the 2nd $200 Robot Contest now open!

[Admin]

Since the first contest was successful, I am now declaring the next contest:
http://www.societyofrobots.com/free_robot_contest.shtml

The rules are the same.

I choose the dates so that you have christmas holidays to work on your robot, and the due dates should be before university exams start. If you have already written a robot tutorial and didn't win in a previous contest, you can enter it in if you want.

To make this easier for me, can everyone that is participating make a single post here declaring their entry? (dont email me)

Include two things:
1) Small paragraph that describes what your robot will do when its finished.
2) A single picture that represents your robot as a whole (yes, a CAD image is also ok).

IF YOU ARE NOT ENTERING THE CONTEST, DO NOT POST HERE
IF YOU ARE NOT ENTERING THE CONTEST, DO NOT POST HERE
IF YOU ARE NOT ENTERING THE CONTEST, DO NOT POST HERE

ASK ALL QUESTIONS IN ANOTHER POST, PLEASE!
ASK ALL QUESTIONS IN ANOTHER POST, PLEASE!
ASK ALL QUESTIONS IN ANOTHER POST, PLEASE!

Make it good: this is also a sort of 'pre-advertising' to win you more votes later.

As soon as you do this, I will set up a web account for you (if you do not yet already have one).

FYI, Im again arranging for a secret 3rd place prize

to see last years contest entries, check here:
http://www.societyofrobots.com/robotforum/index.php?topic=1507.0

[paulstreats]

I plan to take off from where S.Karim left it in the last competition and create a pan/tilt turret that fires a soft projectile.

here is a quick cad image, the design is likely to change and the electronics have been left off for now.



It basically uses 2 servos for the pan and tilt.
The tube you can see on the top is where the 'ammo' is stored.
There is a servo behind the tube with an arm attatched that pushes the next bit of ammo into the rotating firing discs.
The firing discs are located in front of the plastic ammo tube and are spun quickly by a dc motor.
I'm planning on using a sharp ir for target aquisition, and probably a few other sensors. We dont want the turrets firing motors to be always active, and also the sharp ir doesnt need to be always active, so if we incorporate sensors like ldr's to monitor changes in the environment, the motors and sharp i/r will only switch on when a change is detected saving batteries and extending component life.

The initial plan is to keep the unit stationary to act like a room monitor and shoot any intruders, but I might create a wheeled version if I have the time

[cooldog]

I AM ENTERING

note: i will provide CAN photos in a couple of days i don't have the time write know

so my robot is RC, it is called the All-Terrain Surveillance Robot (ATSR of short) it is a robot that you can drive around outside while your inside watching the live video feed from your living room. it features a welded metal case, all-terrain chasi, pan and tilt wireless camera, led head lights, is weather resistant and is really simple. the robot will be using a RC toy truck as the base.

also i will include plans to make yourown portable base station.

not sure yet but it might also include a snow plow upgrade

[Fredrik Andersson]

Entering as well.

We (me and some classmates) are working on a hexapod. It will be autonomous, but I'm not sure we will have that made before the last submissions date. It will probably be up and walking through manual controlling at that time. Hope thats ok, since it still involves a lot of programming and engineering just to make the right gaits.

We don't have any pics yet. We have all the planning made, and are just about to start. We would have started already, if it weren't for one guy in the team. He's so slow with finishing the cad documents. 

[airman00]

I'll be entering a tutorial on my line following / obstacle avoiding robot for robocup junior 2008

The tutorial will be very detailed and will provide step by step instructions . The code will also be explained and posted up , if I have the time.








http://www.societyofrobots.com/member_tutorials/node/55
good luck to all!

[frank26080115]

I want to enter Charlie with a tutorial covering the Nunchuck controller, I'm hoping I can get some burning IR lasers to mount on to his pan-tilt face with a wireless baby monitor (or just a coil gun, might be easier if my diodes don't get here), or even better, specify a target colour with the controller and have the AVRcam aim for that colour!

[reSpawn]

I'm entering too with "reSpawner"(that's the name of my future robot )
I hope to create a base platform for newbies where they can add different sensor and stuff like that.
Here's a quick cad of it: (the placement of the servos will be changed in a couple of days, I forgot to save the changes )

[Asellith]

I guess I'll throw my hat into the ring as well and announce my entry.

As part of my ongoing R2D2 build I will enter my mouse droid phase one The MSE will be a simple drive train with some sensors and avoid objects maybe even squeak a bit. The main part of this build will be to work out the details for the drive train and body. So I will include details on my adventures with fiberglass and some motor control info. I hope to use the AVR but I have a lot of experience with the Z8 encore so I may stick with that instead of buying new programmers and figuring out a new chip. This build will eventually be used as part of a 2 robot navigation system involving my R2 and the MSE but that is farther down the road. I will try to put a lot of information on how to plan for future improvements.

Pics to come later after I get back from vacation (all my parts where packed up last night when I cleaned my apartment because I leave tomorrow)

Jonathan Bowen

[Pratheek]

I am entering too.

I would like to put up a tutorial about my microcontrollerless line following robot. The total cost of the robot is below 40$! The robot can also be used as a photovore, light avoider and obstacle avoider.

