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I've actually made this for a junior project. We used arduino ultrasonic sensors on a swivel mount between the hand grip and the cane shaft, linked to a vibration output in the hand. Here are the sensors we used, super cheap from amazon, and easy to program with the arduino.
I was going to recommend those too. But get knock off ultrasonic sensors off amazon. I got some for 5$ a piece. I tested them personally and it had a 2cm accuracy and a 13 degree range each way. Just as good as the 30$ ones.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004U8TOE6/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
My standard copy paste for newbie robotics.
NOTE: Some of this like the motor controller requires soldering. You can't really avoid it. If the kids are too young to solder, you do it for them. Or if they are old enough teach them to solder. I learned to solder when I was like 11.
Get the following:
Arduino Uno ($20)
Magician Chassis ($15). This has 2x wheels + (geared) motors with one ball caster. There's a lot of different chassis for small robots out there. Check Hobby King, Ebay, Amazon, Pololu, etc. If you do go with a different chassis, make sure you check the specs on the motor (~1A stall rating max) and/or add in motors if the chassis doesn't come with motors.
Ultrasonic sensor ($6) (one is good enough to start with, you'll probably want 2 more for a proper obstacle avoiding bot)
3-4x QTR-1RC Reflectance Sensor ($7.50-$10). These are great little things you can use for line following OR as a DIY wheel encoder.
Total: ~$60 before S&H
There you go. You have everything to make a small obstacle avoidance robot AND/OR a line following robot.
(PS: You can build a line following robot without a micro controller using just comparators if you want to)
I built this little guy in a few hours from stuff I had laying around (I tend to have a lot of things laying around because I tend to buy in bulk lol). Here is a video of the older version of the above bot video driving around.
Since you're going with an Arduino check out the tutorials here: http://tronixstuff.wordpress.com/tutorials/ and if you have any questions, post here at /r/arduino or the actual arduino.cc Forums or stack exchange,etc.
Also, <strong>this</strong> is a great little bot. Just swap the PICAXE with Arduino.
(OPTIONAL). This is more advanced, but this something to keep in mind as future upgrade to the project.
Now if you want to to make it remote controlled you have a few options:
Standard Hobby RC Rx/Tx pair. There's a lot of information on how to do this online. Example: https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/348
900 Mhz or 2.4Ghz Transceivers like the nRF24L01+. Can be bought on Ebay and such very cheaply esp. in bulk. There are high powered version available online and these can rival the Xbees in terms of range. Allows each module 2 way communication since Rx/Tx are built into one unit.
Xbee. Expensive, but easy to use and allows you to say read values from sensors and such. For example, if you want to know what the current speed is (calculated based on accelerometer/wheel encoders) you can send this info using Xbee to say a PC.
433 or 900 Mhz Rx/Tx pairs like this. You'll need 2 pairs if you want bidirectional communication.
WiFi shield/module. A little on the expensive side. You'll need this if you plan to connect to say your home WiFi network/internet and control it that way.
Bluetooth module/shield. Can be found quite cheaply, but you'll have to pick the right one. Range is somewhat limited but this may not be an issue depending on what you're doing.
IR emitter and detector. Similar to how your remote works. Cheap and somewhat easy to use but very prone to interference from ambient light and limited range.
Personally, I'd go with option 1,2, or 3. I usually go the Xbee route since it's easy to use and lets me read my sensors from the PC since I use my PC to drive my robots. Xbee can connect directly to the PC with a USB breakout board.
I posted a few weeks ago. Hope you'll find it useful. It's a very fun and engaging project and quite well suited for beginners but has the potential to add more stuff on to once you learn more.
Get the following:
Arduino Uno ($20)
Magician Chassis ($15). This has 2x wheels + (geared) motors with one ball caster. There's a lot of different chassis for small robots out there. Check Hobby King, Ebay, Amazon, Pololu, etc. If you do go with a different chassis, make sure you check the specs on the motor (~1A stall rating max) and/or add in motors if the chassis doesn't come with motors.
Ultrasonic sensor ($6) (one is good enough to start with, you'll probably want 2 more for a proper obstacle avoiding bot)
3-4x QTR-1RC Reflectance Sensor ($7.50-$10). These are great little things you can use for line following OR as a DIY wheel encoder.
Total: ~$60 before S&H
There you go. You have everything to make a small obstacle avoidance robot AND/OR a line following robot.
(PS: You can build a line following robot without a micro controller using just comparators if you want to)
I built this little guy in a few hours from stuff I had laying around (I tend to have a lot of things laying around because I tend to buy in bulk lol). Here is a video of the older version of the above bot video driving around.
