M&M Sorter

Build an autonomous system to sort M&Ms by all 7 colors into discrete removable containers at over 40 M&Ms per minute, at low cost.
AssembliesMechanismsOnshapeRobotics
Responsible for all mechanical design, manufacturing, and physical testing of the system
Sep 2025 - Nov 2025
Achieved 54 M&Ms per minute with 94% color accuracy. Total BOM cost of $71 using an all-3D-printed and laser-cut structure. Awarded best design out of 12 projects in the semester cohort.

A servo-driven sorting chute dispenses M&Ms into removable baskets by rotating between color-coded positions. Candy is fed through a large hopper equipped with a spinning selector wheel that stages and releases individual M&Ms onto the chute one at a time. The color sensor is mounted facing upward beneath the acrylic baseplate, paired with a white LED to ensure consistent readings independent of ambient lighting. The hopper, chute assembly, and housing were 3D printed or laser cut from acrylic, keeping the system low-cost and fully reproducible with accessible fabrication tools.

A servo-driven sorting chute dispenses M&Ms into removable baskets by rotating between color-coded positions. Candy is fed through a large hopper equipped with a spinning selector wheel that stages and releases individual M&Ms onto the chute one at a time. The color sensor is mounted facing upward beneath the acrylic baseplate, paired with a white LED to ensure consistent readings independent of ambient lighting. The hopper, chute assembly, and housing were 3D printed or laser cut from acrylic, keeping the system low-cost and fully reproducible with accessible fabrication tools.

Bill of Materials
M&M Color Sorter
Nik Polyakov
Nov 2025
Items 7
Fab 2
COTS 5
# Part Cat. Mat. Qty Total
Fabricated
01
3D Printed Parts
Hopper, chute, mounts
3D Print PLA 1 set $2.04
02
Laser Cut Panels
Base and side panels
Laser Cut Acrylic 1 set ~$3.50
Electronics
03
Adafruit TCS34725
RGB color sensor
Elec. PCB 1 $7.95
04
Arduino Uno R3
Main controller
Elec. MCU 1 $27.60
05
ULN2003 Driver
Stepper driver
Elec. PCB 4 $6.00
06
28BYJ-48 Stepper
5V unipolar motor
Elec. Metal 4 $8.00
07
7.4V LiPo Battery
2S, 3000 mAh
Elec. LiPo 1 $16.16
Total
~$71.25