Jumping Over Obstacle

[hamzaman]

Hi,
I need to make a robot that can cross a 10cm wall without putting too much strain on the wall.
The robot needs to do this fast.
The key constraint is that the robot cannot be taller than 20cm. 25cm max!
Brainstorm away!

[Mad MIR]

You must make it a robot that can right itself when upside down. I think you should use a mousetrap under the bot to flop it over the wall. Use a servo to trigger the mousetrap, just tie a string from the trigger pad to the servo horn. Should be pretty cool!

[hamzaman]

Yes I thought of that. But the robot is supposed to perform other tasks like wall following, placing colored boxes and such.
Using a hop like that would make the robot complex because it will then need to have an elaborate protection system for all the delicate sensors and hardware.

[georgeecollins]

None of those sensors are more fragile then the wheels and motors of the robot.  If you attach sensors firmly they can handle a lot of knocking around. 

This seems like an extremely hard challenge if you haven't built a robot before.  Does the robot have to get over the 10cm obstacle or is that an extra credit? 

[hamzaman]

I've built over 10 quite elaborate robots. I'm OK with using complex methods. Although budget is a problem.

Climbing over the wall will help my robot perform the task quickly.

Here is my plan:

Raise the robot platform while approaching the wall. All four wheels are touching the ground at this time.
Rest the front of the robot on the wall.
Raise the front wheels and turn the real wheel motors on (move forward).
Once the front wheels have crossed the wall, start lowering the front wheels.
Once the front wheels have touched the ground, start raising the rear wheels.
After the rear wheels have crossed the wall and the rear of the robot is resting on the wall, lower the rear wheels.
Once the rear wheels have touched the ground, move forward and raise lower the platform.

I'd like a simpler and preferably faster solution. In my experience, simpler is almost always better

[Soeren]

Hi,

I've built over 10 quite elaborate robots. I'm OK with using complex methods. Although budget is a problem.

Climbing over the wall will help my robot perform the task quickly.

Here is my plan:

Raise the robot platform while approaching the wall. All four wheels are touching the ground at this time.
Rest the front of the robot on the wall.
Raise the front wheels and turn the real wheel motors on (move forward).
Once the front wheels have crossed the wall, start lowering the front wheels.
Once the front wheels have touched the ground, start raising the rear wheels.
After the rear wheels have crossed the wall and the rear of the robot is resting on the wall, lower the rear wheels.
Once the rear wheels have touched the ground, move forward and raise lower the platform.

I'd like a simpler and preferably faster solution. In my experience, simpler is almost always better

Here's an alternative plan...
Add an accelerometer or two and plenty of acceleration power
A bit before the wall, do a wheelie, balancing on the rear wheels (with the front wheels in the air).
When you are close to the wall, do a violent brake to flip it over the wall and balance on the front wheels
Continue on the front wheels another 20cm to clear the wall
Put it down on all four wheels, either abruptly or in a simulated weightlessness display for added street cred
That way it won't take much time to negotiate the wall

Complex but cheap and about the fastest possible (short of ramming the wall)

[hamzaman]

Haha that might actually work. Even if doesn't for the competition, I'l try to make a robot do that just for the fun of it