Afghanistan robot
 

One of our former team members just deployed to Afghanistan. He says:

"One of my sergeants and I are starting on a robotics project, we’ve got some treads and we found some chain and sprockets, I even found a gear box, I’m still looking for another one."

So if anyone knows where there is "another gearbox" over there, holler. :)

I'll keep posting if anything comes of this project. Robot enthusiasts are nuts.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

I know we can send toiletries and other items to the troops....do you think we can send AM trannies?

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

We could donate chain, sprockets, & some motors.

If we could all get more info it sounds like a great way to help keep troops occupied.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

I'll settle for helping them keep safe!

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Being someone who has friends and family abroad (not just in the Middle East) I know what that feels like.

Are they also looking for wheels and such? A list of things they need would be cool.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Being as I've been deployed overseas ...


Let us know where to send it (APO/FPO) and what they really want.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Since the mission of our troops is to protect the civilian population and promote infrastructure building, including schools, why don't we send Mindstorm kits to our people interesting in working with Afghan children. The establishment of FLL teams will also send the message to these children that they are connected with a larger community, a community that shares the desire for their success.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Idk if the military would be the right organization to go through to get that started. They are there to help, but I don't know if they have the ability to interact that much off base.
P.S. The language barrier might make it a bit hard too

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

And I would assume the children in a war torn country won't have the luxury of sitting with too much time developing with creativity... Which is very unfortunate.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

These assumptions are not ours to make.....the only relevant question is who has the time to interface with the children....let's find who those folks are and reach out to them....our job is to inspire....when children realize that the world has more to offer them, they will be less likely to become suicide bombers and more likely to become teachers and engineers....the opportunity is now, not later!

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Now that is very true. I won't assume that. I guess giving them a sense of inspiration even in middle of a war zone (assuming it is since soldiers are present... unless it's some sort of a long outreach project..?) is a good thing..

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

I think a good place to start would be to send them a gearbox or two.:rolleyes:

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

I think an engineer is a bigger threat then a suicide bomber. Just be sure that if we taught them to design and build, we also taught them the ethics that go with it.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Now THAT is an assumption, and if you don't mind, a very ignorant one at that. I hope you realize what I'm saying.

Back on topic...

If the soldiers Mr. Linn is in touch with requested components for their project, we should grant them that first. If Mr. Linn can have his contacts find out the proper channels in order to educate the children of where they are stationed, then we can talk about NXTs when that time comes.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

I apologize to any and all that I might have offended. I really wasn't meaning to generalize. I was just remarking that a kid we teach today, could be an enemy tomorrow. That is where we need to make sure we inspire as well as teach.

Sorry for implications,
Jason

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Something tells me that other troops who see the robot will think "Oh cool, let's go blow some s*** up!". Or, if the robot gets left behind, other troops who come in after the ones who built it will think the same thing.

So if we send them some AM transmissions, let's please remove the AM stickers and labels. I think it'd be very interesting to see just how tough the toughbox and toughbox nanos are though...

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Here are some pictures from Camp Leatherneck and the area:

http://www.duggback.com/world_news/C..._Big_Pictures/

Hopefully Nathan will be able to get on this thread and communicate directly. He has what amounts to dial-up access. Plus, he has a job to do keeping the generators going.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Would kit of parts frame material be helpful. We have one maybe two kits still in the box that we could donate to this cause. I don't know if this would be to big to ship over there, If this helps let me know.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

He's a generator mechanic, so he has access to various things. He did say he found some treads and chain/sprockets, but I have no idea what they have in mind. Just have to wait and see.

I'm sure that he'll need some speed controllers and a control system. That's not something you find laying around just anywhere.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Control System MIGHT be, I'll look into it. Would the old 883s and an old IFI system work? But depending on what they want to do with it might be worth putting together a custom control system using something a little longer range (Zigbee comes to mind) which could be done cheaper than the IFI system at a cost to the power of it.

Specifics, I am going to guess they would need 2 speed controllers and a full control system including joysticks and radio equipment. Anything else?

Anyway, I'll see if I can find an old control system that would be able to be donated or look into the cost of a custom one. If we can swing a control system I just ask that we get a picture of the finished product (posted on CD would be fine). :)

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

I appreciate all the interest and we'll see what can be worked out. Keep in mind that these guys are WAY out there and don't have a lot of leisure time. I'm inclined to see what they can scrounge and cob together as a base platform and go from there.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Greetings! I am the said deployed Marine of this thread.

