11 2003 PDF

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Vol. 1 No. 1
SERVO MAGAZINE
LIGHTS, SOUND, ACTUATION Robots In The Movies
November 2003
Circle #106 on the Reader Service Card. Circle #32 on the Reader Service Card.
SERVO 11.2003 79
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SERVO 11.2003 79
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features
11.2003
8 STARS OF THE
Photo by Giles Keyte SILVER SILKSCREEN
16 ALWAYS ON ROBOTICS
71 NEURONS FOR ROBOTS
74 WHAT WOULD YOU TRUST

A ROBOT TO DO?
Cover Photo by Keith Hamshere.

Lucasfilm & . All rights reserved.
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4 SERVO 11.2003
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table of contents Vol. 1 No. 1
Robosaurus
Coming 12.2003 in SERVO
projects columns departments

34 Low Cost Sound Sensor 6 Mind/Iron 6 Publisher’s Info
38 Battery Fuel Gauge 21 Ask Mr. Roboto 30 New Products
42 Hexatron - Part 1 24 GeerHead 33 Robot Bookstore
52 SOZBOTS - Part 2 29 Menagerie 65 Robotics Showcase
56 The Head Tracker 62 Robytes 78 Advertiser’s Index
64 Events Calendar
66 Robotics Resources
78 Appetizer
SERVO 11.2003 5
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y friend Dave has an Email inspire arguments at your next
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digitize a sample from the heuristics, there is no facet of Dan Danknick
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Although we started working electronics inventor in New Rosa Gutierrez
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ago, the foundation was laid last high school, or an MIT professor
year when the first Amateur working in the private sector — DATA ENTRY
Robotics Supplement showed up we are striving to become the Karla Thompson
with the June issue of Nuts & Federal Reserve Bank of the Dixie Moshy
Volts Magazine. It wasn't that we robotics movement. Every project
produced it — but rather that you, presents an obvious benefit in OUR PET ROBOTS
the hobbyist and technologist, addition to a covert one. We only Guido
consumed it. So like the skips of a ask that you show up with a Mifune
stone upon water that grow willingness to think.
closer, our publication dates But if you wish to interact, we Copyright 2003 by
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ROBOTS WITH CHARACTER. ROBOTS ENHANCED.
by Ed Driscoll, Jr.
he movie industry has long author of Hal's Legacy (MIT Press, the end of Forbidden Planet, as he
T been fascinated with robots,