Since you're going with an Arduino check out the tutorials here: http://tronixstuff.wordpress.com/tutorials/ and if you have any questions, post here at /r/arduino or the actual arduino.cc Forums or stack exchange,etc.
Also, <strong>this</strong> is a great little bot. Just swap the PICAXE with Arduino.
(OPTIONAL). This is more advanced, but this something to keep in mind as future upgrade to the project.
Now if you want to to make it remote controlled you have a few options:
Standard Hobby RC Rx/Tx pair. There's a lot of information on how to do this online. Example: https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/348
900 Mhz or 2.4Ghz Transceivers like the nRF24L01+. Can be bought on Ebay and such very cheaply esp. in bulk. There are high powered version available online and these can rival the Xbees in terms of range. Allows each module 2 way communication since Rx/Tx are built into one unit.
Xbee. Expensive, but easy to use and allows you to say read values from sensors and such. For example, if you want to know what the current speed is (calculated based on accelerometer/wheel encoders) you can send this info using Xbee to say a PC.
433 or 900 Mhz Rx/Tx pairs like this. You'll need 2 pairs if you want bidirectional communication.
WiFi shield/module. A little on the expensive side. You'll need this if you plan to connect to say your home WiFi network/internet and control it that way.
Bluetooth module/shield. Can be found quite cheaply, but you'll have to pick the right one. Range is somewhat limited but this may not be an issue depending on what you're doing.
IR emitter and detector. Similar to how your remote works. Cheap and somewhat easy to use but very prone to interference from ambient light and limited range.
Personally, I'd go with option 1,2, or 3. I usually go the Xbee route since it's easy to use and lets me read my sensors from the PC since I use my PC to drive my robots. Xbee can connect directly to the PC with a USB breakout board.
My standard newbie robotics copy/paste. Hope you'll find it useful. It's a very fun and engaging project and quite well suited for beginners but has the potential to add more stuff on to once you learn more.
Get the following:
Arduino Uno ($20)
Magician Chassis ($15). This has 2x wheels + (geared) motors with one ball caster. There's a lot of different chassis for small robots out there. Check Hobby King, Ebay, Amazon, Pololu, etc. If you do go with a different chassis, make sure you check the specs on the motor (~1A stall rating max) and/or add in motors if the chassis doesn't come with motors.
Ultrasonic sensor ($6) (one is good enough to start with, you'll probably want 2 more for a proper obstacle avoiding bot)
3-4x QTR-1RC Reflectance Sensor ($7.50-$10). These are great little things you can use for line following OR as a DIY wheel encoder.
Total: ~$60 before S&H
There you go. You have everything to make a small obstacle avoidance robot AND/OR a line following robot.
(PS: You can build a line following robot without a micro controller using just comparators if you want to)
I built this little guy in a few hours from stuff I had laying around (I tend to have a lot of things laying around because I tend to buy in bulk lol). Here is a video of the older version of the above bot video driving around.
Since you're going with an Arduino check out the tutorials here: http://tronixstuff.wordpress.com/tutorials/ and if you have any questions, post here at /r/arduino or the actual arduino.cc Forums or stack exchange,etc.
Also, <strong>this</strong> is a great little bot. Just swap the PICAXE with Arduino.
(OPTIONAL). This is more advanced, but this something to keep in mind as future upgrade to the project.
Now if you want to to make it remote controlled you have a few options:
Standard Hobby RC Rx/Tx pair. There's a lot of information on how to do this online. Example: https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/348
900 Mhz or 2.4Ghz Transceivers like the nRF24L01+. Can be bought on Ebay and such very cheaply esp. in bulk. There are high powered version available online and these can rival the Xbees in terms of range. Allows each module 2 way communication since Rx/Tx are built into one unit.
Xbee. Expensive, but easy to use and allows you to say read values from sensors and such. For example, if you want to know what the current speed is (calculated based on accelerometer/wheel encoders) you can send this info using Xbee to say a PC.
433 or 900 Mhz Rx/Tx pairs like this. You'll need 2 pairs if you want bidirectional communication.
WiFi shield/module. A little on the expensive side. You'll need this if you plan to connect to say your home WiFi network/internet and control it that way.
Bluetooth module/shield. Can be found quite cheaply, but you'll have to pick the right one. Range is somewhat limited but this may not be an issue depending on what you're doing.
IR emitter and detector. Similar to how your remote works. Cheap and somewhat easy to use but very prone to interference from ambient light and limited range.
Personally, I'd go with option 1,2, or 3. I usually go the Xbee route since it's easy to use and lets me read my sensors from the PC since I use my PC to drive my robots. Xbee can connect directly to the PC with a USB breakout board.
