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While I've never used an IR beacon, I think it'd fit your project pretty well. Check out http://www.robotshop.ca/home/products/robot-parts/microcontrollers/miscellaneous-microcontroller-en/pololu-ir-beacon-development-kit.html for more info on their use in "cat & mouse" robots.
Nice job. I remembered a website I had seen a while back that reminded me of what you did and I just found it. http://www.cs.uwyo.edu/~wspears/maxelbot/Specifically the second video it had one RC controlled robot and the other two autonomously follow the RC one.
By far the simplest way is to put a bunch of bright LEDs on the lead robot, and make the follower robot a simple photovore
and it won't get lost if it sees the sun
Quote from: Darkbluestar on March 05, 2008, 05:05:56 PMNice job. I remembered a website I had seen a while back that reminded me of what you did and I just found it. http://www.cs.uwyo.edu/~wspears/maxelbot/Specifically the second video it had one RC controlled robot and the other two autonomously follow the RC one.Thanks, this is great. I remember watching some videos of this last night, but I was under the impression that the bots were communicating with each other. But upon reading the description again, it states that " there is no global controller what-so-ever. This means there are no hidden beacons, GPS units, over-head cameras, etc. There is no pre-programmed environmental knowledge. There is no central CPU." This is exactly what I want to accomplish. I'm not sure why the lead vehicle seems to still have all the sensors as the other vehicles though. It may be because they make all the vehicles capable of being a leader or a follower. Also, when the guy starts guiding the bots by his walking path, I don't know how the bots know to follow him and not some other object (like when he goes through the tree/bush area). I'm guessing that the bots calibrate themselves and somehow lock onto a lead object and ignore all other objects for following purposes. I appreciate the link, thanks again.