I'm not asking for a kit or anything major, just looking for some electronics that I won't be able to find out here. We haven't decided exactly what this bot is going to do, but we're going to start with making a drive train, tread driven(that's all we have currently). Haven't figured out motors yet, there's some winch motors which I'm sure would have ample torque for the task, I'm still searching for a wiper motor (looks like the window motor with a worm gear in the FIRST kits). I found a gearbox witha 1.84 ratio, don't know what it went to, but it had chain and sprockets attached. I'm hoping they throw another one away soon. There isn't much to choose from, but I think I've got most the hardware that is required already out here. We're still seeing if we can get enough scrap together to make this hunk of junk (literally) come together and work. It's 4:15 am here, I'll be busy for the next couple weeks, so I've got a kink in the project for a little bit. There are issues that I need to work out too, most things around here are 24VDC, not 12 since that's what all the vehicles batteries are, so I've gotta make sure all that will work too.

I'm looking for a controller (an old IFI controller would be a godsend),two joysticks and couple speed controllers, a copy of the software to program said controller, and any ideas on making the latter work with Windows 7. I don't want to ask for much, but my preference would be one that is programmed in C. If not, I can figure it out. I'm still figuring out a couple things like circuit breakers, etc. I figure I might order some from radio shack or online.

Oh, of course there will be picture of the finished product, probably video, and I wouldn't doubt there will be at least one case of an out of control, stuck in autonomous, HOLY-CRAP-CUT-THE-POWER-IT'S-GONNA-KILL-SOMEBODY robot.


It took me an entire hour to register, confirm and get the link for the picture on my sig from another forum I'm on. I haven't been on a connection this slow since the 20th century, haha.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Oops double posted somehow. But I figured I would add that this is a purely recreational thing to occupy time when there's nothing to do (happens more than you think). So ranges and things would be well, about as far as a regulation FIRST playing field is more than enough.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

I'll see what I can find as far as controllers/oi/speed controllers/breaker panels go.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Nathan,

I hope your doing well. This seems like a really good idea.

If you need help with programming or teaching it to the students over there just contact me by email (rodipj@vcu.edu) or by my aim. I'll walk you through it and give you some demo codes. I'll also try to get you a copy of the software which I should have lying around.

As for a microcontroller, I think Mr. C has given most of ours to other teams. I'll keep an eye out for one and try to figure out if anyone that I know around Richmond has any extra.

Keep me posted about what's going on with this.

Thanks,
Paul Rodi

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

I'm pretty sure they will need 883's for the speed controllers as they will take 24v if you change the fan. The RC / OI will need a voltage regulator to drop the 24v to 12v. So, a LM7812 that can handle 1-2A should do it.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Apparently the Black Jaguars can do 24V too, but they aren't for sale yet.


EDIT: I just finished checking, it would only take a couple of hours to make a PD 24V compliant. We could get a 2009/2010 control system running at 24V pretty easily, with the right modifications.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Nathaaaaan :)
tis my brother, You can send toiletries and stuff to him. Im pretty sure you can send just about anything to him except Purel Hand sanitizer (apparently its alcohol content is too high haha) So sending robot part would confuse people, but it should be allowed. If you are interested in sending him or the marines he's stationed with supplies email me at Katwaters91@yahoo.com

Other than gearboxes he wants: Candy, (chocolate isnt the greatest idea due to the temperatures), games, and anything to prevent boredom.

-Mario

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

As a Engineer that has recently spent two year at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan. This is the main Air Force Base north of Kabul (the capital city). They have a military robotics operations there. As far as individuals making robots, I do not think this would be a good idea unless it was properly supervised to insure that no ideas or drawing or components got into the hands of the people that are using IED (Improvides Explosive Devices) to kill or injure the military soldiers trying to free the Afghanistan Nation from the Taliban or Al-Quida. These people are vey resourceful in items that they use. They could use robots to carry explosives into and maybe thru the barriers the protect the forces over there. You may think that I maybe paranoid, but I have seen many thing while over there. I do hop that one day we can have robotic teams from Afghanistan and other countries from the middle east perticapating in FIRST.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Dream crusher :(

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Nathan is in a 443 acre camp in a 3 square mile secure area out in the middle of the "Desert of Death". There are thousands of Marines there, probably more than a few big mean ones. :D I think it is a pretty secure facility.