Give robotics a try. There's so much to learn when it comes to robotics. You can get started very easily and cheaply with small line following bots using basic coding and evolve them to use PID,etc. After that, you can move on to bigger and better bots, perhaps using Computer Vision and other things.
If you want to get started read below. My standard newbie robotics copy/paste. Hope you'll find it useful. It's a very fun and engaging project and quite well suited for beginners but has the potential to add more stuff (example: sensor fusion, PID, etc) on to once you learn more.
Get the following:
Arduino Uno ($20)
Magician Chassis ($15). This has 2x wheels + (geared) motors with one ball caster. There's a lot of different chassis for small robots out there. Check Hobby King, Ebay, Amazon, Pololu, etc. If you do go with a different chassis, make sure you check the specs on the motor (~1A stall rating max) and/or add in motors if the chassis doesn't come with motors.
Ultrasonic sensor ($6) (one is good enough to start with, you'll probably want 2 more for a proper obstacle avoiding bot)
3-4x QTR-1RC Reflectance Sensor ($7.50-$10). These are great little things you can use for line following OR as a DIY wheel encoder.
Total: ~$60 before S&H
There you go. You have everything to make a small obstacle avoidance robot AND/OR a line following robot.
(PS: You can build a line following robot without a micro controller using just comparators if you want to)
I built this little guy in a few hours from stuff I had laying around (I tend to have a lot of things laying around because I tend to buy in bulk lol). Here is a video of the older version of the above bot video driving around.
Since you're going with an Arduino check out the tutorials here: http://tronixstuff.wordpress.com/tutorials/ and if you have any questions, post here at /r/arduino or the actual arduino.cc Forums or stack exchange,etc.
Also, <strong>this</strong> is a great little bot. Just swap the PICAXE with Arduino.
(OPTIONAL). This is more advanced, but this something to keep in mind as future upgrade to the project.
Now if you want to to make it remote controlled you have a few options:
Standard Hobby RC Rx/Tx pair. There's a lot of information on how to do this online. Example: https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/348
900 Mhz or 2.4Ghz Transceivers like the nRF24L01+. Can be bought on Ebay and such very cheaply esp. in bulk. There are high powered version available online and these can rival the Xbees in terms of range. Allows each module 2 way communication since Rx/Tx are built into one unit.
Xbee. Expensive, but easy to use and allows you to say read values from sensors and such. For example, if you want to know what the current speed is (calculated based on accelerometer/wheel encoders) you can send this info using Xbee to say a PC.
433 or 900 Mhz Rx/Tx pairs like this. You'll need 2 pairs if you want bidirectional communication.
WiFi shield/module. A little on the expensive side. You'll need this if you plan to connect to say your home WiFi network/internet and control it that way.
Bluetooth module/shield. Can be found quite cheaply, but you'll have to pick the right one. Range is somewhat limited but this may not be an issue depending on what you're doing.
IR emitter and detector. Similar to how your remote works. Cheap and somewhat easy to use but very prone to interference from ambient light and limited range.
Personally, I'd go with option 1,2, or 3. I usually go the Xbee route since it's easy to use and lets me read my sensors from the PC since I use my PC to drive my robots. Xbee can connect directly to the PC with a USB breakout board.
Here you go
Give robotics a try. There's so much to learn when it comes to robotics. You can get started very easily and cheaply with small line following bots using basic coding and evolve them to use PID,etc. After that, you can move on to bigger and better bots, perhaps using Computer Vision and other things.
If you want to get started read below. My standard newbie robotics copy/paste. Hope you'll find it useful. It's a very fun and engaging project and quite well suited for beginners but has the potential to add more stuff (example: sensor fusion, PID, etc) on to once you learn more.
Get the following:
Arduino Uno ($20)
Magician Chassis ($15). This has 2x wheels + (geared) motors with one ball caster. There's a lot of different chassis for small robots out there. Check Hobby King, Ebay, Amazon, Pololu, etc. If you do go with a different chassis, make sure you check the specs on the motor (~1A stall rating max) and/or add in motors if the chassis doesn't come with motors.
Ultrasonic sensor ($6) (one is good enough to start with, you'll probably want 2 more for a proper obstacle avoiding bot)
3-4x QTR-1RC Reflectance Sensor ($7.50-$10). These are great little things you can use for line following OR as a DIY wheel encoder.
Total: ~$60 before S&H
There you go. You have everything to make a small obstacle avoidance robot AND/OR a line following robot.
(PS: You can build a line following robot without a micro controller using just comparators if you want to)
I built this little guy in a few hours from stuff I had laying around (I tend to have a lot of things laying around because I tend to buy in bulk lol). Here is a video of the older version of the above bot video driving around.
Since you're going with an Arduino check out the tutorials here: http://tronixstuff.wordpress.com/tutorials/ and if you have any questions, post here at /r/arduino or the actual arduino.cc Forums or stack exchange,etc.
