This Raspberry Pi project is seriously delicious. Harrison McIntyre is using his time in lockdown to create a Pi-powered candy launcher that shoots M&Ms at his mouth from across the room.
McIntyre's creation has a Raspberry Pi receives voice commands by using an Amazon Echo Dot. When triggered, it uses a camera to detect a face and determine how far away it us before launching candy toward the face.
McIntyre had to work out the logistics of how to accurately project candy along the best trajectory. He opted to use regular M&Ms because of their consistent shape and size. The launching device can swivel and tilt up or down.
Other similar projects use a spring-loaded mechanism for launching; however, McIntyre opted for a flywheel design. This proved to be an excellent move, providing better control over velocity without the reload time that comes with using a spring. With everything together, McIntyre could control the angle, velocity and direction of each launch.
This project was built using a Raspberry Pi 3, but other editions should work just as well.
There's a lot that goes into this project, from setting up a number of servo motors to 3D printing the chassis for the launcher.
You can check out a complete breakdown of this project on YouTube:
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If you enjoyed this project, be sure to check out Harrison McIntyre's YouTube channel for more projects and future updates on this one.
Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.