M&M sorter showcases skills of engineering graduates

A machine that automatically sorts M&M chocolates into their different colours that recently featured in the Dominion Post (19 May 2011) is the brainchild of one of Victoria's first Engineering graduates.

Dayna-Maree Kivell built the M&M sorter for her final year project and this week will graduate with her classmates, the first graduates of the Bachelor of Engineering.

The M&M sorter uses a colour sensor that scans each M&M. The sensor looks at the amount of red, green and blue in each M&M to identify the colour before placing it in one of eight containers, one for each colour.

"It determines the colour very quickly," says Dayna-Maree. "After that a turntable at the bottom rotates to allow the machine to drop the M&M in the relevant container. It all takes about five seconds".

"The idea was to simulate an industrial process - a car assembly plant for example - by using a programmable logic controller. We chose a sorting process and decided on the M&M's because they demonstrated this process very visually."

Dayna-Maree is now doing her Master's in Engineering and is working on developing materials and devices that can be used in ultrasound applications, such as medical ultrasound imaging.