Also, <strong>this</strong> is a great little bot. Just swap the PICAXE with Arduino.
(OPTIONAL). This is more advanced, but this something to keep in mind as future upgrade to the project.
Now if you want to to make it remote controlled you have a few options:
Standard Hobby RC Rx/Tx pair. There's a lot of information on how to do this online. Example: https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/348
900 Mhz or 2.4Ghz Transceivers like the nRF24L01+. Can be bought on Ebay and such very cheaply esp. in bulk. There are high powered version available online and these can rival the Xbees in terms of range. Allows each module 2 way communication since Rx/Tx are built into one unit.
Xbee. Expensive, but easy to use and allows you to say read values from sensors and such. For example, if you want to know what the current speed is (calculated based on accelerometer/wheel encoders) you can send this info using Xbee to say a PC.
433 or 900 Mhz Rx/Tx pairs like this. You'll need 2 pairs if you want bidirectional communication.
WiFi shield/module. A little on the expensive side. You'll need this if you plan to connect to say your home WiFi network/internet and control it that way.
Bluetooth module/shield. Can be found quite cheaply, but you'll have to pick the right one. Range is somewhat limited but this may not be an issue depending on what you're doing.
IR emitter and detector. Similar to how your remote works. Cheap and somewhat easy to use but very prone to interference from ambient light and limited range.
Personally, I'd go with option 1,2, or 3. I usually go the Xbee route since it's easy to use and lets me read my sensors from the PC since I use my PC to drive my robots. Xbee can connect directly to the PC with a USB breakout board.
First read what /u/cr0sh wrote and my reply to that as well.
If you're interested in robotics, I figured I'd post something I posted a few weeks ago. Hope you'll find it useful.
Get the following:
Arduino Uno ($20)
Magician Chassis ($15). This has 2x wheels + (geared) motors with one ball caster. There's a lot of different chassis for small robots out there. Check Hobby King, Ebay, Amazon, Pololu, etc.
Ultrasonic sensor ($6) (one is good enough to start with, you'll probably want 2 more for a proper obstacle avoiding bot)
3-4x QTR-1RC Reflectance Sensor ($7.50-$10). These are great little things you can use for line following OR as a DIY wheel encoder.
Total: ~$60 before S&H
There you go. You have everything to make a small obstacle avoidance robot AND/OR a line following robot.
(PS: You can build a line following robot without a micro controller using just comparators if you want to)
I built this little guy in a few hours from stuff I had laying around (I tend to have a lot of things laying around because I tend to buy in bulk lol). Here is a video of the older version of the above bot video driving around.
Since you're going with an Arduino check out the tutorials here: http://tronixstuff.wordpress.com/tutorials/ and if you have any questions, post here at /r/arduino or the actual arduino.cc Forums or stack exchange,etc.
Also, <strong>this</strong> is a great little bot. Just swap the PICAXE with Arduino.
If you're interested in robotics, I figured I'd post something I posted a few days ago. Hope you'll find it useful.
Get the following:
Arduino Uno ($20)
Magician Chassis ($15). This has 2x wheels + (geared) motors with one ball caster. There's a lot of different chassis for small robots out there. Check Hobby King, Ebay, Amazon, Pololu, etc.
Ultrasonic sensor ($6) (one is good enough to start with, you'll probably want 2 more for a proper obstacle avoiding bot)
3-4x QTR-1RC Reflectance Sensor ($7.50-$10). These are great little things you can use for line following OR as a DIY wheel encoder.
Total: ~$60 before S&H
There you go. You have everything to make a small obstacle avoidance robot AND/OR a line following robot.
(PS: You can build a line following robot without a micro controller using just comparators if you want to)
I built this little guy in a few hours from stuff I had laying around (I tend to have a lot of things laying around because I tend to buy in bulk lol). Here is a video of the older version of the above bot video driving around.
Since you're going with an Arduino check out the tutorials here: http://tronixstuff.wordpress.com/tutorials/ and if you have any questions, post here at /r/arduino or the actual arduino.cc Forums or stack exchange,etc.
Also, <strong>this</strong> is a great little bot. Just swap the PICAXE with Arduino.
If you would like to make it remote controlled you have a few options:
Standard Hobby RC Rx/Tx pair. There's a lot of information on how to do this online. Example: https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/348
900 Mhz or 2.4Ghz Transceivers like the nRF24L01+. Can be bought on Ebay and such very cheaply esp. in bulk. There are high powered version available online and these can rival the Xbees in terms of range. Allows each module 2 way communication since Rx/Tx are built into one unit.
