Germinator

During the Covid pandemic, I built Germinator, a floor-sanitizing robot designed to autonomously clean shared surfaces. Constructed using LEGO EV3, the system employed a mechanical cleaning mechanism consisting of a sponge wrapped in a napkin, mounted beneath the chassis. Sanitizer was dispensed onto the sponge through a Bisleri bottle mounted on top, calibrated to maintain a constant drop rate using gravity feed. As the robot moved, the saturated sponge maintained continuous contact with the floor, enabling uniform sanitization across its path.

To increase usability and safety, I integrated remote control functionality using Bluetooth communication. I developed a custom control interface using MIT App Inventor, allowing a user to connect to the EV3 brick wirelessly and operate the robot in real time. This eliminated the need for physical proximity while testing and deploying the system. Through Germinator, I learned how to translate a conceptual solution into a mechanically and digitally integrated system, balancing fluid delivery, surface contact, and wireless control within a constrained hardware platform.