Hey there, Mario Gal! You doing OK? Nathan did get to hang out here at the house a couple times before he left.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

History tells us that nothing is really secure.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Yes. I appreciate that more than most. Read my signature line carefully.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Update from Nate:

I’ve got an update on our parts scavenging. We found a box originally used to control a camera. Contained inside (the box was brand new, too) was a 12VDC motor with a 4:1 tranny, a 24VDC motor with a 3:1 tranny. Don’t know how fast they spin or what their output is, but we’ll figure it out. Also we got 4 limit switches, 2 sensors that measure how far the sprocket has traveled, a circuit board, and there is a voltage regulator that controls 24V to 12V, but I haven’t figured out exactly where it is. If it’s on the board it could get interesting. This thing was a miniature goldmine for hardware. Got some really small chain and sprockets, 2 worm gears, and some bearings too. We’re going to look for another one so we’ll have two 12V motors and then test their capabilities to see if we can use them as drive motors. We’ve got the drive wheel and the tread itself drawn up in CAD, just need to put a few more components in and we can design the drivetrain/chassis right there in the computer with full 360 degree views of a 3D model. There’s tube stock aluminum over there, though it seemed a little thin to be a good frame material in my opinion. I’ll send a flashdrive or a CD with pictures and our design as we progress. The search for parts is coming along nicely and we’ve got some good prospects on where we might find another one of these boxes.

-Nathan
-------------------- -----------------
Keep in mind folks, this is a project to keep them occupied in the off hours while they are stationed in a flat, featureless desert camp. I hope they don't start swiping parts off an Abrams tank or something. :yikes:

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Alright. I was finally able to get the reply page to load, so this post may get long again.

We're currently in the process of designing the drivetrain and chassis in a CAD program on one of our personal computers. In theory we'll have a 3D model as we build.
I know these descriptions are vague, because my knowlege of the components is only what's printed on them.
-----------------------------------
As of now we currently have:

A set of treads and all the necessessary wheels to drive them.
1 24VDC motor on a worm gear (window motor) rpm/torque/hp unknown
1 12VDC motor with 4:1 gearbox attached, rpm/torque/hp unknown
1 24VDC motor with 3:1 gearbox attached, rpm/torque/hp unknown
1 Gearbox 1:1.84 ratio, output shaft is perpendicular to input
Sprockets and chain, large and small. Not enough to complete project.
2 worm gears
3 bearings with the possibility of being used on axles
4 limit switches
2 Potentiometers
1 circuit board with about 6 capacitors among other components that would be difficult to desolder/remove
1 switch that will most likely serve as a main power switch
1 voltage regulator 24VDC to 12VDC (I'm still finding it, but I know it exists for the 12V motor with the gearbox) Not sure if it works yet or not, but it likely does.
12VDC batteries 880 cca
There's more than enough scrap metal in usable condition available to us as well. Getting things like keyed rods is more tedious, but available.
---------------------------------------------------------------
I think there was a little confusion (my fault) when I said that everything was 24VDC. We have 12V batteries, but most things run on 24V. Yes, that means almost everything has two batteries wired in series. Since total output voltage =24VDC, most the components such as motors are 24VDC. If there's anything that runs on less voltage, it has to be stepped down at the component.

Our design is looking to incorporate a set of treads (think tanks anyone?)

two large wheels-1 drive, 1 roller
1 small roller wheel between the two which will hopefully be on a strut to move up and down with the terrain

Dimensions:
length of tread with wheels in place: ~32 inches
Height of tread with wheels in place: ~12 inches
---------------------------------------
The treads will be the outside of the bot, no outer frame rail if I can help it. I think it will probably be just wider than it is long. We're going to try to build an arm or some sort of manipulator when we finish the drivetrain.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

On we would never do anything like that. The camera box that was practically new was damaged. It suffered some sort of trauma that caused all 4 of the screws attaching it to the mount to be sheared clean off, which also caused some internal damage, but it seemed to be practically new otherwise.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Nathan said they have enough games now, He would like snacks such as:

Nip Chee (its a cracker by Lance)
peanut butter crackers
and any kind of snack you may take for granted over here.

:)

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

AND GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!!!! he loves Samoas.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

This just in:

"...Christmas wasn’t too bad and New Year’s was pretty good we had a fire in our burn barrel and made s’mores....."

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Good for them! :) Anything to take thier mind off of where they are and what they are up against .................if only for a short time.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

All of this is great and such but don't you think they may be a little difficult to ship? With everything that is going on in that region and with what happened here in Michigan at Christmas, security is high. If the military sees gears and motors, electronics and such, there may be trouble. Heck I couldn't even send canned vegetables to Canada. They destroyed everything.

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

If we sent them a few parts they could mount thier M-4's on thier robot and it could keep them occupied and safe!

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

that makes sense homie g in the hizzle

Re: Afghanistan robot
 

Eh, the whole thing kind of fizzled out when we had no controller for it, if anybody sent parts that I haven't recieved I'll ship 'em back when I get them, but I moved to a different FOB (Forward Operating Base) and we never started building. I'm going to send back the parts I have and probably do something in my spare time, lots of spare time.