Hello, from new member

[D0n]

Hi.
I have built a robot using an old wheelchair, a futaba radio, and a mac notebook.
will be looking for ideas to program it and add some sensors, to automate it in the near future.
as it sits I can use ichat to remotely view the camera, display video on a flat panel screen, and drive it around with the radio control.

my hope is to program it to follow me around without bumping into me.
I was thinking of some sort of radio/ ir beacon.
any Ideas would be welcome.

[HarryBotter]

You mean you want to walk around with one of those little beanie caps with an IR beacon or Tx/Rx unit built into it?:p:p Sorry, just couldn't resist.

Did you read the Follow Me Robot article in the last issue of Robot...sounds just like what you might want.

Can you give us a few more details on your bot, sounds interesting.

Harry

[D0n]

I found this site thru google. havn't got a magazine yet.
My 'bot has a 24 volt wheelchair controller, using 2 servos, hacked into the original joystick controller to give control. It has three wheels (two drive wheels, and one castor). Futaba 4 channel radio Ground freq.
seperate 12 volt system for powering a 13" lcd display, lights and a head that rotates left and right. there is a firewire digicam connected to a macbook.

I want to use a key fob, or bluetooth phone as a beacon, and have the robot follow it. I want the robot to use sonar and/or ir sensors to not bump into things.

right now I can use my Imac to link up to it with Ichat, and get video and sound to and from the robot, and can drive it around my yard, while sitting at my desk. (but I'd also like to have my laptop plugged into either the futaba radio, or the servos and be able to control it over the internet).
this is my first try and I don't know much about programming or building robots.

[HarryBotter]

For a guy who doesn't know much about robots you've got a great start. In the Robot article the author uses a thermal array to track body heat and follow it around.

Keep up the good work and please keep posting your results.

Harry

[D0n]

here it is with arms

[D0n]

anybody ever gut a BioBug?
I got a couple of them lying around.
They are programmed to follow a beacon and have ir control.
the sensors seem like they might be usefull for my project.
My question is, how might I best make use of those components from an insect crawler to get them to work with my "tank" type two wheel drive robot?

[dporter]

Solarbotics had a biobug autopsy where they took one apart. I don't know if it is still on their site (solarbotics.com or solarbotics.net) but there might be some info that might help.

[dporter]

Found a page with biobug hacks and links. Hope it helps.

http://solarbotics.net/read.html

[D0n]

thank you!!!

[Darrell]

Very nice work Don.
Take a look at the leaf project at leafproject.org
I'm using leaf on my bot. RoboRealm just wrote a very cool program for leaf too. Makes it easy for your bot to follow a color for example.

[Darrell]

One more thing. Although leaf currently is written for windows, some leafers are writing for mac os. Not sure what OS version you're using on your bot now but even windows isn't a problem anymore with the newest OS.

[TimMooney]

This thing is cool! It reminds me of an article I read in which robots were used (or maybe just expected to be used) to provide remote medical care. Kind of a bridge between a live-in nurse, and fully independent convalescence.

But it could also become an achievable way to visit Grandma frequently, from across country. My mother-in-law, for example, is far away, laid up, and won't be travelling for quite a while (if ever again). It would be such a kick for her to have one of these things with a granddaughter apparently inside. Think what it could be like for her.

I wonder if there's a way to get the feeling of actual eye contact, while interacting with someone virtually present in a machine like this.

I'm with Harry: details, man! Fork 'em on over! How do I make one of these, and how much is it likely to cost?

Tim

[D0n]

cost could get rediculous depending on what you got on hand.
My spouse runs a business, and I had the electronics/computer stuff handy.
The mechanics were from a wheelchair we got for practically nothing, due to a broken frame. other parts sourced from a ford wagon that found it's way to the wreckers.
the hard part for me will be getting the sensors, wired into an interface for the computer and writing the software....(looking at phidgits or lego mindstorms).
more to come in the next couple weeks...

[D0n]

Any body have any ideas about using sonic beacon, and ir beacon (ie belt cliped device) for the robot to follow? (I think attaching a usb cable to the trainer mode socket on my futaba radio will allow my laptop to control the robot, without modifying anything else...). I wonder how hard it would be for an idiot like me to program a robot to use a sensor to follow the beacon, in conjuntion with using the video camera (very sensitive to ir) as a sensor....between the two I'd think it could follow me without bumping into anything....
what do you guys think?

[airman00]

My 'bot has a 24 volt wheelchair controller, using 2 servos, hacked into the original joystick controller to give control. It has three wheels (two drive wheels, and one castor).
I'm also building a wheelchair robot! I built the base already and it does exactly what your's does except it has voice command. I'm going to add a mini fridge and snack giver this week. (Its a Butler Robot)
My blog has pictures and information if you want to see it...

[D0n]

I like it.
mine has 3 speeds, variable speed contol in each speed setting, as I've retained the original controller. what I need now is to get the automation and sensors set up and working. anybody have any tips to step down the 24 volt power supply to 12 volts? to me the easiest and cheapest way would be a 12 volt light in series (wastefull and ineficient though) there is a 24v to 12v converter i located on the net $70.00 us, but I want cheap or free....

[D0n]

http://homepage.mac.com/lightexpressions/.Pictures/200708151D3377.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lightexpressions/.Pictures/200708151D3380.jpg

[D0n]

Ok.. I've got mine up and running. now and new photos to come next weekend.

Mine is very much a mobile entertainment center.

any suggestions/tips on fabricating a fiberglass body for it?

[D0n]

here is a (quicktime) video clip of my robot.
there's no body yet and the video camera and head are off it.
but the clip does show the machine running and playing part of a video slideshow......
comments welcome.

http://web.mac.com/lightexpressions/lightexpressionsmultimedia/Photos.html#10

[dutch]

nice job Don....I passed up a chance a while back to pick up 2 non-functional power chairs at the Salvation Army...been kicking myself in the pants every since....but you're off to a great start....
keep it up !!