Robot that gets candy out of the candy machine

Relevant forums / Q&A sites

• See Electronics Engineering

To Do

• Find someone who can help you create the robot.
  • Find a list of forums where these people congregate.
  • Get a list of contact info of the people who work at SparkFun and all those other Maker things.
  • Find someone who has a YouTube channel / website / blog and looks like they aren't yet too famous (so they won't charge you too much).
• Start to sketch out how the robot will work.
• Start to come up with a list of questions you need answered.
  • What can I use to extend something in one dimension?
• Find someone who can help you make the video more viral.
  • Get the guy who wrote "The Viral Video Manifesto" to act as a consultant to help you decide what to include in the video.

Structure of the video

• Start with you saying, "Attention teachers and parents: this is how you make learning fun."
• Just have it mimic the seagull-prank video.
  • Have a few seconds of close-up of the device, just like they have a few seconds of close-up of the crackers
  • Then cut to the device being put in place.
  • Then cut to the device being used to get candy.
    • As in the seagull video, have people laugh or say "Oh my god" in the video to act as a laugh-track.
  • Then cut to a shot of the amount of candy you got, and what the empty vending machine looks like.
  • Then cut to a shot of you putting quarters in and having the spirals do nothing, just to show that you did pay for the candy.
• "I'm going to show you how to solve a problem."
  • "I want that candy."
  • "I don't want to pay for it."
  • "If I had a small monkey, I could put the monkey in the machine and have it get the candy for me."
    • Show a clip of the girl crawling into the machine to get the teddy bear.
  • "I don't have a monkey."
  • "If I had a small robot, I could have the robot get the candy for me."
  • "I ask myself the question, 'Has anyone solved this problem before?'"
  • "No."
  • "Has anyone solved a similar problem before?"
  • "Yes." (OWI Robotic Arm Edge)
• End with saying, "Vending machine owners: Put your vending machines near a security camera."

Relevant tools / components

• Design software
  • 123D Circuits - Electronics Lab
    • 
• Components
  
  • A lifting mechanism
    • Hydraulics
      • Syringe
        • 
        • LIFTING JACK - ENGLISH - Hydraulic Jack! from Ice Cream Sticks
          • This is a very simple build and could be useful to try.
        • Make A Hydraulic Arm!
    • Something like your clothing hanger?
    • Scissor lift
      • 
      • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUb85goys3Y
  • A mechanism for moving side-to-side.
    • Wheels
    • Slider
      • Actobotics Kit - Channel Slider Kit
        • 
        • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE8vAYMDZsU
  • A gripping mechanism
    • Standard Gripper Kit A - Channel Mount
      • 
• Existing solutions
  
  • OWI Robotic Arm Edge
    • 
    • This looks like the one to buy because:
      • It has really good reviews.
      • It's cheap (~$50).
      • It looks small enough to fit in the candy area.
      • The arm looks long enough to reach candy.
  • uArm - Desktop Robotic Arm
    • 
    • This doesn't look like one to get.
      • It's expensive ($300+).
      • It looks too big to fit in the candy area.

Evidence that this video would go viral and get a ton of views

• How to Get a Snack Out of a Vending Machine
  • 
  • This video doesn't even show you how to get candy for free.