Introduction: The Wipe-Eyeglasses

The Wipe-Eyeglasses is a new invention that wipes automatically your eyeglasses or your sunglasses.

Today, eyeglasses and sunglasses are very important in our life. Seeing well is a priority, so having clean eyeglasses is necessary. Then, when we wipe our glasses, we mechanically use what we have at hand : a piece of t-shirt or a tissue and that's not really convenient. When your home, there is the solution to not forget and to keep your eyeglasses cleaned: the Wipe-Eyeglasses : a machine that can wipe your eyeglasses or sunglasses automatically. Moreover, it can be a new place for your eyeglasses so they will always be immaculate. The Wipe-Eyeglasses wipes both sides of your eyeglasses or sunglasses with a smart system composed by an Arduino Uno, servo motors and others electrical components, and optical tissue.

Here is the steps to realise it with wood boards, 3D printing or cardboard.

Step 1: What You Need to Build It

Components:

• Wood boards, cardboard or filaments to 3D print the structure

• Cotton

• Optical tissue

• An Arduino Uno

• A breadboard

• 2 servo motors

• Wires of different sizes

• 2 capacitors of 100 microF

• A switch

• A USB-Arduino wire to power the circuit

Tools:

• A cutter, a wood saw, or a 3D printing machine

• Eventually a welder

Note: Prepare all your components and tools before starting to build an object, it will help you to stay organised and efficient!

Step 2: How to Build the Structure

First, you need to create the structure of the Wipe-Eyeglasses : you can either do it by cutting and gluing wood or cardboard, or by 3D print the parts that compose it.

Here are the 3D designs of the structure which you need to recreate with the material of your choice and the picture of the result with wood boards.

However, these 3D models are designed for 3D printing so If you choose to build the Wipe-Eyeglasses with wood boards or cardboard (as I did it), you will need to adapt them. Click on "Edit 3D" and use the ruler to have the mesurements (The structure is designet at real scale) : it will help you to cut your wood boards or cardboard in order to create the different parts that you will assemble after with glue. (For exemple, the "support_servo" piece can be a simple 16x2 cm sized wood board).

Note: To realize my invention, I have built the box with wood and I have only 3D printed the "rotor" design. It is easier and cheaper.

You can also find here the .stl files of this designs if you want to 3D print it:

Attachments

Step 3: How to Build the Circuit

The electronic circuit of the Wipe-Eyeglasses is based on the Arduino. Here is what you need to reproduce it with the components.

Note : You can obviously adapt it depending how you realized the structure!

Step 4: How to Program It

I used the Arduino Software to program the Wipe-Eyeglasses. Here is the code:

#include <Servo.h>
Servo Droite;
Servo Gauche;
const int switchPin = 2;
const int greenLed = 3;
const int redLed = 4;
int switchVal;
void setup() {
  Droite.attach(9);
  Gauche.attach(10);
  pinMode(greenLed, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(redLed, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(switchPin, INPUT);
}
void loop() {
  switchVal = digitalRead(switchPin);
    Droite.write(75);
    Gauche.write(105);
    delay(400);
    Droite.write(105);
    Gauche.write(75);
    delay(400);
    Droite.write(75);
    Gauche.write(105);
    delay(400);
    Droite.write(105);
    Gauche.write(75);
    delay(400);
    Droite.write(75);  
    Gauche.write(105);
    delay(400);
    Droite.write(105);
    Gauche.write(75);
    delay(400);
    Droite.write(75);  
    Gauche.write(105);
    delay(400);
    Droite.write(105);
    Gauche.write(75);
    delay(400);
    Droite.write(90);
    Gauche.write(90);
    delay(100000000);
}

Note: I used servo motor with continue rotation and I needed to set the speed and the time, so you will need if you use basic servos to make some changes to the program.

Attachments

Step 5: How to Assemble Everything

1. Put the Arduino and the circuit inside the structure (with all its parts)

2. Glue or fix with another way the "rotor" pieces (printed in 3D or designed by yourself) (2) to the servos

3. Put a cotton around the ball of the "rotor" piece

4. Put an optical tissue around the cotton

5. Glue the servos to the structure and verify everything is solid and functionnal, then plug the cable to the Arduino and to a computer or a USB charger

6. Here it is! You have built the Wipe-Eyeglasses!

Step 6: How It Works

1. (Wet your eyeglasses or sunglasses with water or with a special optical spray)

2. Put your eyeglasses on the Wipe-Eyeglasses.

3. Turn on the switch, it starts to work : cotton balls covered with optical tissue go 30° to the left and then 30° to the right.

4. The Wipe-Eyeglasses stops to run; it is finished.

5. You eyeglasses are clean :)

Step 7: Watch It Working in a Video!

Recently, I was on a french TV channel, M6 for this invention because it won the "Innovez" contest!

In the video, I explain how it works! (In french but I'm sure you can undersatand easily the concept)

Note: "Innovez" is an invention contest opened to young people and organizes by a scientific periodic made for teens : Sciences et Vie Junior!

Here you can find the Video!

Thank you for reading!

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