Daisy robot weaves flower chains using mechanical constraints

Jude Robinson, a mechatronics student at the University of Glasgow, has developed ‘Daisy’, a robot designed to weave literal daisy chains. The project earned Robinson first-class honors and the IET prize for the best manufacturing project on campus.

The system utilizes two X-Y gantries with four-joint grippers facing each other across a workspace. Rather than relying on complex visual sensing, the robot uses clever mechanical constraints to handle the variability of flower stems. V-shaped profiles in the grippers automatically center stems of different diameters, while a spring-loaded sheath stabilizes the stem during the cutting process.

Operating via a Raspberry Pi 5 and a BIGTREETECH Octopus board, the robot follows a deterministic process: a gripper feeds a new stem through a slit in the previous flower, and a stationary scalpel makes a precise incision. A thin carbon fiber tube and wire snare are then used to create a hole for the next link. Robinson noted that optimizing these mechanical parameters allowed for a 64.3% success rate for stems longer than 1.6 millimeters.