Xbee. Expensive, but easy to use and allows you to say read values from sensors and such. For example, if you want to know what the current speed is (calculated based on accelerometer/wheel encoders) you can send this info using Xbee to say a PC.
433 or 900 Mhz Rx/Tx pairs like this. You'll need 2 pairs if you want bidirectional communication.
WiFi shield/module. A little on the expensive side. You'll need this if you plan to connect to say your home WiFi network/internet and control it that way.
Bluetooth module/shield. Can be found quite cheaply, but you'll have to pick the right one. Range is somewhat limited but this may not be an issue depending on what you're doing.
IR emitter and detector. Similar to how your remote works. Cheap and somewhat easy to use but very prone to interference from ambient light and limited range.
Personally, I'd go with option 1,2, or 3. I usually go the Xbee route since it's easy to use and lets me read my sensors from the PC since I use my PC to drive my robots. Xbee can connect directly to the PC with a USB breakout board which acts as a Serial port.
Look on this subreddit or other subreddit for project ideas. Then find one that's simple and fun to do and go buy the parts.
If you want a project idea read below. My standard copy/paste. Hope you'll find it useful. It's a very fun and engaging project and quite well suited for beginners but has the potential to add more stuff on to once you learn more.
Get the following:
Arduino Uno ($20)
Magician Chassis ($15). This has 2x wheels + (geared) motors with one ball caster. There's a lot of different chassis for small robots out there. Check Hobby King, Ebay, Amazon, Pololu, etc. If you do go with a different chassis, make sure you check the specs on the motor (~1A stall rating max) and/or add in motors if the chassis doesn't come with motors.
Ultrasonic sensor ($6) (one is good enough to start with, you'll probably want 2 more for a proper obstacle avoiding bot)
3-4x QTR-1RC Reflectance Sensor ($7.50-$10). These are great little things you can use for line following OR as a DIY wheel encoder.
Total: ~$60 before S&H
There you go. You have everything to make a small obstacle avoidance robot AND/OR a line following robot.
(PS: You can build a line following robot without a micro controller using just comparators if you want to)
I built this little guy in a few hours from stuff I had laying around (I tend to have a lot of things laying around because I tend to buy in bulk lol). Here is a video of the older version of the above bot video driving around.
Since you're going with an Arduino check out the tutorials here: http://tronixstuff.wordpress.com/tutorials/ and if you have any questions, post here at /r/arduino or the actual arduino.cc Forums or stack exchange,etc.
Also, <strong>this</strong> is a great little bot. Just swap the PICAXE with Arduino.
(OPTIONAL). This is more advanced, but this something to keep in mind as future upgrade to the project.
Now if you want to to make it remote controlled you have a few options:
Standard Hobby RC Rx/Tx pair. There's a lot of information on how to do this online. Example: https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/348
900 Mhz or 2.4Ghz Transceivers like the nRF24L01+. Can be bought on Ebay and such very cheaply esp. in bulk. There are high powered version available online and these can rival the Xbees in terms of range. Allows each module 2 way communication since Rx/Tx are built into one unit.
Xbee. Expensive, but easy to use and allows you to say read values from sensors and such. For example, if you want to know what the current speed is (calculated based on accelerometer/wheel encoders) you can send this info using Xbee to say a PC.
433 or 900 Mhz Rx/Tx pairs like this. You'll need 2 pairs if you want bidirectional communication.
WiFi shield/module. A little on the expensive side. You'll need this if you plan to connect to say your home WiFi network/internet and control it that way.
Bluetooth module/shield. Can be found quite cheaply, but you'll have to pick the right one. Range is somewhat limited but this may not be an issue depending on what you're doing.
IR emitter and detector. Similar to how your remote works. Cheap and somewhat easy to use but very prone to interference from ambient light and limited range.
Personally, I'd go with option 1,2, or 3. I usually go the Xbee route since it's easy to use and lets me read my sensors from the PC since I use my PC to drive my robots. Xbee can connect directly to the PC with a USB breakout board.
I suggest you build a small robot like below if you have little to no experience using MCUs, motors, etc. It's a very fun and engaging project and quite well suited for beginners but has the potential to add more stuff on to once you learn more (ie. input filtering, PID,etc) .
Get the following:
Arduino Uno ($20)
Magician Chassis ($15). This has 2x wheels + (geared) motors with one ball caster. There's a lot of different chassis for small robots out there. Check Hobby King, Ebay, Amazon, Pololu, etc. If you do go with a different chassis, make sure you check the specs on the motor (~1A stall rating max) and/or add in motors if the chassis doesn't come with motors.
DRV8833 Dual Motor Driver Carrier ($5). One of my favorite motor drivers. Cheap and easy to use and works perfectly with most small motors.
