In order for our machine to work, the most overlooked, but perhaps the most important step needs to happen: The eggs need to be lifted out of their carton and loaded into the device. For this, we could use a complex system of robotic arms, capable of popping open an egg carton, before gingerly lifting the eggs within and loading them into the cracker. We could even design it to take the carton off a shelf, or to throw the egg carton into the appropriate recycling bin, or even to place an order online for more eggs.
But we chose to use a ramp, because it wasn’t needlessly complex, and got the job done well.
The ramp would have to accomplish several simple tasks.
- It needs to control the entry of eggs into the device, to only allow one egg to enter the cracking chamber at a time
- It needs to control the release of eggshells out of the device, to ensure that the next egg is able to take its place
- It needs to provide a frame for the egg cracker module