MicroMouse that aren’t being used can also be taken apart and used in other prototypes. These parts include the layer support pillars, mounting screws, wires, tires, and even the ultrasonic sensors. This modularity not only helps with environmentally friendly design, but it also cuts down on costs and waste in later development processes.
One last example is the choice we made not to create an extra external shell. This not only saved time and materials, but it also made the MicroMouse lighter, which helped it use less energy while it was running.
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