SPOT (aka REDcyclops) the Color Tracking DesktopBOT

SPOT (aka REDcyclops) the Color Tracking DesktopBOT This is my new desktop companion built from Trossen Robotic's really cool entry level tracking kit. It's a great build and is an exceptional entry level step into the world of color and object tracking. The kit comes with the MosquitIO Pan and Tilt Microcontroller and is based on the Arduino-Compatible ATmega Controller. A couple of included code snippets gets you up and running fairly quickly. This is the most fun I've had with interactive robotics in a long time. Anyway, it's all open source nirvana. I'm looking to adapting this assembly to a bidirectional chassis toward a robot that is able to interact with its environment. The MosquitIO comes with 5 Digital I/Os, 3 Analog I/Os, 2 motor driver channels and clock frequency of 8Mhz. Mazimum current per channel is rated at 1am. My interest in all of this was piqued when I found a couple of really cool color tracking robot projects on YouTube. I'm enjoying the MosquitIO Controller. Lots of power and bot opportunity considering its small triangular size. These vids show my pal tracking with RoboRealm and Microsoft camera.  The latest vid shows SPOT (aka REDcyclops) atop of his new robot chassis.  It's a bidirectional gear motor design that will initially be tasked to simply follow specific color/movement.  Once I get his motors a runnin' there will be more to come.

  • Actuators / output devices: 2 Hitec servos running on Lynxmotion Pan and Tilt Turret
  • Control method: Direct connect via computer via MosquitIO Microcontroller
  • CPU: MosquitIO Microcontroller (Arduino Compatible) Atmega 168
  • Operating system: RoboRealm
  • Power source: 5 to 6v
  • Sensors / input devices: Microsoft Webcam
  • Target environment: Desktop indoor, soon to be autonomous following indoor atop bidirectional chassis

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://community.robotshop.com/robots/show/spot-aka-redcyclops-the-color-tracking-desktopbot

Open Source Nirvana?

Looks like a lot of fun, the movement is quick !

If your interested in a alternative to the closed source MS & RoboRealm - You might consider MyRobotLab.org its a Service-oriented architecture, which wraps OpenCV, Sphinx and several other great open source projects.

 

Thanks for the comment

Appreciate the info.  This is geeky fun for sure.

it’s cool …XD

it’s cool …XD

Nice Dance, but does she have brains?

Are you going to be putting the laptop on the chassis?  Ro-Bot-X and I got MRL running on a Chumby One.  Now I have a MAAHR Brain to work on.  Pretty close to getting dynamic learning Haar in MRL  What are you going to do for brains :smiley:

Brains

Not sure yet what brain package I wanna add here.  I was going to engage the Arduino IDE to play with some programming.  Hook up his motors to the MosquitIO drivers and see what’s possible with this little controller.  Sorry it took so long to reply.  Life gets in the way of important stuff sometimes…like creating robotic life forms.  Thanks for your comment.