14. Radio-controlled Robot

The new challenges

We consider our tank-robot project as a very successful one - our creature can be nicely controlled remotely over Wi-Fi, or navigate around in the autonomous mode avoiding dangers and collisions. Still, there are questions which we could not answer:

• Remote control over the Wi-Fi lags even if you connect your agents directly. Is there any better way to control the robot? Can the Radio Controlling system be the answer?
• Do you really need to purchase expensive factory-made chassis, or there is some better way?
• Could LCD displays be useful for a small robot?
• Is it hard to use Li-Ion battery in the project?

To answer these questions - we decided to build a new robot, which will be a lightweight peer for our tank.

13. Lighting up the Robot

A major part of the modern electronic devices glamour comes from the calm inhuman glow of the LED's carefully embedded into their bodies.

Our robot is not an exception. Adding just couple simple LEDs, changed its appearance radically. Let's see what resources the robotics designers can tap into, and bring more light into their projects.

11. Infrared Distance Sensors

How it works

Facing the insufficiency of the ultrasonic distance sensors for the autonomous navigation, we arrived at the next stop - infrared distance sensors.

The plan was to build kind of sensors array formed by the numerous distance sensors facing in different directions and saving the robot at least from hitting the obstacles in front and falling down from the height. These sensors must be inexpensive both in terms of money and energy consumption.

Soon we found an interesting option, surprisingly named "Infrared Obstacle Avoidance Sensor for Arduino Robot" - it is precisely what we need!

8. Software Architecture and Multitasking

In the previous posts, you might notice that as the code of the robot was growing, we started grouping related pieces into separate files and tried to make these pieces as independent as possible.

Now it is time to give some explanations, why that was done, and how can we ensure timely reaction to the outside events, having that many things to do on such a simplistic board as Arduino UNO/MEGA.

6. Power for the Robot

The fіrst prototype

While working with the introductory Arduino experiments, it is unlikely you face any concerns on how to power your circuits. Usually, your board receives all it need through the USB connection from the computer. For the sophisticated experiments you can even buy a breadboard with the power supply module (like this one).

Talking about the autonomous robot - it starts to be a bit more complicated. You can't rely on external power, and you need to find the way to have everything on board.

4. Arduino MEGA 2560

WHY?

The grandiosity of the plans we have for our mighty robot raised some concerns. Can a single Arduino UNO carry on all the tasks we expect? At that time we did not trust much the wires-saving technologies like I2C or SPI. So we thought, first of all, we will quickly run out of available Arduino ports.

2. Dive into the Arduino Programming

Too many choices - too many decisions

The openness of the Arduino platform gives the unprecedented flexibility. Anyone can find own combination of tools and approaches which fit best his or her level and preferences. This also brings some complexity. Usually, it is hard to find information about all available options in a single place. So, for most of us, it takes many trial and error attempts. If the "errors" path is too long - it gets harder and harder to stay motivated and keep going.


We are not going to provide a training here - there are lots of specialized resources which do this much better. Our goal is to make your learning path as short as possible and gain enough knowledge to understand and enjoy the next steps in our robot building challenge.

1. Dive into Electronics

Required Knowledge

Nowadays the entry barrier for robotics is not high. To start building some simple robots it is sufficient to know the very basic electricity principles, have the preliminary idea about how to use a computer, how to browse the Internet and work with documents.

You won't even need any soldering skills!

Still - any kind of extra knowledge will be extremely helpful for you. If you are keen to take your robotics hobby seriously but feel the lack of the core knowledge - consider participating in the basic online training like this one: Khan Academy: Electrical Engineering. The foundation Programming training can also be helpful.