1.1 Introduction
Garbage (solid waste) management poses a huge challenge both in industry and in urban areas for most countries over the world (Machale, 2015). Though today there exist several technologies of garbage collection, disposal and recycling, a more efficient method is required in order to maintain a green, safe, and healthy environment. The effects of the drastic growth in population density of residential area and the demand for metropolis environmental protection generate a challenging backbone for waste management (Jamelske, 2005). There are still several significant problems being encountered in collecting, transporting and processing (sorting and recycling) residential and industrial waste as most of the work is entirely manual, requiring much effort and time, especially in developing countries (Loughery, 2018). The uneasiness of waste management procedures is undoubtedly of primary interest to municipal local agencies (Hanshar, 2013). This article seeks to implement robotics and automation to come up with an efficient, safe and productive process of garbage collection, disposal and/or sorting for recycling. This project would lead to a low-cost waste management technique as the robot would be set to work repeatedly without much cost, besides the routine maintenance costs (IGI Global, 2021).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Today, world is facing major garbage crisis the product of rapid economic growth, overcrowding, poor urban planning, corrosive corruption, and political dysfunction. This is mainly due to the rapid increase in population as well as physical resources. The present tried and tested strategies of trash collection have been proved ineffective. And the world nowadays is looking at smarter ways for overcoming the garbage assortment problem. This project presents the Garbage Collector robot for footpath using Arduino microcontroller. The robot is built on a metallic base, which is powered by a battery of 12V. The robot is designed to collect Garbage from a footpath, public places (parks, schools, and colleges), mostly cemented paths and beach. The robot cannot be used on muddy surfaces. The robot is built in such a way that, when it is powered ON, it will move on the path defined in the program. When it encounters any obstacle, depending on the conditions applied in the program the robot proceeds with further motion and then the robot picks up the garbage.
A robot can be comprehended as a programmable, self-guided device constituting electronic, electrical, and/or mechanical components (Rakesh, A, & Ajay, 2013). Essentially, a robot is a machine that can function as a substitute for some living agent. Robots are mostly desirable for particular work functions, unlike humankind, they can never get tired, they can perform, Dirty, Dangerous, Dull and Dear (4D’s) tasks (Salmador, Cid, & Novelle, 1989). uncomfortable or dangerous physical conditions, they can do operate well in confined or airless conditions, they never get bored when doing repetitive work, and they can never get themselves distracted from an ongoing task at hand. A robot is a powerful and reliable machine and can perform well in areas of hot temperature where humankind can get tired and sick after working for considerably long hours(Rakesh, A, & Ajay, 2015). A typical vehicle that is used in garbage collection is shown in Figure 2. This technique of garbage collection is entirely manual as humans have to pick up waste and load it in the payload (IGI Global, 2021).
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Garbage Collection Robot using Wireless Communication Technology.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed the problem of the existing Garbage Collection Robot using Wireless Communication Technology research work, which include:
- Too much land pollution/garbage and inconvenient availability (unavailability) of sufficient workforce under all circumstances.
- Unavailability of manual labor in several remote areas (such as railway tracks)
- Safety concerns of humans in hostile work environments
- Lack of resources for hazard proof collection of nuclear waste
Also, the manual methods are majorly used for cleaning. Although garbage removal is a good source of manual labor, there are still some problems associated with manual garbage removal, Such as excessive land pollution/garbage and the inability to provide sufficient labor in all cases. When it comes to eliminating the monotony of tasks, overcoming safety problems during manual labor, and reaching remote areas, autonomous robots are better choice. In some cases, the efficiency may be higher.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to design a Garbage Collection Robot System using Wireless Communication Technology. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To collect the garbage and monitor the garbage level as well as the moisture content present in the bin
- To substantially reduce the cost, so as to make the implementation on a large scale feasible, including implementation through government bodies.
1.5 Significance of Study
The study will provides a gateway towards implementing garbage collecting robots in smart cities. Rather than describing the design of a single robot, we propose an entire system of robots interconnected in a network, to optimize time, energy and overall speed. There is always a trade-off between accuracy, efficiency and cost of garbage collection, especially when robots get into the picture. Our purpose is to find the perfect balance between these factors.
This study will be of immense benefit to researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.6 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Garbage Collection Robot using Wireless Communication Technology in Nigeria.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).
