How can I add Wifi to my robot?

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I'm new to robotics but have dabbled in Microcontrollers the last few years and develop software for a living. One thing I've been dreaming of doing for awhile is builting a blimp robot that is controlled over wifi, but I can't seem to find information on is how to connect microcontrollers to some sort of wifi interface. I'm hoping there's some sort of module somewhere that I can interface with.

Here's the plan:

Build a blimp robot like the blubbler bot (http://store.makezine.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKBLIMPKIT) and add a small video camera and wifi module so I can sit at my desk and fly it anywhere in the office I want. I'm aware that weight might be an issue, so it might have to be on a remote controlled car instead.

Any ideas? I keep seeing zipbee modules but nothing for wifi. Am I looking in the wrong places?

Thanks

2

Bluetooth or XBee

Hello,

I actualy have played a litle with Blubber Bot, and i understand what you talking about.

(before anything else, the Blubber Bot itself its hard to controle in the Z cordenates, because it use only a ballaced weigth with the concetration of helium to stay at a zone (in door actualy is always bumping with the floor and the roof), u will need to add a 3rd fan to controle this axe.)

 

The main zepplins problem is weigth, so i don’t advice you to add normal wireless (802.11X) to it, because it need more processement, and energy (batterys). So you can go for Bluetooth or Xbee

Bluetooth is what i advice you for, because it is cheap, easy to find, and easyest to programe. (basicly it emulates a non-wired R232 port (COM port) so you can program with bluetooth as you program with R232 ports)

Xbee gives you a bit more rage that Bluetooth, and they tell that cosumes less energy.

I don’t know how to program with it, but you will need other Xbee to send and recive the signal to the bot!

Xbee give you less data rate that Bluetooth, so it may have more delays of comunication, and less data can be send.

 

Anyway, just search more about Xbee and Bluetooth.

I advice www.sparkfun.com as a good store, cheap, truestable, nice divercity of quality produtes, and cheap shipings.

Almost all componets i got are from there, and until now i have nothing againts them.

 

Good luck with your Zeppelin, and dont forget to talk after bridge some helium :slight_smile:

 

Hope had helped,

Tiago Rodrigues

3

Thanks for the

Thanks for the information. I suspected that the weight would be an issue. So I might have to put this setup on a car so I can get practically unbounded range – as long as I’m within range of a router or repeater.

Xbee seems like a pretty good solution for a mid-range wireless solution. I’ll have to look more into it.

Just for my own curiosity, are there wifi modules that can be integrated with migrocontrollers (PIC, Atmel or PICAXE).

Thanks

4

XBee PICAXE

XBee PICAXE Connect Starter Pack

(Have not had the chance to test or try it :slight_smile:

/ Fritsl

5

Found a Solution – Kinda

It seems I was using the wrong search keywords to find a solution. Today when I searched for “wifi robot” I found a few results like this:

http://www.superdroidrobots.com/product_info/WiFi.htm

It’s not small or light enough for a blimp, but still pretty cool. Someday I want to do something like that. For now I’m going to start small with the great tutorials on this sites.

And if I might say so Frits, your tutorials are fantastic! So many other sites/books get really involved in the construction and the logic of the robots, but your tutorials are kept simple, structured and really easy to understand. Who knew you could build functional robots from sticks and double sided tape? Your article about “teaching a robot” was a really good example of breaking up a problem one step at a time instead of trying to engineer the entire thing at once.

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Thank you ever so much!

Thank you ever so much! Keeps me going :smiley: Thanks!!!

/ Fritsl