My First Robot

This project was a lot of fun. Let me just say a big thank you to Ignoblegnome for all the help and right-on-time advice. I'm definitely hooked! The frame is made from dichloromethane-bonded acrylic (much easier than I thought, by the way). She's got the Sharp IR sensor to look around with, although I'm a bit disappointed with the distance vs. reading curve that it produces. Makes it very hard for the bot to approach things up close. Also, it has a Pololu IR sensor array pointed at the floor in front of it. This way, she knows not to go off of the edge of the table (in theory, at least. See video! haha). The combination of the Sharp IR sensor, and the fact that any poor lighting makes for some funky shadows, and that the motors are geared at 145ish:1, the personality of the robot is slightly sluggish, timid, and shy. She's definitely "afraid of the dark" and is even a little skittish of her own shadow (literally!) haha. I threw on a little blue LED just for fun as well. That way, she won't be as scared when she rolls in under the bed. Thanks again for all the help, and please feel free to comment. Ian