Hello all!
I have been reading these forums for about the last 3 months and reading online and trying to familiarise myself with everything related to robots and learning about all the various ways to build them and I think it is finally time I throw myself in at the deep end and begin building a robot!
I'm going to begin with building a fairly complicated robot and have it as some form of project for over the summer as I will have a huge amount of time to spend on it and learn!
There a few things I would like my robot to have: Tracks (Like the Lynxmotion Tri-Track, can anyone suggest a cheaper solution?:P ), obstacle avoidance abilities, a face (using a phone, probably an old android I have lying around), the ability to answer questions, the ability to read the weather to you (using the internet), simple maths skills (like a calculator, say it to the robot and the robot speaks the answer back to you), laser could be good too?
All I'm asking is, where on earth do I start?! Pickaxe or Arduino? What parts should I buy to build it?
I really would have thought I'd have more of a clue after 3 months of research.. I'm not a complete noob so don't worry, I'm capabale of understanding what may be said!
Thank you in advance for any helpful responses :)
tracks
tamiya has a solid and cheap track set. I used for my first robot too.
http://www.tamiyausa.com/items/geniuseries-educational-kits-50/educational-construction-38000/tracked-vehicle-chassis-kit-70108
I prefer arduino due to ease of use, number of resources for code, shields, and cost. its a personal preference though.
if you’re including an android device, you can also use a usb host cable to arduino to interface instead of BT. but the BT serial modules are great to interface remotely as a controller.
you’ll also need
a dual motor gearbox (or 2 singles) that will work with tamiya track wheels, and a motor driver.
suggestions
Hi!
My suggestions are:
Tracks: Dagu’s Rover 5
Obstacle avoidance: bumpers, Parallax Ping, SeeedStudio ultrasonic sensor, HC-SR04, various Sharp IR distance sensors
"a face (using a phone, probably an old android I have lying around)" - good choice
laser could be good too? - for what use? distance measurement? Fairly expensive.
As OddBot said, a PicAxe likely has too little “horse power”. An Arduino would probably do, it depends on total I/O count and what you want to do.
Personally, I prefer using Propeller based controllers for robots, while they are more expensive than Arduino based ones, they are also far more powerful - which probably explains why I design/sell those 
