go away spammer

Author Topic: Wifi robot hardware recommendations  (Read 6396 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline BTGirlTopic starter

  • Beginner
  • *
  • Posts: 3
  • Helpful? 0
Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« on: August 22, 2009, 01:39:13 AM »
I want to build a robot that will operate in my house on my wireless network.  I want to be able to control the robot via the internet while away from home.  I have seen various posts on this topic, though I still have questions. 

Here is what I was thinking, hardware-wise, which might be flawed:

Wireless bridge to connect robot to LAN
A microcontroller on a web server development board with ethernet and serial connectivity (such as: http://www.olimex.com/dev/pic-web.html)
An IP camera
A serial servo controller (such as http://www.lynxmotion.com/Product.aspx?productID=395)
RC Car

Does it make sense to set up a web server on the robot that I connect to and operate some sort of control interface GUI?  I want to set up this robot in the simplest fashion possible.  I am fairly competent in Python, so I would prefer a solution that would allow me to do some of this in Python, though I realize that might not be feasible.

Does anybody have any hardware or procedural recommendations?

Thanks

Offline Ro-Bot-X

  • Contest Winner
  • Supreme Robot
  • ****
  • Posts: 1,431
  • Helpful? 25
  • Store: RoBotXDesigns.ca
    • Ro-Bot-X Designs
Re: Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2009, 06:32:41 AM »
Look through Arduino Forum, they have a webserver library, also they have Ethernet shields and I think they managed to make a WiFly wireless ehternet shield. Just add a motor shield and your take of chassis and your ready to go because the IP webcam does not need any interface with the robot.

Good luck!
« Last Edit: August 22, 2009, 06:53:22 AM by Ro-Bot-X »
Check out the uBotino robot controller!

Offline billhowl

  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 376
  • Helpful? 32
  • Your success is in your hands.
Re: Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2009, 07:55:50 AM »
Look at this DIY Router Robot. Using a Linksys WRT54GL

http://waterworkssg.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!6072C0FF429AF1FD!632.entry

« Last Edit: August 22, 2009, 08:12:49 PM by billhowl »

Offline Soeren

  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 4,672
  • Helpful? 227
  • Mind Reading: 0.0
Re: Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2009, 08:55:14 PM »
Hi,

To make life a bit easier on yourself, consider one of the ITX form factor PC mother boards for your 'bot.
  • Mini-ITX (17x17cm)
  • Nano-ITX (12x12cm)
  • Pico-ITX (10x7.2cm)
Stuff it with eg. FreeBSD or any other *nix and you can Python away.
(Personally, I'd go for a compiled language for such application, even though I love to go PERL-diving, to get the maximum speed available).

That said, if you really wanna work (and curse) a lot, you can get Python (as well as PERL) running in a µcontroller.
Regards,
Søren

A rather fast and fairly heavy robot with quite large wheels needs what? A lot of power?
Please remember...
Engineering is based on numbers - not adjectives

Offline BTGirlTopic starter

  • Beginner
  • *
  • Posts: 3
  • Helpful? 0
Re: Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2009, 09:01:54 PM »
Thanks for all of the recommendations.  I might go down the mini-ITX form factor PC route for simplicity.  To power the robot I was thinking that I would install two laptop batteries - one for the PC and one for the motors.  I want the robot to run while the batteries are recharging, so I am going to need to chargers that do not require the removal of the batteries, like a laptob charger.  Any recommendations on that?

Offline SmAsH

  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 3,959
  • Helpful? 75
  • SoR's Locale Electronics Nut.
Re: Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« Reply #5 on: August 24, 2009, 12:56:28 AM »
do you want to have the robot charge on its own via contact plates or similar or just you plug it in?
Howdy

Offline BTGirlTopic starter

  • Beginner
  • *
  • Posts: 3
  • Helpful? 0
Re: Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« Reply #6 on: August 24, 2009, 06:38:07 PM »
I want to develop some system (contact plates or something of the like) that will allow the robot to self-charge and not require a person to plug it in.

Offline SmAsH

  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 3,959
  • Helpful? 75
  • SoR's Locale Electronics Nut.
Re: Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« Reply #7 on: August 25, 2009, 12:58:10 AM »
there are quite a few posts about ideas like that of contact plates, search around on the forum and you
will be amazed at what you find.
Howdy

Offline starbuck

  • Beginner
  • *
  • Posts: 1
  • Helpful? 0
Re: Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« Reply #8 on: August 29, 2009, 06:18:41 AM »
Well, I just bought a robot that does what you want, maybe Woot will have it again.  It's called "Spykee".  I was gonna hack into it, but decided not to yet.  It was 100 bucks. 

