Not tyring to hijack your
Not tyring to hijack your page, but thought I’d give you an update on my progress. See Youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO_5nwLAByk
It can follow walls at appox. 25cm min and 30cm max. It has 3 Ping sensors (Left, Front, Right) and 2 IR sensors (Corner Left, Corner Right).
Cool
I love it. It does justify my decision to run caster first as I see your robot gets very close to the wall when turning away from it. What kind of IR are you using? I haven’t got far on mine yet. Still need a first-run roll test with the Propeller chip running the show.
You should create a robot project page here to post your work in progress.
Following the master
Are you still looking for an idea for TOBI 4 so that it knows which human to follow? Have you thought about either RF ID technology or a proxy card (those wallet sized security cards used to unlock doors). You would have to carry an ID with you, but then your bot would always know exactly where you are.
Yes I am still in need of
Yes I am still in need of that solution. I do have a commercial RFID ID card that lets me into several county departments where I work. My main issues are how do I get a heading from it? How big are the directional antenna’s? Will they fit in an ever shrinking electronics compartment? How will it work in an office with six people [including me] who wear an RFID? And lastly are there RFID systems that have directional antennas?
Of course that is a moot point if I cannot conquer my current serial communications problem with the remote. To date, the Propeller microcontroller has not achieved TOBI 1. The Propeller has only done a roll test as in the first video. All of the videos used the BS2 microcontroller. I have thought about seeking out the nearest HAM Radio Club since they are RF geniuses.
More info on RF ID
My wife used to work for a company called ID Systems that makes RF IDs. They integrated the things into very small packages. They even sold some to the US Post Office, to be placed inside letters so they can track how the mail flows though their distribution centers.
I know that Walmart mandated use of RF ID for all their suppliers, so they can track where things are in their warehouses. That move alone drove up demand for RF ID quite a bit, so you may find a supplier out there for the components you need to build a small solution.
RFID or Fox-Hunt?
So far my research has turned up two pitfalls to RFID, range and price. Everything I find seems to be short range i.e. under a foot or extremely expensive. I am thinking that what I really need is an old fashioned Fox-Hunt transmitter and an array of four antenna’s on TOBI to sense the direction of the Fox-Hunt transmitter in my pocket. I doesn’t need to be very powerful, so it may be small enough to fit in my remote for TOBI.
There’s a device called the
There’s a device called the Loc8ter that looks interesting. Not sure how ir if it could be hacked for robot use. Cheap version is $80.
Got some info on the Fox Hunt device?
Thank You for the link!
Thanks for the link to Loc8ter. That is just what I need for my mom who has developed Alzheimer’s disease and is becoming a handfull.
As for the Fox-Hunt equipment, every local HAM Radio Club seens to hold these events. When I was in High School they were simple. One transmitter that you tracked down but reading some of the hunts now they sometimes use muliple transmitters in 1/2 mile vicinity and/or multiple frequencies that shift in programed durations to throw the hunters off.
What I am looking into is a 4 antenna array that could possibly give a heading by signal strength if I shielded them from correctly similar to this setup. Look specifically at the antenna array of 4 antenna’s on top of the vehicle or the portable version that you attach to the top of the vehicle.
More details to come as I solve my issues and progress…
Excellent Job Good docs.
Good to see another parallax fan. I think I have seen you in the parallax room before. Can’t beat their support for sure. How do you like the Probeller Pro Devolopment board? I bought one a few months ago but haven’t made the plundge yet. Curious, how do you plan to prevent it from following someone else who might cross your path? It might freak out the ladys.
Have you checked out the new Parallax tranciever module?
The module has a RSSI pin to check for signal strength. It has a lower baud rate the one I bought for TOBI but the range incresed 2000 feet. I thought that I could buy 3 and mount one up front and two outside the metal sides. Then check the signal strength of my wireless remote control just like traditional “Fox Hunt” transmitters. This should work with the proper placement of the antenna and directional metal shielding for the antenna’s.
The PPDB is awsome. It is the fastest thing for prototyping things on the prop. I actually am doing two things with it at the same time. I use it for testing on TOBI AND I printed the PE Kit documentation that is included in the new Propeller Tool so that I could learn SPIN. I started with the Demo Board last December and went through the Prop Manual which was good, but not very thruogh in traning for newbees. I should have bought the Propeller Education Kit for students. It is more thruogh on SPIN and besides, they revised the Prop Manual to add content and remove all of the tutorials. I am going through the PE Kit manual at the same time as I develop TOBI using the Developement Board for my lab hardware.
Great Minds and all that…
exactly my idea for MARK 4. Check the strength of the signal and adjust to it…fritsl’s easy radio has a bracelet module…
What a nice new main
What a nice new main picture!
Goes well with an alarming impressive work on the robot 
Nice, dude, nice!
Thank You fritsl! Your
Thank You fritsl! Your comment means a lot me, since you started this cool website. Without seeing your Yellow Drum Machine advertised in Robot Mag, I would never have thought about documenting my build.
Simply One word: Great!!!
Simply One word: Great!!!
Looking good
My prop development board is still in the box. You have alot of work in it for sure. Took some time off stamp programming stuff and starting to hit hamfests again. I like your idea of changing basic stamp to prop board easily.
I love my PPDB
It comes in handy like now when the problem could be wiring or programming. I can easlily make jumpers to test TOBI’s wiring and code by removing the Proto board and using the same code on the Developement board. By steps I can diagnose the software and hardware in TOBI with it. Of course I own 4 prop boards right now. 2 Proto boards [1 in TOBI and one that Parallax gave me for free], the PPDB and the Demo board.
TOBI is not strong enough to
TOBI is not strong enough to tow my car but I acquired a robot that can tow a car and if not careful rearrage a car’s exterior or knock out sheet rock walls in you house. Look for my new robot called “The Beast” [Comming Soon]
I think this…
i think that is the coolestthing ever…
Thank You
I have a major update comming up but I am keeping it under wraps until after the Propeller Expo. I have completed all of the hardware for TOBI 3 and some of TOBI 4 but I need to work on the programming. I also have to invest in a video camera since mine died.
aaaaaawwwwwwwwssssssooooooommmmmmmmeeeeeeee
hey, when will we see it in the stores ;)
