Hi.
I'm Looking for advice on my first Raspbery Pi robot, which is just an idea at this point.
I want to make a simple, not too expensive, small Raspberry Pi robot that can go over some bumpy terrain, use OpenCV for target tracking (with autoreflective tape), possibly have some accelerometer or qyro thingies to track motion, some range finder sensors, and control a couple of servos to aim a little arm.
This is for a First Robotics Competition (FRC) team I mentor on software. I'm not an electronics or hardware guy but I've done some arduino and have a smidgen of the basics. FRC competitions have a segment of time where a robot can be autonomous. Last year we had get over some obstacles, pisition the robot on the playing field, and then shoot a ball through a goal about 6' up. A student figured out enough imaging stuff and did the math to make the robot aim, but the robot wasn't built in time to actually try it out. This year I'd like to have a small robot platform we can experiment with.
So my aim is to make or maybe just buy a simple robot that we can modify to fit the basics of the autonomous challenge. I want to use a Raspberry Pi because other FRC teams have used an onboard Raspberry Pi for the vision. Beyond that, I don't really know.
I'm tempted to just buy a DiddyBorg. The RoboPi looks interesting too. But I don't know enough to know if those things are overkill for my needs. Would it be better to get an Arduino platform for the robot and mount the Raspberry Pi On top of it? I'm really open for any ideas!
I wish I had time to tinker on robots more. The truth is I need to get something up an running soon and don't have a ton of free time. So simple is good! pre-built is OK! so long as there's some room for add ons.
Hopefully that's not to much of a ramble. And sorry I can't be more specific. I'm just trying to make the first step.
Many thanks!
-boz