Ultrasonic sensor ($6) (one is good enough to start with, you'll probably want 2 more for a proper obstacle avoiding bot)
3-4x QTR-1RC Reflectance Sensor ($7.50-$10). These are great little things you can use for line following OR as a DIY wheel encoder.
Total: ~$60 before S&H
There you go. You have everything to make a small obstacle avoidance robot AND/OR a line following robot.
(PS: You can build a line following robot without a micro controller using just comparators if you want to. Look up Sandwich bot)
I built this little guy in a few hours from stuff I had laying around (I tend to have a lot of things laying around because I tend to buy in bulk lol). Here is a video of the first version of the above bot video driving around. I'm currently working on this.
Since you're going with an Arduino check out the tutorials here: http://tronixstuff.wordpress.com/tutorials/. I highly recommend this blog for learning the basics and a little more advanced things like I2C,etc. If you have any questions, post at /r/arduino or the actual arduino.cc Forums or stack exchange,etc.
Also, <strong>this</strong> is a great little bot. Just swap the PICAXE with Arduino.
(OPTIONAL). This is more advanced, but this something to keep in mind as future upgrade to the project.
Now if you want to to make it remote controlled you have a few options:
Standard Hobby RC Rx/Tx pair. There's a lot of information on how to do this online. Example: https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/348
900 Mhz or 2.4Ghz Transceivers like the nRF24L01+. Can be bought on Ebay and such very cheaply esp. in bulk. There are high powered version available online and these can rival the Xbees in terms of range. Allows each module 2 way communication since Rx/Tx are built into one unit.
Xbee. Expensive, but easy to use and allows you to say read values from sensors and such. For example, if you want to know what the current speed is (calculated based on accelerometer/wheel encoders) you can send this info using Xbee to say a PC.
433 or 900 Mhz Rx/Tx pairs like this. You'll need 2 pairs if you want bidirectional communication.
WiFi shield/module. A little on the expensive side. You'll need this if you plan to connect to say your home WiFi network/internet and control it that way.
Bluetooth module/shield. Can be found quite cheaply, but you'll have to pick the right one. Range is somewhat limited but this may not be an issue depending on what you're doing.
IR emitter and detector. Similar to how your remote works. Cheap and somewhat easy to use but very prone to interference from ambient light and limited range.
Personally, I'd go with option 1,2, or 3. I usually go the Xbee route since it's easy to use and lets me read my sensors from the PC since I use my PC to drive my robots. Xbee can connect directly to the PC with a USB breakout board.
Since you're interested in robotics, I figured I'd post something I posted a few weeks ago. Hope you'll find it useful.
Get the following:
Arduino Uno ($20)
Magician Chassis ($15). This has 2x wheels + (geared) motors with one ball caster. There's a lot of different chassis for small robots out there. Check Hobby King, Ebay, Amazon, Pololu, etc.
Ultrasonic sensor ($6) (one is good enough to start with, you'll probably want 2 more for a proper obstacle avoiding bot)
3-4x QTR-1RC Reflectance Sensor ($7.50-$10). These are great little things you can use for line following OR as a DIY wheel encoder.
Total: ~$60 before S&H
There you go. You have everything to make a small obstacle avoidance robot AND/OR a line following robot.
(PS: You can build a line following robot without a micro controller using just comparators if you want to)
I built this little guy in a few hours from stuff I had laying around (I tend to have a lot of things laying around because I tend to buy in bulk lol). Here is a video of the older version of the above bot video driving around.
Since you're going with an Arduino check out the tutorials here: http://tronixstuff.wordpress.com/tutorials/ and if you have any questions, post here at /r/arduino or the actual arduino.cc Forums or stack exchange,etc.
Also, <strong>this</strong> is a great little bot. Just swap the PICAXE with Arduino.
Now to make it remote controlled you have a few options:
Standard Hobby RC Rx/Tx pair. There's a lot of information on how to do this online. Example: https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/348
900 Mhz or 2.4Ghz Transceivers like the nRF24L01+. Can be bought on Ebay and such very cheaply esp. in bulk. There are high powered version available online and these can rival the Xbees in terms of range. Allows each module 2 way communication since Rx/Tx are built into one unit.
Xbee. Expensive, but easy to use and allows you to say read values from sensors and such. For example, if you want to know what the current speed is (calculated based on accelerometer/wheel encoders) you can send this info using Xbee to say a PC.
433 or 900 Mhz Rx/Tx pairs like this. You'll need 2 pairs if you want bidirectional communication.
WiFi shield/module. A little on the expensive side. You'll need this if you plan to connect to say your home WiFi network/internet and control it that way.
Bluetooth module/shield. Can be found quite cheaply, but you'll have to pick the right one. Range is somewhat limited but this may not be an issue depending on what you're doing.