Here is a video of my robot in action.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn-reuG7Irs[/youtube]

You can find my tutorial at
www.societyofrobots.com/member_tutorials/node/59

[hazzer123]

I will enter it

I just posted the project here http://www.societyofrobots.com/robotforum/index.php?topic=2741.msg18978

Hazzer

[maverick monk]

im in with the rtx (robotic tracked explorer)
i wnated to have it done in time for the last comp but....
it will be working at the wall avoiding level in 10 days... or im screwed with science fair. lol

[sotu]

Im entering on this one as well! 

The robot is called: iBB (Eye Biped Bot)

Its a hardcore robot which catch up its loss on engeneering with its funny charm  . Its going to be built simply with a servo controller but no programmer for the code to run on, which means the robot will have to be connected to the computer at all time to be moving. The code took me some time, but after searching the web i found enough info to put it together. After the code is done running a window will pop up, making it possible to control the robot from a simple key press on my computer keyboard. I can re-program it, but right now a the two servos are controlled like this: 

S = Servo 1 moving clockwise | X = Server 1 moving counter-clockwise     -     D = Servo 2 moving clockwise | C = Servo 2 moving counter-clockwise
The code is written in C++ And will only run the servos to some degrees before the keyboard press window pops up and takes the control over the robot's movements. Each keypress will only move the servos 1 degree. The servos are middle sized but powerfull for the low cost. The servo controller i used is the Pololu Micro serial servo controller (http://www.pololu.com/products/pololu/0207/) with a USB to serial adapter (http://www.pololu.com/products/pololu/0391/) transfering the code from my C++ computer program to to the Micro Serial Servo Controller.

I will set up a member turtorial account as soon as the system is back up running, seems like admin is having som problem with it (have read some treads about the problem  keep on working admin  )

Here's some "work in progress" photos of the robot:

[bootstrap]

Robot entry for 2nd $200 contest. (by infibit)

Project name:
ARM-1
 
Capabilities of the project:
1.Tracking a color object (with one/two degrees of freedom)
2.Also does face tracking.
3.Low cost robotic weaponry system (in the view of security systems and anti-terrorism)
4.Can be mounted as a surveillance unit in Campuses and building.
5.Equipped with a gun (dummy here) so that it can be used as a robotic weaponry system.
6.Can be mounted on semi/autonomous robots for tracking people/vehicles etc.

Euipped with a dummy gun,a laser pointer,3 servos,2 for two degrees of freedom and the nd one for firing the gun,Totally computer controlled ,can even be interfaced with a remote control system.

[vidam]

Robot Name: Robomeister

Robomeister is a german derivative of robotic friend.

So anyway, I'm entering my robot, Robomeister, into the competition.

Am unsure if I'll finish by the deadline but I'll try my best.

The robot is made from an old Pioneer ATV model. I've gutted out the old electronics and am using the gears and motors with a new electronics system.

The ideal situation for the contest is that it would navigate from point A to point B using a sonar and a camera and use the feedback from encoders to control speed, velocity, and acceleration.

-Melanie

[Ro-Bot-X]

Ok, so I'll enter my unfinished CD-bot to this contest.

It's a test platform for scanning and mapping. The code developed will be used on a biped that I will build latter this year. I wanted a scanning Sharp sensor to do mapping and a AVRcam (no pan, but maybe tilt) to do object finding.

You can read it here:
http://www.societyofrobots.com/member_tutorials/node/72

[TrickyNekro]

AAaaagggghhhh!!! I can't just see you!!!
Why building robots then!!!
I'll present a robot I have made some years before but I still haven't showed that to almost none...
It's a simple tracked robot... with two servos at differential drive...
The point of the robot although won't be how I built it but the way I programmed it!!!
I hope that I will finally include an Sonar sensor, some pair of IR sensors, some photo resistors, an LCD and a couple more features!!!

Here is the CAD view of my robot (unfinished)

[Admin]

Please do not reply to this thread.

Voting has now started, and will run to March 15th.

Everyone gets 3 votes, and you can change your vote at any time.

I request that all contest entrants add the link to their tutorial by modifying their post in this thread.

I will have read all tutorials within the next 1-2 days, so if you make changes after that I will probably not notice. But feel free to continue to improve your tutorials before voting ends, as everyone is allowed to change their vote at any time.

As for getting youtube vids to work . . . sorry I'm still failing at it . . . I'll keep trying, but for now just post a link to your video with a screenshot for it.

As for those who weren't able to finish, if you don't place, you can reenter the next contest sometime this summer. Consider it an early start.

Oh, and I don't recommend signing up extra accounts just to get extra votes for yourself. I check server logs for stuff like this, and you wouldn't want to be banned from future contests anyway, no?

[Admin]

Results are in.

Airman00 wins first with 34.3% of the vote!

I declare Pratheek the 2nd place winner - his tutorial has become probably the most popular members tutorial with several people already building his robot.

I also decided no 3rd place winner this time - no other tutorial was completed to my satisfaction . . . sorry! Fix up your tutorial and you can re-enter next time

Each winner will get a choice between a $100 check or my new Axon microcontroller. Just contact me individually with your preference.

The next contest end date will be the end of this summer, so get to work early!

(this topic has now been locked)