Quantitatively, I hope that this robot can decrease the amount of time it takes to solve a puzzle. For example, reduce the time to solve from 10 hours total to 1 hour or less. Though to be honest, quantitatively improving a metric is not the true goal here. Puzzles are meant to be recreational, as an enjoyable way to pass the time. Therefore, the journey is just as important as the destination. Nor does this problem or solution have any direct commercial application.
Qualitatively, my true goal is instead to use this project as a fun way to learn computer vision and robotics, two areas that I am very passionate about. In addition, I will use this project as a way to relearn computer programming and add to my portfolio to impress future employers and coworkers. Finally, it’s a fun way to play with puzzles some more.
Jigsaw puzzles have always been a hobby of mine for as long as I can remember. In fact, my mother said one of the reasons for my intelligence was because I did a lot of jigsaw puzzles in my childhood. In some respects I can believe this. I have read before that the ability to do spatial thinking and in multiple dimensions is a key part of higher level thinking, such as in math and physics. So puzzles are a good tool that can assist in high level thinking.
In addition, my other hobby is running. Completing a puzzle is a lot like running a marathon — there are a lot of small steps, and you have a big accomplishment at the end. Some people think that running or puzzles can get boring, but I enjoy the journey. I enjoy seeing how the small wins and struggles add up to something amazing.
Finally, this project is a chance for me to rebuild my technical skills. At school I studied electrical engineering, which was a mix of math, computer science, and physics. I didn’t have time to take courses in computer vision or robotics (I took foreign languages instead), but even back then I was interestd in these subjects. I hope that this project is a fun way for me to develop my interests and reestablish my coding skills, to both satisfy my needs and to look good in front of future coworkers :D