Looking good! Anybody else
Looking good! Anybody else see a miniature Johnny 5? 
Just need some tracks, and some uber lasers, and you’ll be on your way to controlling the world!
I’m anxious to see some of your other designs. 
Cool
That thing is very cool! I have always wanted to try making a robot with arms that can pick things up.
This Bot is really nice! I
This Bot is really nice! I like the way it capture objects with its hands! Waiting for more of it!
Wow! I’m glad you like it!
Wow! I’m glad you like it!
I have joined LMR long time ago, but because of some glitch in the matrix I never got the confirmation email and I could not log in. I got pissed and forgot about it, but yesterday I saw a post on Arduino Forum about LoMoR and this time when I clicked on the Forgot password button I finally got the link and re-set my password. Good to be here at last…
So, I have written about this robot and others (mostly Lego robots) on my blog here: http://seriousrobotics.wordpress.com There is the remote control version of the code in Arduino there, all in one sketch. Since then I have the code split in libraries and tabs. I will attach the current version in a zip file, together with the necessary libraries.
Right now I am working on the motor controller, based on tiny2313. I wanted to be able to program it in Arduino, but the flash is too small for the code to fit, so I have redesigned it with tiny861. This brings another incompatibility with Arduino problem, it has different timer settings and I couldn’t figure out how to make the proper adjustments yet. I hope I won’t have to make another board with a mega8… (that was so simple from the start… but no, I’m too stubborn to give up…) So, I have the motor controller programmed in BASCOM-AVR, but working on the UART instead of the desired I2C (to make an I2C slave device you have to buy the commercial library for bascom, dohh). I should get over my stubborness and program it in AVR Studio like everyone does and set the damn USI to work, throw a PID function in there with variable target, setpoint, error and k settings to be able to use it for regulating speed, direction, distance by sending the proper I2C command. Oh boy, lots of work and I am still not comfortable writing it down. Sigh…
On the “brain” I need to focus on the FireFighting code so I can participate at CNRG in November. That’s why I got the thermopile array and it works nicely to detect the candle light and people (btw, I want to program the robot to play fetch with my 3yrs daughter after I get this to work). So now I have to find a way to navigate the model house by following a node map and the walls. And a way to put out the candle - oh, no blowing fan, has to use a fire estinguisher of some sorts since it has hands, right? I’ll either use a mist spray or a small bicycle CO2 tire inflator, not decided yet which one will be cooler… and easier to st up.
A problem that I have with this robot is the jerkiness of the servos. They use the SoftwareServo lib and I have to make sure I issue the refresh command as often as possible which is a pain. I have tried to use the new Servo lib based on Timer1 interrupts, but it is very sensitive to the other commands that use interrupts or they are time consuming, like serial, I2C, delay, pulsein, analog, so I had to get back to the software version. I liked that the servos were rock solid, so I guess I can use it to make a nice servo controller.
Oh well, I should get back to work, it’s a nice Saturday morning and I hope I’ll get a chance to finish something this weekend!
Cheers!
Great work! I agree with
Great work! I agree with e-square12… so many questions!
Here’s a couple to start.
- In the first video, how does the robot know when to drop the ball? What sensor triggers that response?
- Can you tell us a bit about the suction cup hands? I see wires so I imagine you have some sort of pressure sensors there?
Really tremendous work. Keep it up!
OK, I have used the Ping))
OK, I have used the Ping)) sensor to trigger the object release and the Sharp sensor to trigger the object pick up. Also the Ping)) sensor is used to trigger the wave and melody. I want to make it play a song and make dance moves, but I need to separate the tasks on 2 microcontrollers.
The suction cups have a hole in the center and a tiny push button inside to detect the object, but they are too stiff and the pressure is not strong enough to trigger them. I chose the suction cups so I can pick up the ball easier. I want to try a force sensitive sensor or a piece of anti static foam I saw on this site somewhere. But right now that is on the side line.
Anything else?
Nice! I like your idea
Nice! I like your idea about teaching the robot using your remote control. I have considered updating the software, or at the very least, certain variables in my robots using infrared. Thanks for posting the code. I’m haven’t looked at it yet, but I’m sure it will give me some good ideas.
