> Markdown version of [/videos/861-making-smart-machines-smarter-the-building-of-a-smart-drink-delivery-robot](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/861-making-smart-machines-smarter-the-building-of-a-smart-drink-delivery-robot). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Making Smart Machines Smarter: The Building of A Smart Drink Delivery Robot How do you build an autonomous robot that finds you and delivers cold drinks? Discover how to integrate a Raspberry Pi, Python loops, and computer vision for crash-free navigation. - **Speakers:** Hazal Mestci - **Event:** WeAreDevelopers LIVE - **Published:** February 23, 2024 - **Duration:** 3:42 - **URL:** https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/861-making-smart-machines-smarter-the-building-of-a-smart-drink-delivery-robot ## Summary A developer advocate at Viam translates the universal desire for a conveniently delivered cold beverage into "Tipsy," an autonomous drink delivery robot. Starting with accessible hardware components—a Raspberry Pi, GPIO motors, and ultrasonic sensors—the initial build establishes basic motion and manual control via the Viam app. This foundation sets the stage for transforming a simple motorized base into an intelligent, autonomous machine without the friction of managing low-level hardware drivers. To make the robot purposeful, Python control loops and pre-trained machine learning models from the Viam registry are integrated. The robot relies on ultrasonic sensors to detect obstacles within 0.4 meters, triggering an immediate stop. Simultaneously, it utilizes a webcam and computer vision services to scan its environment, spinning 45 degrees continuously until it detects a person with over 70% confidence. Once a person is identified, the robot actively navigates toward them to deliver a beverage. A crucial engineering takeaway is the use of concurrent background tasks to manage these competing automated behaviors safely. Running the obstacle detection and person-tracking functions concurrently ensures that proximity sensors can instantly interrupt navigation, preventing collisions with furniture or people. This modular approach to building smart machines not only accelerates initial deployment but provides a flexible architectural foundation for seamlessly adding advanced capabilities like speech recognition, personalized face identification, or third-party computing API integrations. **Keywords:** autonomous robot development, viam robotics platform, smart drink delivery robot, raspberry pi compute base, gpio motor configuration, ultrasonic sensor obstacle avoidance, python control loops, machine learning person detection, computer vision integration, viam module registry, concurrent background tasks, hardware driver abstraction, smart machine automation, api integration in robotics ## Chapters 1. **Motivation and architecture for a drink delivery robot** (00:04) — How personal laziness and party planning inspired an autonomous drink delivery robot using Raspberry Pi and Viam. 1. **Hardware configuration and autonomous obstacle avoidance programming** (00:59) — Setting up components in the Viam app and writing Python scripts to process ultrasonic sensor data for safe navigation. 1. **Integrating machine learning for human detection and tracking** (01:54) — Deploying a machine learning model from the Viam registry to identify people and guide the robot towards them. 1. **Managing concurrent processes and exploring modular robot upgrades** (02:31) — Executing movement and obstacle detection concurrently while exploring potential functional upgrades like speech recognition or face identification. ## Related Moments - [Progressing from standard robotics to cognitive learning systems](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/86-rpa-in-the-public-sector) (from "RPA in the Public Sector") - [Transitioning from rigid machines to autonomous AI robots](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/472-enhancing-ai-based-robotics-with-simulation-workflows) (from "Enhancing AI-based Robotics with Simulation Workflows") - [Speaker background and introduction to applied robotics work](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1235-carl-lapierre-exploring-advanced-patterns-in-retrieval-augmented-generation) (from "Carl Lapierre - Exploring Advanced Patterns in Retrieval-Augmented Generation") - [Moving from AI software buzzwords to building actual robots](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100097-how-i-built-my-own-intelligent-robot-arm-from-scratch) (from "How I built my own intelligent Robot Arm from Scratch") - [Automating complex industry operations with embodied intelligence](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1452-robots-2-0-when-artificial-intelligence-meets-steel) (from "Robots 2.0: When artificial intelligence meets steel") - [Expanding robotics beyond humanoids across diverse industries](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100039-physical-ai-for-the-next-wave-of-industrial-digitalisation) (from "Physical AI for the Next Wave of Industrial Digitalisation") ## Related Articles - [WWC24 Talk - Scott Hanselman - AI: Superhero or Supervillain?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/469-wwc24-talk-scott-hanselman-ai-superhero-or-supervillain) - [Coffee with Developers - Maria Apazoglou - Making AI understandable for all in production](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/475-coffee-with-developers-maria-apazoglou-making-ai-understandable-for-all-in-production) - [MLOps And AI Driven Development](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/82-mlops-and-ai-driven-development) - [Dev Digest 137 - AI'm not sure about this](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/485-dev-digest-137-ai-m-not-sure-about-this) ## Related Jobs - [Machine Learning Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/1355348-machine-learning-engineer) at **TWILIO** - [Senior Engineer, Infrastructure Platform](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/328836-senior-engineer-infrastructure-platform) at **Intercom, Inc.** - [Machine Learning Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/588393-machine-learning-engineer) at **Twilio** - [Founding Mobile Engineer (iOS)](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/1648532-founding-mobile-engineer-ios) at **Almedia** - [AI Software Engineer (Germany)](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/48317-ai-software-engineer-germany) at **Sunhat** - [Machine Learning Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/1597388-machine-learning-engineer) at **ZEISS Group**