dating back to shortly after
the word was coined. In a way, it's
ISBN: 0262692112) has noted,
"Science fiction is often about the
time it's written, more than the time
pilots the “United Planets” spacecraft
home to Earth, it's clear he's one of
the good guys, and well accepted by
not all that surprising given robots' it's depicting." the crew.
theatrical origin: The word robot was (Obviously, as we move forward, Of course, Robbie requires a cer-
first used in 1920 by Czechoslovakian we're going to overlook some favorite tain suspension of disbelief from the
author Karel Capek, who derived it movie and TV robots in this piece — audience — his anthropomorphic
from robota — a Czech word meaning there just isn't time to go over every shape makes it fairly obvious that
serf or slave. When Capek's play robot to clank through a soundstage. there's a man inside him. Zack Bieber,
about the dehumanization of man, But hopefully we won't miss too owner of The Machine Lab
R.U.R. (short for Rossum's Universal many of the milestones.) (www.themachinelab.com), says
Robots), was translated into English, that in addition to the limitations of
the word robot was quickly absorbed Robbie: The Man in movie special effects, “Robots need-
into the English language. ed to be human-like to install any kind
The first movie robot appeared the Polypropylene of emotion in the audience. You
shortly thereafter — "Maria" from Fritz Suit know the robot is angry when it
Lang's 1927 epochal film Metropolis. bangs its fist into the spaceship,
If her slender golden shape reminds Robots largely took a back seat in because that's something that a
you of another robot who made his the movies until the 1950s, when a human would do. So to convey that
cinematic debut 50 years later, consid- variety of forces converged to allow emotion, you had to depict something
er the words of Ralph McQuarrie the decade that brought us The Man that the viewer could relate to.”
(www.ralphmcquarrie.com), the In The Gray Flannel Suit to also bring
industrial artist George Lucas hired to us men in the oversized molded Life Inside a Machine
create the initial illustrations that polypropylene suits, including one of
helped sell Star Wars to 20th Century the most famous movie robots: Perhaps the first great change in
Fox. “George talked about C-3P0 as Robbie. what a robot could look like occurred
being a robot that looked similar to As Peter Abrahamson, (home.pa in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film, 2001:
the Metropolis robot in Fritz Lang's cbell.net/roninsfx) the founder of A Space Odyssey, which to many crit-
film. Well, that was a girl, George Ronin Special Effects (and a fine robot ics (and fans alike) is not only the
said, make it a boy.” In a way, C-3P0's builder himself) says, “I really enjoy greatest science fiction film ever
popularity has helped bolster robots that have character, and that's made, but a watershed moment in
Metropolis' popularity because of the one of the reasons why I love Robbie so movie history.
connection between the two robots. much. Because Robbie was great, even Kubrick wanted to show how
Metropolis' theme of oppressed though he was a robot, he really had a man evolved from primitive apes
workers in stifling cities was very certain coolness to him. He had a (with a powerful assist from a God-
much in keeping with many of the great character about him.” Robbie's like monolith) to his present form.
concerns of 1920s intellectuals, as character is enhanced by the tension Kubrick gave his audiences two possi-
communism had only recently created by his somewhat menacing ble successors to mankind: HAL, a
become a reality in the Soviet Union, black form and booming mechanical sentient super-computer, and the
and fascism would soon be on the voice, and his initial ambivalence as a Nietzsche-inspired "Superman" (no
rise as well. Of course, as David Stork character — until the end of the film, relation to Clark Kent) that Keir
(http://rii.ricoh.com/~stork), the it's hard to tell whose side he's on. By Dullea's Dave Bowman character
SERVO 11.2003 9
Photo by Keith Hamshere
evolves into at the end of the film. al computer became a reality.