IR emitter and detector. Similar to how your remote works. Cheap and somewhat easy to use but very prone to interference from ambient light and limited range.
Personally, I'd go with option 1,2, or 3. I usually go the Xbee route since it's easy to use and lets me read my sensors from the PC since I use my PC to drive my robots. Xbee can connect directly to the PC with a USB breakout board.
I sudgest you build a small robot. It's a very fun and engaging project and quite well suited for beginners but has the potential to add more stuff on to once you learn more (ie. input filtering, PID,etc) .
Get the following:
Arduino Uno ($20)
Magician Chassis ($15). This has 2x wheels + (geared) motors with one ball caster. There's a lot of different chassis for small robots out there. Check Hobby King, Ebay, Amazon, Pololu, etc. If you do go with a different chassis, make sure you check the specs on the motor (~1A stall rating max) and/or add in motors if the chassis doesn't come with motors.
Ultrasonic sensor ($6) (one is good enough to start with, you'll probably want 2 more for a proper obstacle avoiding bot)
3-4x QTR-1RC Reflectance Sensor ($7.50-$10). These are great little things you can use for line following OR as a DIY wheel encoder.
Total: ~$60 before S&H
There you go. You have everything to make a small obstacle avoidance robot AND/OR a line following robot.
(PS: You can build a line following robot without a micro controller using just comparators if you want to)
I built this little guy in a few hours from stuff I had laying around (I tend to have a lot of things laying around because I tend to buy in bulk lol). Here is a video of the older version of the above bot video driving around.
Since you're going with an Arduino check out the tutorials here: http://tronixstuff.wordpress.com/tutorials/ and if you have any questions, post here at /r/arduino or the actual arduino.cc Forums or stack exchange,etc.
Also, <strong>this</strong> is a great little bot. Just swap the PICAXE with Arduino.
(OPTIONAL). This is more advanced, but this something to keep in mind as future upgrade to the project.
Now if you want to to make it remote controlled you have a few options:
Standard Hobby RC Rx/Tx pair. There's a lot of information on how to do this online. Example: https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/348
900 Mhz or 2.4Ghz Transceivers like the nRF24L01+. Can be bought on Ebay and such very cheaply esp. in bulk. There are high powered version available online and these can rival the Xbees in terms of range. Allows each module 2 way communication since Rx/Tx are built into one unit.
Xbee. Expensive, but easy to use and allows you to say read values from sensors and such. For example, if you want to know what the current speed is (calculated based on accelerometer/wheel encoders) you can send this info using Xbee to say a PC.
433 or 900 Mhz Rx/Tx pairs like this. You'll need 2 pairs if you want bidirectional communication.
WiFi shield/module. A little on the expensive side. You'll need this if you plan to connect to say your home WiFi network/internet and control it that way.
Bluetooth module/shield. Can be found quite cheaply, but you'll have to pick the right one. Range is somewhat limited but this may not be an issue depending on what you're doing.
IR emitter and detector. Similar to how your remote works. Cheap and somewhat easy to use but very prone to interference from ambient light and limited range.
Personally, I'd go with option 1,2, or 3. I usually go the Xbee route since it's easy to use and lets me read my sensors from the PC since I use my PC to drive my robots. Xbee can connect directly to the PC with a USB breakout board.
I suggest you build a small robot like below. It's a very fun and engaging project and quite well suited for beginners BUT has the potential to add more stuff (ie. input filtering, PID, etc). This is an excellent beginner/intermediate robotics/system integration project.
Get the following:
Arduino Uno ($20)
Magician Chassis ($15). This has 2x wheels + gear motors with one ball caster. There's a lot of different chassis for small robots out there. Check Hobby King, Ebay, Amazon, Pololu, etc. If you do go with a different chassis, make sure you check the specs on the motor (~1A stall rating max) and/or add in motors if the chassis doesn't come with motors.
DRV8833 Dual Motor Driver Carrier ($5). One of my favorite motor drivers. Cheap and easy to use and works perfectly with most small motors.
Ultrasonic sensor ($6) (one is good enough to start with, you'll probably want 2 more for a proper obstacle avoiding bot)
3-4x QTR-1RC Reflectance Sensor ($7.50-$10). These are great little things you can use for line following OR as a DIY wheel encoder.
Total: ~$60 before S&H
There you go. You have everything to make a small obstacle avoidance robot AND/OR a line following robot.
(PS: You can build a line following robot without a micro controller using just comparators if you want to. Look up Sandwich bot)
I built this little guy in a few hours from stuff I had laying around (I tend to have a lot of things laying around because I tend to buy in bulk lol). Here's my latest project. I quite literally JUST finished assembling it today and started the coding stuff for it.