No worries,
starbuck

Offline kpmcgurk

  • Robot Overlord
  • ****
  • Posts: 152
  • Helpful? 3
  • Robot Love?
    • Probotic world (in progress)
Re: Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« Reply #9 on: August 29, 2009, 06:35:04 AM »
sure you can buy one for cheaper than making one, but what is the fun of just buying it? I would have to say that 99% of the fun of robotics is actually building and programming them!!
some people are just Born smart, but some people have to work for it, and those are the people who succeed.

http://www.proboticworld.com

Offline SmAsH

  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 3,959
  • Helpful? 75
  • SoR's Locale Electronics Nut.
Re: Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« Reply #10 on: August 29, 2009, 04:52:31 PM »
sure you can buy one for cheaper than making one, but what is the fun of just buying it? I would have to say that 99% of the fun of robotics is actually building and programming them!!
the other one percent is buying one and hacking the crap out of it?
Howdy

Offline kpmcgurk

  • Robot Overlord
  • ****
  • Posts: 152
  • Helpful? 3
  • Robot Love?
    • Probotic world (in progress)
Re: Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« Reply #11 on: August 29, 2009, 05:37:40 PM »
no the other one percent is probably being able to say that "I made this robot" instead of "I just bought this thing on ebay" (but hacking the crap out of other robots is fun too)
some people are just Born smart, but some people have to work for it, and those are the people who succeed.

http://www.proboticworld.com

Offline Ro-Bot-X

  • Contest Winner
  • Supreme Robot
  • ****
  • Posts: 1,431
  • Helpful? 25
  • Store: RoBotXDesigns.ca
    • Ro-Bot-X Designs
Re: Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« Reply #12 on: September 03, 2009, 07:53:12 AM »
In the latest issue of Robot Magazine there is an article about a PC based robot that is not bigger than Boe-Bot. It's name is Pepe Le Bot and uses a tiny Roboard (96x56 mm - smaller than Pico-ITX)  that is a bridge between a regular microcontroller and a motherboard. This board has a 1GHz processor and 256 MB RAM and 24 GPIO pins that are servo ready (PWM capable), 8 A/D pins, RS232 serial, TTL serial, I2C, SPI, 3 USB (host) ports, audio, LAN, mini PCI. You can use a micro SD card to load your favorite OS and an Open Source C++ library for easy access to the I/O. The board can be powered directly from the robot's battery, from 6V to 24V, but be careful, the servos are powered directly from the battery, so make sure you don't burn them. With this board you don't need any extra microcontrollers, just plug in your sensors and servos, a webcam, a WiFi USB stick and you're done. Use Roborealm, MSRS or whatever directly on the robot.

Here is a picture and the link for the board:


http://www.trossenrobotics.com/roboard.aspx
« Last Edit: September 03, 2009, 08:09:22 AM by Ro-Bot-X »
Check out the uBotino robot controller!

Offline billhowl

  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 376
  • Helpful? 32
  • Your success is in your hands.
Re: Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« Reply #13 on: September 03, 2009, 09:21:48 AM »
I think the Roboard is good but for cost at $289.99 is abit on the high side, if you need to program in the Linux you may get the ARM9 board dimension 100 x 100(mm) for only $64 it have Samsung S3C2440A 400MHz ARM9 CPU, 64MB SDRAM, 64MB Nand Flash, 34 GPIO, SD Card

Here is a picture and the link for the board:

http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/Samsung-S3C2440-ARM9-Board-mini2440-from-FriendlyARM_W0QQitemZ120445604158QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI_Electrical_Equipment_Tools?hash=item1c0b1e113e&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262
« Last Edit: September 03, 2009, 09:25:22 AM by billhowl »

Offline blackbeard

  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 575
  • Helpful? 4
Re: Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« Reply #14 on: September 06, 2009, 04:49:28 PM »
on the subject of charging what about inductive charging. that way you just need to drive it over the pad and it will charge wirelessly. very inefficient though
"sure, you can test your combat robot on kittens... But all your going to do is make kitten juice"

First step: Build androids with AI
Next step: Give them vaginas

Offline SmAsH

  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 3,959
  • Helpful? 75
  • SoR's Locale Electronics Nut.
Re: Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« Reply #15 on: September 07, 2009, 12:41:36 AM »
on the subject of charging what about inductive charging. that way you just need to drive it over the pad and it will charge wirelessly. very inefficient though
yeah, that might take a while... longer than necessary...
Howdy

Offline Admin

  • Administrator
  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 11,703
  • Helpful? 173
    • Society of Robots
Re: Wifi robot hardware recommendations
« Reply #16 on: September 19, 2009, 07:20:07 AM »
Use the control electronics for the surveyor bot:
http://www.surveyor.com/
and put it on your own chassis.

A few years ago I managed to control it from a cheap $25 cell phone half-way across the US.

 


Get Your Ad Here