Method and apparatus for making a mosaic

A mosaic formed by the method comprising the steps of:

• disassembling an image into a plurality of pixels, wherein each of the plurality of pixels is associated with at least one tile;
• inputting feedback relating to the image and the disassembly of the image;
• determining materials, a quantity of a plurality of tiles and a location for each of the plurality of tiles;
• sorting the plurality of tiles;
• inspecting the plurality of tiles to determine a color for each of the plurality of tiles and to conduct a quality control review for each of the plurality of tiles;
• buffering each of the plurality of tiles according to its color, as determined by the step of inspecting;
• picking and placing each of the plurality of tiles in a position;
• and
• assembling the selected tiles into a mosaic, the mosaic being substantially similar to the image.

A mosaic formed by the method comprising the steps of:

• inputting an image;
• adjusting the image using a graphical user interface;
• processing the image into a pattern by disassembling the image into a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of pixels is assigned a color;
• determining a quantity of a plurality of tiles and a location in the pattern for each of the plurality of tiles;
• sorting the plurality of tiles into a single feed mechanism;
• inspecting the plurality of tiles to conduct a quality control review for each of the plurality of tiles;
• assigning a color to each of the plurality of tiles;
• buffering each of the plurality of tiles according to its color;
• picking and placing each of the plurality of tiles in a predetermined position;
• and
• assembling the selected tiles into a mosaic, the mosaic being substantially similar to the image.

A system for building a mosaic, the system comprising:

• a graphical user interface to input feedback regarding an image and to manipulate the image;
• a processor to disassemble the image into a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of pixels is associated with a color;
• an operational manager to determine a type of material, a quantity of tiles and a location for each of the tiles;
• a sorter to sort each of the tiles;
• an inspection station to determine a color for each of the tiles and to conduct a quality control review for each of the tiles;
• a buffer to group each of the tiles according to the color assigned to each of the tiles at the inspection station;
• and
• a robotic arm to pick and place each of the tiles in a predetermined position, as determined by the processor.