Bot Thoughts

[...] Though Data Bus made it to the 2014 Sparkfun AVC, it had to sit out again this year. Time ran out to fix the Bus [...]

[...] of an incredibly hectic life, I've done my best to fit in work on my Sparkfun AVC entries, Data Bus and the still-top-secret SHARC entry. The triumvirate of robot expos are over: Robots at the [...]

[...] warning signals when operating. The main controller hardware and software is AVC-proven in Data Bus in 2012 when it precisely navigated the course for a 3rd place finish. We use a high precision, [...]

[...] it the GPS up to the good UART port, GPS data came streaming in. That's not all Even better, Data Bus completed three runs outside my house with promising consistency, albeit poor accuracy. [...]

[...] you're trying to fix. Portability: if you do any troubleshooting in the field (like at the Sparkfun AVC) having a giant device to lug along sucks. Having a bare PCB that is easily damaged isn't such [...]

[...] galloping autonomously. At a speed of 16mph. Two thoughts. First, they should enter the 2014 Sparkfun AVC. Second, I'm incredibly curious about what's involved. Balancing, leg placement. Sounds like [...]

Sparkfun has announced the date and venue for the 2014 Autonomous Vehicle Competition. June 21st at the Boulder Reservoir. Details here. [...]

[...] Dinosaurs and coolers in 2011 SHARC met again on Saturday to discuss our plans for the 2014 Sparkfun AVC. A number of folks new to the AVC and some new to robotics are interested in entering which is [...]

[...] OpenMV Cam, 1.8" x 1.4", final week on Kickstarter If you haven't heard of OpenMV Cam, it's a small machine vision module that's affordable, and the first that runs Python and is [...]

[...] The OpenMV Cam Kickstarter has finally launched. Check it out: http://bit.ly/openmvcam OpenMV Cam: Small, affordable, expandable. Powered by Micro Python. If you hadn't heard, OpenMV Cam is a [...]

[...] classses can follow a line. For air, 36" red balloons are added. Pop them for a bonus (an OpenMV cam might be handy here -- we're planning to build a small batch of prototypes soon). [...]

[...] end of the day taking it out of commission for the rest of the Faire. I also showed off OpenMV Cam to several people. It ran face detection reliably for both days. Next time the Faire is [...]

[...] picture of what, exactly, I'm facing. Crazy, right? Problem: This. To curb. I have rolling trash cans (pictured above) that need to get down the inclined driveway to the curb every Tuesday before 7: [...]

[...] few weeks ago and have since refined it. I've also settled on a better way to grab and tow the trash cans. So here goes. Towing Design Thanks to brilliant input from clever readers, the new design [...]

[...] This is the fun part. Here's what I came up with. Chime in if you have other ideas. Convert the trash cans into robots Put the trash cans on trailer and tow them Lift the trash can and drive it to the [...]

[...] of grabbing and tilting or even lifting the trash can. I'd kind of like to explore turning my trash cans into trailers that the robot can hook up to and drag to the curb. I'm also working with the [...]

[...] A little over a year ago, I converted to Linux Mint 14 for good, leaving Windows (mostly) behind. Despite some initial bumps (and whining for which [...]

[...] I installed Linux Mint 17 and have switched back and forth between Mint 14 and 17 for awhile due to instability in 17. [...]

[...] A year ago I decided to migrate to Linux Mint. The first few weeks were frustrating but I finally overcame. I've made Linux my primary OS for [...]

[...] I'm still working on TOTT Bot, the robot that takes out the trash. I've built a chassis with Actobotics parts, but want to [...]

[...] 't forget and wouldn't care if it's freezing outside. I'm building Take Out The Trash Robot. TOTT Bot, for short. So there. A few of the many Actobotics parts I'm evaluating ServoCity was kind [...]

[...] To be taken out. My trash robot, TOTT Bot, is going to take the trash to the curb for me. I have a clearer picture of the problem from [...]

[...] long last I finished the Trash Bot's chassis. You can build your own Take Out The Trash roBot (TOTT Bot). Just read on to see the design and find out what Actobotics parts I used... I built an initial [...]

[...] is what I always hoped to make myself. It will cost considerably less, you can script it in Micro Python, it supports Serial, SPI, and I2C, and it's easily hackable, based on the popular STM32F4; we [...]

[...] . Check it out: http://bit.ly/openmvcam OpenMV Cam: Small, affordable, expandable. Powered by Micro Python. If you hadn't heard, OpenMV Cam is a small machine vision module that's powered by Micro [...]

[...] 're entering our final week on Kickstarter so don't miss out. Wait. Python? Yes, it runs Micro Python on the module. That means with some simple Python scripts, your project can detect and [...]

[...] board that can stack 2-high (or 3-high if necessary) to stabilize the pogo pins. The Tiny and USB connector (for power) only has to be populated on one of those three boards. The other two boards can [...]

[...] options, for sake of expediency I decided to use one of my eeZee Power USB modules, run a USB connector into the box, and plug the other end into a common 5V phone charger. Building the Enclosure [...]

[...] install the operating system. The debug port is a 3-pin header, next to the Menu button on the USB connector side. pcDuino debug port Data going into the pcDuino is closest to the USB connector (FTDI: [...]

[...] to a stupid mistake I made on my baseboard. Once I hooked it the GPS up to the good UART port, GPS data came streaming in. That's not all Even better, Data Bus completed three runs outside my house [...]

[...] , and may explain what I witnessed in field testing. What's going on? The code is fusing in GPS data before it converges to the correct heading. Also, I'm using a new uBlox GPS with 4Hz update rate [...]