Line follower Delivery Robot for Restaurant

Services
Abstract: Robotics technology has advanced beyond all human endeavors and is used in the human environment to help with task
performance and raise the standard of our daily existence. In various sectors including the restaurant industry, there has been a
recent trend toward implementing robotics to enhance service efficiency and quality. These robotic systems are designed to perform
tasks such as taking orders, retrieving items, delivering food, and handling billing processes .This project introduces a model
delivery robot designed to function as a waiter, alongside a wireless ordering system. The aim is to address common challenges
encountered in traditional restaurant settings. The research outlines the development of a line-following robot equipped with an
Arduino module and programmed algorithms. This configuration empowers the robot to autonomously navigate from the kitchen
to the designated table by leveraging RFID tags strategically placed at each table's location. The weight of the drink can't exceed
300 grams. In addition, an Android app was created to make it easier for customers to place orders using their smartphones.
Subsequently, the orders are transmitted to a receiver equipped with a Bluetooth module located in the kitchen. The precision of the
RFID-based table identification and localization technique was meticulously evaluated by subjecting the robot to comprehensive
testing. The findings were encouraging, demonstrating that the robot's deviation from its intended target averaged only 5% when in
close proximity.

Keywords: A delivery robot, an RFID tag, a Bluetooth module, an Android app, and line following systems.

1. INTRODUCTION
At one point in history, the uses of robots were limited to
manufacturing and industrial operations. However, in
current day and age, robots have transitioned from being
used in industrial settings to being an essential component
of our everyday life. As a result of these robots' intimate
interaction with humans in everyday environments, they
provide services that are monotonous and repetitious, so
making our lives more pleasant.[1]
Automating duties such as ordering, taking, producing,
publishing, etc., is becoming increasingly necessary in
restaurants, cafés, and workplaces, making robots that
function as waiters a hot commodity. A number of novel
technological solutions have been proposed to address
issues with conventional dining establishments, including
automatic menu recommenders, wireless order, billing,
and call systems, and mobile robots [2 In this study, we
provide a model delivery robot that can solve this
challenge. An RFID system was used to identify and
locate tables for the delivery robot's inside operations.
2. REVIEW OF RELATED WORK
Customers may now use their smartphones to place orders
using a web-based application that was introduced by
Mishra et al. [3]. A kitchen attendant authorizes the
system so it may handle the menus at each table and keep
track of each order. Having a robot waiter deliver the
appropriate goods to each table is both desirable and
essential. In order to have an item delivered to a certain
table, Amit et al. [4] created a system that relies on the
coordinate following robot approach. Through a mobile
app on an Android phone, the menu may be accessed by
connecting to the arena's Bluetooth address. To direct the
robot to the proper table, the system makes use of radio
frequency technology and a wheel encoder. There is a risk
Robots created by Aishwarya et al. [8] may follow a black
of wheel slippage when using the wheel encoder method
line on the floor to reach customers' tables; after clients
to identify tables. In order
to streamline the ordering, serving, and paying processes,
Shiny et al. [5] created a robotic waiter system. The
ordering system is comprised of an LCD for order display
and a keypad for order placement. The WIFI ESP8266
module is used to transmit the order to the kitchen. To
reach its destination, the robot employs wheel encoders to
control its wheel steps. Additionally, it can identify the
target thanks to its proximity sensor. Wheel encoders that
are susceptible to wheel slippage are the only ones
covered in the study.
Using an android app, Kamaruzzaman [6] created a
prototype waiter robot that could accept orders for food
and drink (up to 600 g) and deliver them to the
customer.
Using rotary encoders, which measure the steps encoded
in the programming, the robot goes to the place by
counting the revolutions of its wheels. When the robot
reaches its destination, it will sound an alert and show
the instructions on an LCD panel. Because of its
inherent vulnerability to wheel slippage, the rotary
encoder is the sole method of target detection
considered in this research. A robot waiter system was
created by Singh et al. [7] that uses a PID control
algorithm to improve the robot's navigation to the
customer's table. When the robot arrives at its assigned
table, it will play a greeting and menu audio message
that have already been recorded. The front-mounted
microphone captures the guest's response. Once the
visitor has finished their order, they can link the RF
transceiver module with the table by pressing the "go"
button. There is no concentration on table detection in
this study; rather, the focus is on the robot's social
contact with consumers.

6
6
touch a button on the table to access their menu, the
robots will arrive at their station. When the button is
pressed, an LED at the receiving end lights up, and the
robot moves towards a target—the customer's table—
that is also fitted with an LED that lights up, forming a
connection between the two. After taking the customer's
order, the robot follows the black line to the table and
then heads back to the kitchen, all while the floor is
mapped out with black lines. The robot is unable to
precisely pinpoint the position of the table due to LED
glow interference with ambient light.
Customers may submit their orders using a keypad Figure 1. (a) Configuring the Android App; (b) Layout
that displays the menu items and any applicable of the App Upon receiving the order, an HC-08 .
awards on an LCD screen, according to a method Bluetooth module situated in the kitchen displays it on
created by Khan et al. [9]. The robot follows a black an LCD.
line strip on the floor to get to the table once the client
gives it the order. The robot waiter goes back to the 3.3 NAVIGATIONAL DEVICE
kitchen once the customer receives their drink. Line From the kitchen, the robot is to go it would be great if
following to target (table) represents the extent of this the robot could figure out how to go from the kitchen to
study's coverage. Asif et al. developed a technology the table.The robot's three infrared sensors effectively
that uses an electronic menu bar and Bluetooth guided it along a black line on the floor.
module to transmit data to the kitchen at a 9600 bps 3.4 Table identification and Localization Module
baud rate. Two infrared sensors on the robot's sides
The robot's RC522 RFID reader detects a preprogrammed
counted table items, as the centers of the two groups
tag positioned at the designated table location during
noticed and tracked white lines. Subsequently, the
blackline traversal, enabling the robot to identify its
automated server conveys the prepared dish from the
destination.
kitchen to the diner's designated table. The study's
table detection method relies on infrared (IR) 3.5 Obstacle Detection Module
transmitter and receiver, which are vulnerable to IR
The delivery robot utilizes an HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor
inaccuracies.
to detect and avoid obstacles. Employing sonar pulse
reflection and time-of-flight principles, the system
3. DESIGN OF LINE FOLLOWER ROBOT
evaluates the presence of obstacles and adjusts its path
In order A system was created utilizing an Arduino Mega accordingly. deciding whether to proceed to its
kit to transport a cup of drink from its origin (the kitchen) destination. After everything is evident, it keeps moving
to its destination (the table). The design of the robot was forward.
done in stages or units.