HAL, who controls the Discovery The first big change occurred in
— the film's main spacecraft — is essen- 1972's Silent Running. As a film, it's
tially an intelligent robot that the aged rather badly — its somber eco-ter-
astronauts live inside of. (In a way, he rorist plot may have seemed hip in the
anticipates the world of The Matrix, early 1970s, but now feels dangerous-
where the Earth's entire civilization ly realistic. But as a repository for bril-
exists inside a supercomputer.) HAL liant special effects, Silent Running is
originally began life as a mobile robot, hard to top. Its three 'drones' — Huey,
but given the limits of mid-1960s spe- Dewey, and Louie — were arguably the
cial effects, and Kubrick's fear that first movie robots to not look like men
2001 would resemble previous science in rubber suits.
fiction films, “I think from a cinematic Of course, that's exactly what
point of view, it's just far more effec- they were — Douglas Trumbull, the
tive to be enveloped in the computer,” film's director, hired three actors who
David Stork notes, than it is to have it had lost their legs, and then designed
as another actor playing a robot that is the plastic costumes around their bod-
alongside the characters onscreen. ies. Once encased in them, the actors
walked on their hands, which were in
Silent Running the rubber and plastic feet of the
robot costumes. It's an amazingly real-
Through the Empire istic effect that holds up quite well.
Hal was the springboard for sever- Silent Running's three drones
al robots in the 1970s that began to became the inspiration for one of the
look less and less like men as their most popular movie robots of all time
shapes diversified. Not coincidentally, — R2-D2. Along with his companion,
this was also the decade that high- the equally famous C-3P0, R2 and he
tech began to play an increasing role are the non-human glue that holds all
in real life, as robots began showing of the Star Wars films together.
up on assembly lines, and the person- In fact, it's interesting to compare
10 SERVO 11.2003
R2 and C-3P0, and their audience 1751, and is based on the Greek word
acceptance: the heroic, brave “Artoo,” androeides, which means, not surpris-
who constantly saves the day in the Star ingly, “manlike.”
Wars films (even getting "killed" and In the 1980s, man-like androids
rebuilt at the end of Episode IV) is far were featured in the first three Alien
more popular than the prissy, cowardly films, the 1983 cult classic Blade
C-3P0, even though C-3P0 has an obvi- Runner, The Terminator films, and on
ously human shape, and can speak TV, with Mr. Data in Star Trek: The Next
English. And the sprightly Huey, Dewey, Generation, who later made the jump
and Louie steal Silent Running right out to the movies, along with the rest of
from Bruce Dern's morose character. the Next Generation cast.
It's probably not a coincidence that
The 1980s: The these androids became popular just as
the postmodern crowd began asking
Decade of the what exactly man was — did he have a
Android soul? Or was he merely a machine him-
self?
Inspired by the success of the first Of course, fans of movie special
Star Wars trilogy, the 1980s sparked an effects would argue that these androids
explosion of science fiction in the began appearing in the movies not
movies and on TV, and with it, came because of trendy po-mo philosophiz-
several interesting robotic characters. ing, but because movie special effects
In contrast to the non-human robot- became sophisticated enough to create
ic stars of the 1970s, the 1980s saw a effects such as the metallic skeleton
trend of robots designed to pass for underneath Arnold Schwarzenegger's
humans. In other words — androids. Terminator character, and the even
In the Star Wars films, the word more impressive liquid metal of the
“droid,” an abbreviation of android, is
used to refer to all of the robots
onscreen, no matter what their form.
But according to Webster's dictionary,
the word “android” dates back even
further than the word “robot,” to circa
Photo by Lisa Tomasetti
SERVO 11.2003 11
shape shifting terminators played by up with the name Data, despite the fact
Robert Patrick in T2 and the beautiful that just about everybody else hated it.”
Kristanna Loken in T3. Fortunately, the audience didn't seem
Perhaps the most beloved android is to mind Data's name. And like Spock,
Star Trek: The Next Generation's Mr. Data because Data allows us to see mankind
who, like HAL, is an intelligent, sentient from an outsider's viewpoint, Data
machine. But unlike HAL and the became a science fiction superstar — even
Terminator robots who apparently feel if he never did quite become a man.
they are superior beings, Data, like
Pinocchio, wants to be human. At first The 1990s: Is Life But a
glance, Data's Pinocchio-like quest appears
to be a Blade Runner homage. But David Dream?
Gerrold (www.gerrold.com), the science The postmodernists of the 1980s
fiction author who created the much-loved debated “what is man” with android char-
tribbles for the original Star Trek, and acters like Data. Movie postmodernists of
helped develop The Next Generation, says the 1990s could argue, "what is reality?"
that “The most likely antecedent was because by the late 1990s, digital special
Gene's show, The Questor Tapes,” a failed effects radically changed the scope of
TV pilot written by Star Trek's creator Gene what movies could present.
Roddenberry in the mid-1970s. The Matrix trilogy takes 2001's theme
Gerrold, who has two books, The Man of living in a spaceship controlled by a
Who Folded Himself and The Martian Child computer to its ultimate conclusion: What
(both recently released in trade paperback) if your very existence is an illusion created
says, “We wanted a character who would by a computer? The result is a wild ride, as
take on the responsibilities of Spock, but inside the Matrix, the human characters
we didn't want another Vulcan. So we such as Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity fight
decided to do the opposite of Spock-an holographic androids in the form of Agent
android who would be like Pinocchio. He Smith and his cohorts. And outside the
Photo by Sue Adler wants to become a 'real boy.' Gene came Matrix, our intrepid trio fights the evil-look-
12 SERVO 11.2003
ing robotic Sentinels. All of which are of years in the future, after mankind
controlled by a central computer, is extinct. Of course, our current level
which uses humans as “living batter- of technology is nowhere near David,
ies.” (Or at least that's what we know Hal, R2, or the Matrix (I think … say,
from the first two movies. The last who was that fellow in the black suit
film in the trilogy, Matrix Revolutions, and tie clip following me last night??)
hasn't been released at the time this But robots, as this new magazine
article is being written, and promises demonstrates, are increasingly all
additional mind-blowing plot twists.) around us. And artificial intelligence
will be a reality as well — someday.
The Evolution But as David Stork notes, “It's going
to be many, many decades. Or as
Continues John McCarthy said, it will either be
Based on a concept developed within four, or four hundred years,
by Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg's and it depends on getting two
A.I. is a maddeningly inconsistent Einsteins and three Von Neumanns-
film, but it shows a world in which you can't predict it; it could be soon,
robots are evolving far faster than or might not be.”
man is. David, the Pinocchio-like boy In any case, the movies have given
played by the charismatic young us a wonderful sneak preview into
actor Haley Joel Osment, is years our biomechanical future. S
beyond our current technology. But
by the end of the film, he meets up (c) Lucasfilm & TM. All rights reserved.
with even more advanced robots, Digital work by Industrial Light & Magic.
which control planet Earth thousands
Photo by Giles Keyte
SERVO 11.2003 13
Inside The World's

