Yup, Walter needs a little buddy. With a WiiCamera onboard, Walter now has the ability to track and follow IR beacons and thus, could in theory, play follow-the-leader and hide-and-seek. But to play these games, he is going to need someone to play with! I bring you Walter Jr. aka Mini me aka Little Walter aka Little Buddy aka (the most famous "little buddy") Gilligan. The main deal with Gilligan is the fact that he has no budget. None. Nada. No money. He is going to have to be built out of whatever I have on hand. He will have to work with IR sensors, and will have to speak Arduino --no money for a second prop. He does fill one thing I have always wanted to build though --Single wheel drive, steerable. Frits did this as well as a few others, but this will be my first attempt at a non-spinable, 3-point-turn robot. Woo Hoo!
I have been stuck on that from the minute I finished welding the chassis… What IS the front?
Not to mention, I am thinking about using a “delta” mechanism for the head. (3 servos and linkages going to a “plate” at the top --pick and place machines). This triangle-shaped assembly, for moving the head, would fit perfectly on the pointy end of the frame. Thus, the drive wheel would be the front. On the other hand, if the drive wheel is the back, he simply looks more like Walter and thus, fills the “little buddy” requirements much more. I dunno --I gotta finish the “deck” so the “body” of this robot looks more finished. I think then, I will know what end is what. --It seems to drive the same either way…
Unless you limit the rotational range of the drive wheel, or have a heavy duty servo controlling the drive angle, I’d suggest having the drive wheel at the front. If your drive wheel is at the back you can get into trouble when driving forward around a tight corner, where the drive wheel will sorta ‘jackknife’ and get wrenched around to 90°. This is because it’s easier for the driving wheel to rotate and make the body spin on the spot than it is for the whole body to move. If you have a good steering servo and low-friction bearings, and a reasonably light body this won’t happen so easily, but it’s something to consider.
Maybe you should set up an RC (or similar) test rig and take Gilligan for a spin in manual?
