After far too much pain and effort, the magnetic compass is integrated with the robot. Calibration is a bit finicky, and I don’t think the SYNC signal is implemented properly. But, the compass works, and the heading matches my mechanical compass. Here are a few lessons learned: RTFM. Set the pin data direction (DDRQS) because …
Here’s a new video showing off obstacle avoidance. The robot manages to avoid walls, chairs, tables, couches, and a dog (although the dog usually runs away, probably because it knows the robot’s secret world domination plans). Much work remains, and not enough time remains. I’ve replaced the motors to increase torque. The old, faster, lower …
Here’s a compilation of links relevant to my Sparkfun AVC entry. First off, here are several competitors with blogs. Please let me know if you find more blogs, and I’ll amend this list. Team Hellhound Flake Labs Autonomous Tools Geeknight [added 3/16/2010] Scott Harris [added 3/31/2010] Second, here are several interesting ‘bot websites: Kenneth Maxon …
Lots of work is going into the software, and the robot has broken the surly bonds of my bench supply. Here are a few new pictures with an Apple IIgs shown for scale. Yes, the sonar is nearly falling off. Let that teach me to use double-sided tape. The bottom deck includes the motors, motor …
SIZE: 9″ (W) x 6″ (L) x 4″ (H) WEIGHT: About 2 pounds BRAINS: MiniRoboMind – A Motorola 68332-based 32-bit processor running at 25 MHz with 512KB RAM and 512KB Flash; Software written in C with GCC; An LCD for taunting competitors; An XBee radio for telemetry and diagnostics BRAWN: Two Pololu Micro Metal Gear-motors with …
The GPS is an amazing piece of technology. Think about it. For less than $100, you can determine your position within a few meters anywhere in the world. One hundred years ago, you needed a compass, sextant, clock, and luck to estimate your position. I’ve used a Garmin Etrex Vista extensively for field checking during …
My build for the Sparkfun Autonomous Vehicle Competition continues. Slowly. I intended to be busy with system integration by now, but I haven’t even built the physical platform. Mechanical design is difficult because there are many inter-related factors to consider. For example, the motor selection partially determines weight which in turn partially determines motor selection. …
From KansasFest: KANSAS CITY, MO — December 22, 2009 — Mark Simonsen, employee number three and later owner of Beagle Bros, will be the keynote speaker at KansasFest 2010. At Beagle Bros, whose popular software products for the Apple II hobbyist demonstrated the publisher’s quirky sense of humor, Mark developed software including Flex Type, Beagle BASIC, …
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I’ve run off and entered the SparkFun Autonomous Vehicle competition in April. The rules are pretty simple: Create a vehicle that can autonomously navigate around the SparkFun building Autonomous vehicles (robots!) fascinate me. But, there’s a problem: I don’t have a robot. I have assorted parts and plenty of ideas but no robot. My personal goals …
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Conway’s Game of Life is mathematical exploration into artificial life. The game consists of a grid of cells, and each cell is either alive or dead. A simple set of rules relate the cells alive or dead in the current generation to the previous generation. The interesting thing about the Game of Life is that …