Designing an Automatic Card Shuffler :: Robotics

Background Most automatic card shufflers on the market today have a card output slot, a card input slot, a card separation area, and an arm between the card input slot and the separation area. The card input slot is where used cards are put to be shuffled. The arm makes sure that not too many cards enter the separation area at a time. The separation area is where the actual shuffling occurs. The most common method of separation uses a system of rotating belts to pull cards out of the main pile and put them back at random (Card Shuffler). Another method uses a series of elevators. The elevators move up and down, while cards are inserted randomly into each one. Then, the piles in the elevators are shuffled together (Uncomfortable Shoe). This design adds another level of randomness to the shuffling. The last essential part of the shuffler is the card output slot, which is simply where the shuffled cards come out of the machine. Our robot will be different. It has a card input and output slot, but the rest of the machine is different. It shuffles by randomly choosing from several trays full of cards. This method is faster and is more flexible regarding the number of cards being shuffled than other shufflers. Also, this machine will deal a number of different card games automatically. Casinos will want this robot because it is a faster way to shuffle more cards. It makes it so that players can not "count" cards to gain an advantage over the casinos, and with its automatic dealing capabilities, it will increase their efficiency, allowing them to earn more money. Preliminary Design Our product will do more than current automatic card shufflers. In addition to just shuffling the cards, it will also deal them out. The final product will have many shuffling trays, to increase the capacity and effectiveness of the shuffler. It will have an LCD display with inputs that allow card players to select a game on the screen, and the robot will shuffle and deal the cards according to the rules of the game. The final product will be mostly enclosed in a plastic case, to make it look streamlined and prevent tampering or damage to the parts inside. The internals, however, will not be plastic. The gears will be welloiled metal, and the gates will also be smooth plastic to allow the cards to exit them rapidly. To allow the 2 robot to be low-cost, the metal parts would have to be aluminum. There would be little to no specialized

The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 17

Micha I called my dad from the road and got his address. He tried to talk to me a little bit, but I hung up on him. Confronting him for bailing is not something I'm going to do over the phone. He lives about two hours away, which pisses me off. Two hours away and he hasn't stopped by once. When I pull up to his house, my hands nearly choke the life out of the steering wheel. He lives in a two-story white-brick mansion. The neighborhood is nice with gigantic houses and people walking their dogs along the sidewalk. There's no drug dealings going on, no fights, no junky cars parked in the front yard. I sit in my car staring at the red door with a big â€Å"Welcome† sign hanging on it. There are flowers around the front of the yard and the grass is green and cut. Is this why he left us? Because he wanted a fancier life. Why the fuck couldn't he do that with us? My phone beeps in my pocket and I turn it off. It's Ella and I can't talk to her right now. The front door opens and a man in his forties steps out onto the porch. His hair is the same color of blonde as mine, but thinner. He's wearing a black suit and looks like an arrogant prick. He scoops up the newspaper from the ground and squints at my car as he trots off the porch. I count to five in my head, force my hands away from the steering wheel, and get out of the car. He recognizes me immediately and his face drains of color. â€Å"Micha?† He tucks the newspaper under his arm. â€Å"Is that you?† I take another deep breath and walk across the front lawn. â€Å"I don't even know why I'm here.† â€Å"Why don't you come inside so we can talk?† he suggests. I follow him into the house that's even nicer on the inside; hardwood floors, a massive chandelier, and freshly painted walls with family pictures on them. â€Å"You have a family?† He tosses the newspaper onto a table and motions for me to have a seat in the living room. â€Å"Yeah, a daughter that's twelve and a son that's eight.† Feeling awkward, I sit down in a chair that's decorated with frilly pillows. He seats himself across from me, seeming like he has no idea what to do or say next. â€Å"So how have you been?† â€Å"Super.† There's a large portrait on the wall taken in a church of him and his wife on their wedding day and I stare at it, doing the math. â€Å"How long have you been remarried?† He fidgets uncomfortably as he leans back in the chair and stations his foot onto his knee. â€Å"Micha, look I'd rather not get into this.† â€Å"What did you do? Like run out on us and marry the first person you came across?† Anger burns in my voice. He looks away toward the window and I get it. â€Å"You were seeing her while you were still with mom, weren't you?† He makes eye contact with me again, with eyes exactly like mine. â€Å"Look Micha, there were things going on between your mother and I that you don't understand†¦ I wasn't happy.† â€Å"There were things going on between you and me, too,† I snap. â€Å"So what's your excuse for that one?† He rubs a hand across his face and lets out an exhausted sigh. â€Å"I'm sorry.† I clench my hands into fists, fighting the urge to jump off the couch and strangle him. â€Å"You're sorry? Great answer, asshole.† He snatches a manila folder out of the drawer of the end table and slams it down on the coffee table between us. â€Å"Your grandfather left you some money in his will.† My eyes flash from the folder to my father. â€Å"Is that why you brought me here?† He opens the folder and takes a small stack of papers out. â€Å"I thought maybe you could use it to go to college or something. That would be nice, wouldn't it?† Shaking my head, I get to my feet. â€Å"I'm not going to college and you'd understand that if you knew me past the age of six.† He slides the papers across the table and sets a pen next to them. â€Å"Please just take the money, Micha. I want to know that you're taken care of otherwise it'll haunt me.† I pause. â€Å"Are you planning on ever seeing me again?† His silence gives me the only answer I need. â€Å"I don't want your God damn money.† I throw the papers at him and storm for the front door. â€Å"Give it to one of your real kids.† He doesn't call after me when I stomp out the door and he doesn't chase me down. I march straight for my car, getting more furious with each step, and I slam my fist into the driver's side window. It doesn't break, but a couple of my knuckles pop. â€Å"Fuck!† I shout, clutching my hand and the old lady across the street, who's working in her garden, scurries inside her mansion. I jump in my car and speed off down the road with no idea where the hell I'm going.

