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Author Topic: I need help with robot ideas!!!!  (Read 3338 times)

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Offline sonictjTopic starter

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I need help with robot ideas!!!!
« on: November 29, 2008, 11:58:15 PM »
I have gotten my hands dirty with robotics at this point, so I have signed up for a robot building class this spring.  My  problem is I have a really hard time figuring out what I should build.  So I figured I would see what people on the forum would think of.


Requirements

Has to have 4 kinds of sensors. one of which has to be a special sensor ( gyro, accelerometer, camera, voice recognition.......).  The other sensors would be like sharp ir, sonar, bump sensors, photoresistors .....  Other than the sensor requirement I can build just about whatever I want.


Some of the materials I have on hand

Mechanical
3x pittman 9436 gearmotors with 500cpr encoders ~100 in oz ~5 in long
2x small panetary gearmotors have backshaft for encoders ~30 in oz ~3in long
various stepper motors all 200 step/rev (I use them for scanning sensors)
sabertooth 2x10 motor driver
a few l298 motor drivers

Electronics
5x arduinos(atmega168) I made a few of my own.
1x wiring board (atmega128)
1x bluesmirf rpsma ~400 ft range
1x long range sharp ir
2x short range irs
2x ping ultrasonic rangefinders
bump sensors
photoresistors
 

Skills
I can solder just about anything at this point.
I am a mechanical engineer so I'm pretty good at designing and manufacturing my own parts
I am a pretty decent programmer, but I definitely am not an expert. (c,c++,C#) 


Additional info

I have been thinking of using voice recognition as my special sensor, because It feels like it would not be to hard.  I plan on using c# on my computer to understand the speech.  Then I will send a byte of data to my robot (bluetooth) to signify what was said.  I also am looking into a text to speech synth to put in my robot.  Currently I am considering a speakjet and it text to speech companion chip.

I would love to use a camera, but I am afraid I will be in over my head.

I would greatly appreciate any ideas I can get.  I have a terribly hard time coming up with what I want to do on my own.

Thanks!!!

Offline Daniel Clarke

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Re: I need help with robot ideas!!!!
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2008, 02:37:49 AM »
Two ideas:
1 http://hackaday.com/2008/10/01/arduway-a-mini-segway-using-the-arduino/
This would use a gyro, you could use your voice recognition to send commands and IR sensors so it doesn't hit anything. My friend wants to build one this summer.

2 An arm?
If you wanted to use a camera and image processing you could make it pick up a red ball, maybe out of a pile of blue ones. Again, voice commands for something but I'm not sure what the other two sensors would be.Perhaps a conductivity sensor, so it favoured objects made from metal as opposed to wood or plastic.

Offline jamort

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Re: I need help with robot ideas!!!!
« Reply #2 on: November 30, 2008, 10:48:59 AM »
have it follow a line theres a color sensor (1)
have it avoid walls theres 1 sensor
have it pick up red balls or i would go for blocks theres computer vision 1
then if you can have it to were you can have more than 4 sensors add two ultrasonics one on each side have it measure both sides then which ever one it can see further have it go that waythe haave the one closest to the  wall keep sensing until it has no wall have it turn towards the wall once its gone far enough to get past it takes the distance of the wall plus say the robot length goes that far(need encoder) then turn right or left depending which way it went than have it go till it finds the line againthen dependins on how it had turned have it turn left/right then loop follow the line again etc.
in the way have the blocks and there you go note this will only work if you can have more than four sensors
 
my english teacher once said, "dont talk about what you dont know in public...."

so I replied the truth, " Exactly why I dont ever talk about English."

Offline sonictjTopic starter

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Re: I need help with robot ideas!!!!
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2008, 05:57:53 PM »
Thanks for the reply

more than 4 sensors is perfectly fine.  The robot just has to have 4 different kinds at least

special sensors also include sensors I make.  Example : If I made a sonar module that had different frequency transducers, so I could pulse them at the same time without interference.

Offline jamort

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Re: I need help with robot ideas!!!!
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2008, 06:17:47 PM »
so is there any rule like can you mazke your own obstacle ourse and what not?
cause the thing above would be really cool to see i think
and rather hard to do 2
my english teacher once said, "dont talk about what you dont know in public...."

so I replied the truth, " Exactly why I dont ever talk about English."

Offline sonictjTopic starter

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Re: I need help with robot ideas!!!!
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2008, 10:03:18 PM »
I can make my robot do whatever I want.  However Iam awarded for choosing something useful.  If you want to know the exact rules here is the syllabus.

http://www.mil.ufl.edu/courses/eel5666/syllabus.pdf

The "sensor of your own design" is what I referred to as the special sensor I don't believe you actually have to make one.  The sensor just has to be something a bit difficult/complex.  This is a bit of a gray area in the rules.
« Last Edit: December 01, 2008, 01:50:25 PM by sonictj »

 


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