Its been know that several updates have been in the works for Arduino, however the changes have gone further than many expected. arduino has now got a completely new branding package, including logos and designs that are now on the boards themselves and provide the theme for the shiny new website. The hardware has also been updated, here is the new Arduino Uno (replacing the duemilanove);
the main difference in terms of hardware is the new usb interface, a Atmega8U2 chip is now used to handle the usb interface it will also now show up as "arduino" on your pc rather than popping up as a com port. I believe changes to the arduino programing environment or to follow shortly. regardless its great to see Arduino progressing in a positive was as it becomes ever more popular.
Here is a new clip of my robot getting its self out of a tight corner, this might not be so impressive at face value but it demonstrates the latest iteration of the robots obstacle evasion program. This has big advantages over the last version of the code in that it is continuously scanning the surrounding area and reacting proportionally, as apposed to the stop start nature of the last code.
Here is the main body of the code: void loop (void) { // Main body of the program
int inches;
while(inches>15) // while nothing is within 15 inches do the following { if (pos == 0) { dir = 3; // if it is looking left direction is positive headservo.write(pos); // tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos' delay(3); }
else if (pos == 180) { dir = -3; // if it is looking right direction is negative headservo.write(pos); // tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos' delay(3); // waits 3ms for the servo to reach the position } headservo.write(pos); inches = ping (); // anybody there? pos += dir; // recalculate position variable forward(1); // Move forward
}
int x = headservo.read(); wait(0); // stop the robot
if(inches>7) // for objects further away turn gradually { if (x>=0 && x<90) { rightservo.write(96); leftservo.write(0); delay(100); }
if (x>=90 && x<=180) { rightservo.write(180); leftservo.write(94); delay(100); } } else // for close objects turn hard {
if (x>=0 && x<90) { right(100); } if (x>=90 && x<=180) { left(100); } } }
Please note that this is not the complete code, nor is it optimised.
There are many robots that use this type of navigation, however it took me several tries to get it working correctly, i struggled to find any good guides on writing this kind of program (which is unusual for the Arduino community). If you are trying to program a robot this way i will offer any information i can, i may also write a tutorial at some point. Until then there is a full version of the code on my LMR page. http://letsmakerobots.com/node/15803
Here are some new videos of my Arduino based robot, this project has been going on for a while now and is coming to an end. The chassis is complete and the electronics are almost finished.
I am currently working on some example instruction material that would be supplied with the kit if it were to go into production. I am also drawing up designed for some extra parts that could be attached and detached from the chassis to give the robot extra capabilities, line following and a mechanical grabber for example.
You can see in the videos i have taught the robot to drum! this was an experiment to demonstrate the versatility of the base. I have also added a tri-colour LED that is underneath the white dome to provide me with another output method.
recently i have been working on a robot for a school project. The pictures you see here are the culmination of several months of work. All the pieces are made out of acrylic and cut using a laser cutter. The robot was designed to be sold as a kit and can be assembled simply by bolting it together. It uses 2 continuous rotation servos for propulsion and could be controlled using whatever micro controller you like, here I'm using an Arduino mega.
The robot is designed to be expandable, I am in the process of designing extra parts that can be connected to the robot to get it to perform different functions, light following and line sensing for example. There is also space for the user to
experiment with their ideas. I was required as a part of my course to consider production costs and strategies however
extra design work would be needed to start production.
i spend a lot of time building robots, however their usually friendly looking wheeled contraptions not at all like this.....
This is a six legged walking robot or Hexapod. it was made by Zenta from the Trossen robotics forum. What i find so great about this robot is that it looks so natural, the movements are so smooth that you would be forgiven for this thing had just crawled out from under a rock in the Amazon.
I am keen to make a walking robot of some kind, perhaps a miniature one with micro servos and polymorph, here's a great walking robot for beginners.http://letsmakerobots.com/node/7129
This is a cool robot made by one of the Letsmakerobots.comcommunity. Cant wait to get started on mine :) more soon.
ps: If you like the blog please tel your friends, want to start getting more visitors :P
For those of you who haven't come across Arduino, it is a great open source microcontroller that can be used in all kinds of electronic applications. I have made several robots using Arduino, i chose Arduino because it is so easy to use. There is a wealth of software libraries that make programing simple. I knew nothing about programing before starting with Arduino but i found learning very easy using a number of great online guides and tutorials.The possibilities using Arduino are endless, check out Jeff's Arduino blog. If your looking to get into programing or electronics its definitely worth a look.