The Elizabethan Era in England Essay - 1588 Words

The Elizabethan Era is often referred to as the Golden Age of England (A Changing View...). The Elizabethan Era, named after Queen Elizabeth I, was a time of change and discovery (Elizabethan Superstitions). Elizabeth ruled in a time of religious turmoil; both the Catholics and Protestants fought to be the official religion of England. (Elizabethan World View). Many people throughout England struggled to find the â€Å"correct† religion (Elizabethan World View). Religion was changing and so did science. During the late 1500’s science began to evolve; new ideas, concepts, and beliefs were starting to emerge (A Changing View). Magic was considered to be very similar to science in this era. The belief in magical creatures served as the roots for†¦show more content†¦She established the Elizabethan Church, in 1559, â€Å"she wanted her Church to be popular with her people, and for Catholicism to die out naturally as people turned to the religion she had establishe d† (Elizabeth R). In 1559, Queen Elizabeth attempted to reunite her country, by passing the Act of Supremacy and the Act of Uniformity (Pitchard 105). The Act of Supremacy stated that Queen Elizabeth I was the most powerful ruler of England; this acts also made her the Supreme Governor of the Church (Elizabeth I). The Act of Uniformity was a set of rules regarding the new Elizabethan Church (Elizabeth R). Rules of the Church were basic and simple. All people of England had to attend church on Sundays and holidays. A fine was issued to those who did not attend church, the money collected was then used to help the poor (Elizabeth R). Queen Elizabeth had to be harsh and strict with Catholics, more than she would have preferred in order to maintain peace in England (Elizabeth R). Although Queen Elizabeth was nice, she could also be very strict. When Catholics rebelled she reacted quickly, she had them killed, took away their properties, or imprisoned them. After years of rebellion and fighting, England be came a Protestant Country in the early 1600’s (Pitchard 103). â€Å"The significance of the Elizabethan religious settlement is that it was able to hold the vast majority of the people together, despite being a compromise few would have chosen† (Elizabeth I).Show MoreRelatedEssay on Elizabethan Era: The Golden Age1205 Words   |  5 Pagespalaces full of gold and silver- these are just a few thoughts that come to mind when one hears the term â€Å"Elizabethan Era†; however, there is more to this period than what meets the eye. The Elizabethan Era was a significant epoch in the United Kingdom’s history. Ranging from 1558 to 1603, this was during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. 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