Robots - Debot5
"DE Robot 05" aka: Debot5, Der5. -
Main purpose will be to build a simple inexpensive robot that can determine it's location relative to it's past location and use that information to navigate with minimum prior knowledge of the environment. The problem is to combine inexpensive low precision odometry with equally inexpensive low precision distance detection to increase the accuracy of way point navigation (hopefully by an order of magnitude) The approach will be to build up a robot thru various simple hardware/software changes. Continuously measuring the improvement in waypoint navigation at each version (and some intermediate steps).
The robot will use it's microprocessor to read two low accuracy sensors sets to calculate a more accurate result. One sensor set will be the wheel encoders which will track odometry. The other will be an IR distance sensor mounted on a servo to measure distance to objects near the robot. A comparison will be made between the robot's expected location using dead reckoning and the expected location of discovered objects.
When we move, how do we know we have moved? How do we know how far we have moved? Our brains command us to move and typically we get feedback from our limbs that movement is taking place and that the position of our limbs are changing. Usually this feedback is all that is needed to reliably tell us that the movement is happening as requested. To increase the reliability of the feedback we employ other senses such as sight to corroborate what our other senses are telling us. If the two senses disagree we quickly focus our attention on the inconsistency.
Debot5 will focus on the first 3 steps: Command to act, the immediate feedback of the action, and the corroborating evidence that the command resulted in the proper action. Inconsistency will be examined at a later time.
Secondary goals
- Familiarize myself with IMSI TurboCAD Designer 2D/3D
- Create Solarbotics Compact L298 Motor Driver with GM2 and GM8 motors page
- Create Wheel encoder page
- Familiarize myself with using JALv2 (Just Another Language Version 2) to program the PARTS Mark III controller
- (maybe) Update I2C eeprom page
- Keep costs as low as possible.
- To meet DPRG "Type B" specifications, 15cm * 15cm and 1 Kilogram or less.
If you have any questions or comments about this page please email me at: debots_replacethis_dinkdaze.org with at sign.