RaspiTank

It's a OVI arm with a old broken toy attached (a MOBAT battle tank, still on sale today). Everything is controlled by a Raspberry Pi with a wireless dongle and the camera module. It's possible to control it through a VPN like hamachi even if there's a bit of delay. The interface is made in Python and text only (using ncurses) so it can be accessed via ssh.

We added a servo, driven directly by the Rasbperry using servoblaster library, to maneuver the differential gear that gives motion to the tracks. The GPIO is interfaced with an optocoupler that activates some relays that turns on and off the various motors.Batteries for motors are 4 D rechargeable NiMH while the Raspberry is powered by a cellphone emergency charger.

It's messy but I had a lot of fun in building it.

The robot was recruited in a dance performance. The choreographer created a dance based on the peculiar movements that the objects do when they fall or are moved by the wind etc. and he wanted a real "object" to be in the show. The camera streamed projecting images on the wall, giving a usually impossible point of view of the performance.