Check out the tutorials here: http://tronixstuff.wordpress.com/tutorials/. I highly recommend this blog for learning the basics and a little more advanced things like I2C, SPI, GPS, etc. If you have any questions, post here at /r/arduino or the actual arduino.cc Forums or stack exchange,etc.
Also, <strong>this</strong> is a great little bot. Just swap the PICAXE with Arduino.
(OPTIONAL). This is more advanced, but this something to keep in mind as future upgrade to the project or just integrate it in to the current project depending on budget.
Now if you want to to make it remote controlled you have a few options:
Standard Hobby RC Rx/Tx pair. There's a lot of information on how to do this online. Example: https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/348
900 Mhz or 2.4Ghz Transceivers like the nRF24L01+. Can be bought on Ebay and such very cheaply esp. in bulk. There are high powered version available online and these can rival the Xbees in terms of range. Allows each module 2 way communication since Rx/Tx are built into one unit. If you go the the nRF24xxx grab maniac bug's library.
Xbee. Expensive, but easy to use and quite reliable. Easiest way to get data in and out of your bot. For example, if you want to know what the current speed is (calculated based on accelerometer/wheel encoders) you can send this info using Xbee to a driver station PC/laptop. The big bot you see in the first pic is using Xbee.
433 or 900 Mhz Rx/Tx pairs like this. You'll need 2 pairs if you want bidirectional communication. PITA to use imo.
WiFi shield/module. On the expensive side. You'll need this if you plan to connect to say your home WiFi network/internet and control it that way.
Bluetooth module/shield. Can be found quite cheaply, but you'll have to pick the right one. Range is somewhat limited but this may not be an issue depending on what you're doing. Look for a Serial Bluetooth breakout (ie. HC-05) as it's more or less plug and play serial connection. This is probably the easiest way to get your phone hooked up to your robot.
IR emitter and detector. Similar to how your remote works. Cheap and somewhat easy to use but very prone to interference from ambient light and limited range.
How handy are you? You can attach one of these to a Pi: https://smile.amazon.com/SainSmart-HC-SR04-Ranging-Detector-Distance/dp/B004U8TOE6
https://www.amazon.com/SainSmart-HC-SR04-Ranging-Detector-Distance/dp/B004U8TOE6
Ultrasonic Rangefinder is great for determining distance from objects. Of course, it's not too high tech.
>Body shaped like a broom sitting on wheels. If it has arms they're not movable.
Wood: <$30, Aluminum: <$80. Hacksaw and drill required.
>Outdoor wheels that can move the robot on dirt, gravel, grass.
$30 + some modifications to connect a shaft
>Camera for vision
>Can detect and avoid objects
With the webcam? A couple years of machine vision classes + openCV. One method would be to use an object matching algorithm (block matching) and two cameras to guess depth. Thats one of the fastest, simplest algorithms you can imagine, and it would barely run on a raspberry pi with low resolution cameras and fixed depth.
With sensors, you'd want to use the HC-SR04 or something similar. With a significant amount of work you can get a rough idea of what the world in front of you is like.
>Using GPS or something else, only drives within the bounds of a set area (like an imaginary fence)
$16 module. Note that it and GPS in general is only accurate to a few meters. Most of the time the GPS in your car can hardly tell what lane it is in. It is not possible to get better accuracy without some very hard work. GPS is only good enough to say you are around this area. Its good enough to keep you in a backyard, but not on a sidewalk. The application is very important to the solution.
>I'm imagining a robot around average adult height that you could walk around with outside. How difficult and costly of a task do you think this would be for a team to design and build? Do you know of anything similar?
This is one of the most common types of consumer robots. Fully featured they run a couple thousand dollars, or like $700 without the ipad. NB: the GPS/location problem is solved with the ipad, which uses wifi/cellular magic for increased accuracy. Also its remote controlled, and definitely can't leave a smooth floor.
Having the robot follow you on its own is an entirely new challenge. The easiest way would be for you to tether your phone with bluetooth or wifi and send your location data to the robot. Next easiest would be an infrared beacon + camera, or a sonar beacon. Complicated.
The actual hardware parts are super simple. I've used CIM motors a great deal in FIRST. They're pretty thirsty, but the FRC Victors are pretty good. You can use sprockets and chain to get a low reduction, or a gearbox. ~10x is enough to get 10" wheels to about as fast as a human can run, and torquey enough to get 200lbs up pretty much any slope/accelerate quite speedily. A 220 Wh battery would be enough to keep a 100lb robot following a walking person for a couple hours, or 20 minutes at max speed. This $100 battery is 355 Wh.
Arduino + sensor + proto shield.
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