pic: Mobot with familiar parts

[jgannon]

loading photo ...

[Elgin Clock]

Where is Banner sensor #1?

Looks cool. Got any info as to what it is supposed to do, or what it actually does with all those nifty features built in to it?

[jgannon]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

Where is Banner sensor #1?

You aren't the first to ask that. I'm guessing you won't be the last, either. The sensors came pre-numbered when I got them. There is no sensor #1.

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

Looks cool. Got any info as to what it is supposed to do, or what it actually does with all those nifty features built in to it?

There is information about the competition here. Basically, it has to follow a single white line, a la 2004 autonomous, and go down two pretty steep hills in the process. Then it has to navigate through a set of forks in the line. Here is the course layout from 2005. The DIP switches will be used to tell it how to navigate at the decision points.

[Andrew Blair]

So thats where they tested out the CMUcam in the video...

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=cmu+video

[jgannon]

Originally Posted by Andrew Blair

So thats where they tested out the CMUcam in the video...

Yep, that's our mobot course. I'll be darned if I'm going to work with that blasted camera again, though.

[jgannon]

Today was finally the day of the 2006 Mobot race at CMU, and our team won first place in the undergraduate division. Here is a picture of our final product:

Features we've added since last time:
A potentiometer, to calibrate speed settings on the fly.
A wicket sensor (that crazy wire contraption on the front), to count the wickets as it passes through them.
A separate 18V power supply for the Banner sensors, to keep them from dropping out when the motor stalls.
Shielding for the Banner sensors, rings made out of masking and electrical tape.
A cardboard ramp, to keep the shielding from getting stuck on cracks in the sidewalk.
Clever software hacks in lieu of a tilt sensor.

Here is an article about the day's events. I especially like how their spell checker turned "Mobot Slalom" into "Mobot Shalom".

Thank you again to team 330 for their gracious support of our project.

[Greg Marra]

Do you guys have any video of your robot in action?

[jgannon]

Originally Posted by Greg Marra

Do you guys have any video of your robot in action?

http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/jgannon/mobot.wmv

There's a teaser video that I made last week. I haven't had a chance to review today's video yet.

[Dylan]

Why didn't your bot's finish qualify? Looked pretty good to me.
And judging by the video, it worked a heck of a lot better than that stupid line-tracker kit I got from Edmund Scientific (never did work )

[jgannon]

Originally Posted by Dylan

Why didn't your bot's finish qualify? Looked pretty good to me.
And judging by the video, it worked a heck of a lot better than that stupid line-tracker kit I got from Edmund Scientific (never did work )

On the last part of the course, there are decision points that the robot has to handle, which is significantly harder than just following a single line. Our robot missed the transition from gate 12 to 13 (it swung just a little too wide), and that's why we didn't finish.

Edit: Also, in the twelve years that this competition has been held, only one undergraduate team has ever completed the course, so we weren't too disappointed.

[jgannon]

More media coverage, including more action shots:
http://www.thetartan.org/2006/4/24/pillbox/mobots

[Liz Smith]

Its a nice little robot. And, hey, if you ever do need a MechE, you know where to find me.