Please help me select the correct products to purchase.
Our software team is trying to move from software simulator to physical demo of our concept. At this point we simply need to have 4 robots that we can “order” to arrange in a given configuration such as box or line or “V” shape.
Our software team is very good and we can code the software but have no idea what hardware would be the quickest to get running out of the box. We’re not hardware guys really. We need to be able to shoot commands via WiFi, Zigbee USB, or IR from our Mac or Linux machines.
We simply need to be able to send command like Forward, Back, Left, Right, whatever enough to have some control over the location.
A QR or barcode reader on the robots would be an amazing addition.
Naturally my budget is defined by “as little as possible to accomplish the goal”
I was thinking something like the “WD Mecanum wheel mobile robot kit 10011”. The videos show it nicely moving side to side as well as forward and back. The flat platform is nice as well. It seems to have the encoders already built in as well as the microcontroller so programming it should be simpler.
It would appear that I would also need to add the ACC200 RF Wireless board and a USB version for my computers in order to be able to issue commands and read the sensor readings.
If you have a better suggestion, please let me know. The Nexus company doesn’t look very stable.
1- Is there a lot of hardware assembly required that would be difficult?
2- Beyond 4 units and 4 RF Wireless controllers, what else would I need to order if I want to be able to start programming my arrangements?
3- Is it difficult / complicated to add a camera that faces down? In my research I see several commercial products that use a camera to read and process QR codes on stickers on the floor for internal geo-location within a large room.
None of the robots we carry have a QR or barcode reader, so you’ll need to incorporate this separately. Many of the mobile robots we offer can do what you want, so in order to narrow the list;
What is your budget per robot?
What size / type of robot are you looking for? (2WD, 4WD, tracks)
Not many robots are MAC compatible, but Arduino is MAC compatible, so you might like the DFRobotShop Rover. You would need to solder two XBee sockets, and also a USB to XBee breakout board. Of course, you’d also need the XBee modules themselves, and we also suggest rechargeable 3.7V LiPo batteries. if you want to do formations, we also suggest the encoders. If you want additional precision, you can add additional sensors such as an IMU, compass etc.
Not really - the main board is Arduino shield compatible, so you can use (almost) any Arduno wireless or XBee shield. Check that the pins used do not conflict with the pins needed by the motor controllers.
For the price of one Nexus 4WD Mecanum rover, you can get ~3 DFRobotShop Mecanum Rovers. These include the PCB, encoders etc. It’s considerably smaller and not intended to carry much payload. We’d suggest flipping the motors around and using configuration C, as well as 4x AA batteries.
The Nexus robot comes assembled, while the DFRobotShop Rover Mecanum is a kit but can be assembled in about 1 hour.
Sounds like you have it covered.
The camera would need to be on its own - video cannot be sent through the microcontroller (the closest you’ll get is an image every few seconds). You might consider a USB wireless webcam, though you’ll need to research what happens when you use several. Another option is the CMUcam, though you’ll need to really work hard to program it to recognize QR codes.
