All aboard the java train!

Everyone seems to be turning to robots these days to automate tasks in the physical world. But robots are often clumsy and unreliable, not to mention pricey. Trains, on the other hand, are renowned for their reliability. With that in mind, YouTuber James Whomsley designed a model railway to bring coffee from his kitchen to his office.

Whomsley's home office is downstairs, but his coffee machine is upstairs in his kitchen. He didn't want to make that trip every time he needed the caffeine, so he built a miniature railroad that goes the distance. When he wants a coffee, he activates the train. He leaves his office carrying an empty cup over a car, goes to the kitchen, stops at the coffee machine, begins the brewing process, waits for the cup to be full, then returns to the office. It's simple in theory: an Arduino Uno board at each end detects the train and controls the power to the rails. But the stairs posed a real challenge.

Model trains are powered by the tracks, which means that the tracks must form a complete electrical circuit. To move the train on a lift up the stairs, Whomsley had to find a way to cut the circuit and then reconnect it. Once again, an Arduino detects the presence of the train. When he does, he activates a motor in a LEGO elevator mechanism. This begins to move the lifting platform up or down, which breaks the circuit. When the elevator reaches the top or bottom, it touches the contacts to complete the circuit, which restores power and allows the train to continue its journey to deliver the bean juice.