Design of an automatic nerf turret

Abstract

In today’s age, children are becoming increasingly accustomed to using touch screens from their phones and tablets to entertain themselves, with traditional physical toys falling to the wayside. This can be detrimental to the child’s development, as overuse of these devices have been shown to shorten their attention spans as well as cause physical ailments like eye strain.

Thus, the purpose of this project was to be able to develop a fun and engaging mechatronic toy that would pique the interest of students and get them interested in the applications of technology at a young age. With the rise of machine learning concepts and a lower barrier of entry in learning mechatronics, the creation of a nerf turret toy with facial recognition features would be carried out to serve this goal.

The prototype would be controlled by an Arduino board and designed with 3D printed parts. A camera would be used for facial recognition purposes, with moving components of the device being controlled by a series of motors and servos. When powered, the turret should have the ability to detect faces within its vision and accurately shoot foam darts at its target.