Peizoelectric Force Gauge
Google it, there are little flexible peizo pads that have lowering resistance as force is applied. perfect for object feedback…
waist servos?
those second arm servos, the ones near the base, I assume they are strong enough to lift the arms? Are they Hi-torque?
The waist servo is a
The waist servo is a standard size GWS S03T 2BB (8 kg/cm), the shoulder servos are mini size Vigor VS-3 (2.5 kg/cm), and all the other servos are micro size HXT 900 (1.6 kg/cm). I haven’t tested the max weight the arms can lift, but they don’t have much strenght to grip an object (arms are a bit too long).
Very nive robot you have
Very nive robot you have here!! Keep it going 
What do you mean when you say you are a weak programmer?? 
Thanks for
Thanks for encouragement!
I’ve always built nice and mechanically functional robots, but I never was happy with the programs I managed to write. I’ve seen robots built by people that didn’t look great or didn’t had too much functionality but still they were doing so well in their actions, meaning good programming skills were used for their programs. I am trying to get there, but for me it’s a long process, as I don’t have the time I would like to learn good programming skills the right way, I’m more likely improvising, building upon other people’s bits of code I put together and try to adapt it to my needs. I guess I’ll get there sometime, this being one of the main purposes of this robot, to learn the programming part. That’s why I want to incorporate in this robot every function possible, pushing my limits further and further…
to be a weak programmer is
to be a weak programmer is one of my flaws too, as an artist/designer, program complex behaviors is sometimes frustrating, but I never give up and it is always fun to see what we get, and felling that everytime we get into a higher level (sorry for the crappy english)
The robot can now scan for
The robot can now scan for objects and display the map as all of you saw in the LoMoR project. And it’s fast! Can’t wait to see how the Sharp sensors will work… Watch the new video! Enjoy!
This little guy is so well
This little guy is so well designed.I love the solution you came up with for the manipulator.I’m very impressed and inspired!
how much did thiscost to fix
how much did thiscost to fix it???
I really don’t get your
I really don’t get your question… Fix what?
this robot.the
this robot.the accessories…
How I almost competed in Fire Fighting
Last week and weekend I worked hard on MiniEric to prepare him for Fire Fighting. I had to make him shorter to fit the height limitations, I gave him a paint job, changed the electronics, sensors, managed to render the Nokia color LCD worthless… Oh well, lots of work and frustrations. So many things to do and so little time left to the competition. I have tried to adapt Mike Ferguson’s code for his Crater robot but couldn’t figure out some of the logic and it wasn’t working on my bot. Trying to make the robot run in a straight line and turn precisely 90 degrees I made a list of commands that would take him over the entire course node by node. Of course, nothing was precise enough and after going through half of the course, the robot would hit the walls. I have tried adding sensor measurements, but one Sharp sensor failed to work entirely, the other one was giving me odd measurements and the Ping sensor was too high (read too close to the top of the walls) to be reliable. It works in a real house, just not in the Fire Fighting prop. If I tilt it, I can read the distance to the front wall, but can’t use it for side walls at an angle, the measurements are completely weird. So, I ended up with a sensorless robot. But he was able to detect the candle flame using the Thermopile Array sensor and the spraying mechanism worked fine. So I went to the competition just to talk with the people there and show my robot for fun. After the competition started, I saw a robot that was just running from wall to wall not knowing where it was, eventually by luck it would find the candle and try to put out the flame using a fan. It just hit me. It doesn’t have to be a perfect bot to compete, I can do it with simple commands and once in a room look for the candle and put it out! I can do that! So I rushed to my laptop, changed the code, did a small test right there on the floor and headed to the officials to enter him in the competition. But it was too late, the competition was already half way through… I did some more tests between rounds directly on the course and managed to get close to the candle but the sprayer couldn’t put it out for some reason. Of course, at home it works! Spooky candle they use, hard to get it blown off even with the fan.
Al in all, it was a good day, talked with the experts, met Mike Ferguson, saw his Izzy bot doing pretty well, talked with Jon Highlands, saw his super powerful robots (first and second place in Mini Sumo experts division). I came home and did more tests and this time I got the robot doing it almost perfect. Took a video to show you how it was supposed to work at the competition (well, without the small nudge).
Very nice
Looks even better now and fire fighting works realy nice. Bravo !
As for Fire Fighting competition, better luck next time. I see you as a perfectionist and I’m sure those candles will have no chance next time