3.1 CPU(central processing unit)

The main controller is an Arduino Mega microcontroller,
which features 54 input/output (I/O) pins on the open-
source Arduino Mega board. A microcontroller chip is
included into the Arduino Mega, which is used to load the
software and carry out the instructions that are written. In
this study, the motors are controlled by an Arduino board
that receives information from several sensors, including
ultrasonic, RFID, Bluetooth, and infrared sensors.The
microcontroller can be programmed to control the LCD
and buzzer, allowing them to receive instructions for
output.
Figure 2 depicts the algorithm designed for obstacle
3.2 WIRELESS ORDER TRANSMISSION SYSTEM detection.
Figure 1(a) and (b) showcase an Android application that
facilitates wireless order placement from a table to the
kitchen using a smartphone. Figure 3 presents the schematic diagram detailing the
physical connections between the sensors and the Arduino
Mega.

3.6 Scope of Arena Setting for Robot Operation

The model delivery robot's testing environment simulates
a restaurant setting within a 2 by 3-meter arena, featuring
two tables and a kitchen, as illustrated in Figure 6. There

67
is a limit on just how lots of requests the system can
handle at once.
Figure 3. Sensors and actuators block diagram
order information to the client as the buzzer sounds an alert. Figure 4
illustrates the flowchart of the delivery robot's operating process.
Figure 4.
presents the flowchart detailing the model delivery robot's testing process.
68
4. INSTALLATION OF LINE FOLLOWER ROBOT
The implementation of the design concept involved
constructing an arena resembling a restaurant, complete
with a kitchen and two tables. Once prepared in the
kitchen, the robot delivers a drink (juice or water) to the
table where orders are placed. The kitchen's Bluetooth
module and LCD display receive the customer's order
input via the app. Subsequently, the kitchen staff member
loads the item onto the robot, which then navigates along
a black line to reach its destination. The table is equipped
with a tag, and the robot's RFID reader locates it. The
robot's LCD screen displays the current status.
Figure 6. Floor Setting for robot operation
Figure 7. Protoboard reciever’s end at Kitchen
The robot is directed to move one item from the flowchart to
the designated table by following a blackline. The system will
wait for permission before continuing to target after signaling
an alert when it detects an obstruction. The RID reader stops
the order picking process as soon as it scans and identifies the
table tag. After then, the system goes back to the kitchen.
Figure 5 depicts the completed robot equipped with sensors
and AruinoMega. The arena's setup with the kitchen and two
tables for service demonstration is shown in Figure 6.
In Figure 7, we can see the receiver's setup in the kitchen,
complete with an LCD, buzzer, and HC-08 bluetooth module,
all set up to take orders. Robot delivering orders to a request
table is seen in Figure 8.

Figure 5. line follower

Table 1. Test for detecting targets in tables using robots

4.3 Limitations and recommendation of the design:
• The solution relied on the low processing power
of the Arduino Mega; a more powerful
microcontroller would be recommended for more
accurate RFID tag recognition.

• Future works should expand job management and

structural design to support additional weight, as
the current system can only handle one table at a
time when ordering and delivered to that table.

Figure 8. Table takes order to robot
4.1 Experiments and Results
An experiment to test how well an RFID reader could
identify a tag at a certain table position, an experiment
was carried out. The table was set up at a certain spot
300 cm away from the kitchen. Following the
blackline, the robot made its way from the kitchen to a
nearby table. At the table, the robot reads an RFID tag.
The distance from the table's placement to the branch
was measured. Table 1 displays the calculated error.
5. CONCLUSION
When they automate operations that enhance our quality
of life, service robots are quickly becoming an integral
part of our everyday lives. The report discusses the need
for restaurant services to be automated. Developing a
robot that could transfer something from the kitchen to a
designated table was the aim of the design and testing
phase. After review, the experiment's results were
considered promising. This study shows that there is a
chance that robots will work as servers in restaurants.
Numerous possible uses for the technology exist, such as
in healthcare, office work, and senior assistance.

69
 Case Robot %
separation Error
Distance
Length from from the
the Kitchen kitchen (Error)

Case1 201cm 200.20cm 4.20cm 4.2%

Case2 201m 203.70cm 5.70cm 5.7%

Case3 201cm 204.80cm 4.80cm 4.8%

Case4 201cm 206.70cm 5.70cm 5.7%

Case 5 201cm 204.20cm 5.20cm 5.2%

Mean Absolute error

(4.2+5.7+4.8+5.7+5.2)/5 = 4.12%

The average system error is a percentage 4%.

4.2 Discussion
The kitchen end can take one order at a time, and the robot can bring it to the table that needs. By using the RFID reader on the
robot, this system is able to pinpoint its target position, which is the table. This method of table identification works well in indoor
systems (with a 5% inaccuracy) and is well-suited to commercial dining establishments.

70