Start Here Robot with a Twist!

This my take on the Start Here robot.  I am sure that you can already spot the differences.  I have used a VEX robotics kit for the structure and drivetrain and I am using an Arduino Uno for control.  The other big difference is the use of the SDM-IO ultrasonic range finder.  The servo used is a Hitec HS-422 servo. I also installed a buzzer that will play a tone proportional to the range of an object.  It will also sound an alarm if an object comes close enough.  The robot will veer if an object is detected near but if it gets too close, the robot will pivot.

The sensing range is divided into 4 quadrants.  If an object is detected at 30 cm in the middle two quadrants then the robot will veer away.  The servo will also return to center and an alarm will sound.  If an object is detected 20 cm or closer in the left or right two quadrants then the robot will pivot away, a different alarm will sound and the servo will return to center.  I am working on the code so that the servo will pan away from the object detected.

The ultrasonic range finder brought its own challenges.  This is my first time working with one. I have found that I was getting false close readings in large open spaces.  Perhaps my pause was too short between scans but now the robot takes the average of three scans at designated servo positions, there are five of them: -60, -30, 0, 30 and 60 degrees.  The buzzer will chirp a high tone for close distances.  On the initial sensor set up, it would scan at much smaller increments.  The tones generated were pretty interesting but the robot would react to false close readings thus making it unpredictable.

The coding in Arduino took a little to figure out.  There were challenges of setting the quadrants, tweaking the drivetrain and making it all work together.  I plan on integrating drop-off sensors at the four corners and an IR receiver to give it the ability to navigate to a beacon. 

I welcome all comments, questions or suggestions. Enjoy!