Most Popular Droid
R2-D2 is such a popular movie robot, then the front foot is a caster. For the head
and so beloved by many readers of Nuts & turn, we just directly attached a big chunky
Volts and Servo, that we wanted to inter- servo, and it works pretty well.”
view the man who controls him, to find Ever since Episode I, Bies has used
out exactly what's going on underneath Futaba 9ZAP nine channel model airplane
R2's silver and blue dome. radio control units to operate R2. Essentially
Don Bies (www.starwars.com/bio/ stock, their batteries have been replaced by
donbies.html) began with Industrial Light Makita batteries for longer life.
and Magic in 1987 as a puppeteer on The “We have a Vantec speed control
Witches of Eastwick, and later that year (www.vantec.com) to control the
joined Lucasfilm Ltd., as R2-D2's operator motors. It drives off of one stick, and it's
for a series of Japanese commercials. Since done through the Futaba radio transmitter.
then, he's controlled R2 on each of the lat- So I can just push this one stick forward
est trilogy of Star Wars films, including its and the robot runs forward. And if I push
final chapter (apparently titled, if you it backward, it goes back, and left goes
believe the Internet rumors, Star Wars: left, and right goes right, as opposed to
Episode III: An Empire Divided, which obvi- having two stick controls, as in a tank
ously is subject to change), due for release drive.”
in May of 2005. As he's in Australia, shoot-
ing that film's live action sequences, we Back to the Future
“Hey, this R2 unit of your seems a bit spoke with Bies by phone. While the current Stars Wars trilogy
beat up. Do you want a new one?” Bies says that mechanically, R2 is actu- features gobs of cutting-edge digital tech-
“Not on your life! That little droid and ally quite simple. “We've got two wheel- nology, much of its production design
I have been through a lot together.” chair motors in the left and right foot. And owes its lineage to the first round of Star
14 SERVO 11.2003
Wars films, back when movie special cent of R2's character comes out of the needed a two-legged R2 for a shot, it
effects were far less sophisticated. sounds that they put in later, so you get all would typically be me just hiding behind,
While R2's basic shape came from the those movements in with the bleep or the or underneath it wiggling it around when
seminal illustrations that George Lucas had sad whistle or whatever.” necessary, with a radio-controlled head
painted by industrial artist Ralph McQuarrie, that we put on it, so that it could turn its
his design was finalized by John Stears, who The Man Inside Artoo head back and forth.”
headed the British on-stage special effects Of course, R2 has another handler — Bies says that it was out of courtesy to
department of Star Wars' original sound- since the mid-1970s, three foot, eight inch Baker that Lucas allowed him to control R2
stage — EMI's Elstree studios. tall Kenny Baker (www.kennybaker.co.uk) for one shot in Episode II. And Bies is sure
The many documentaries made dur- has often been inside of him. In the origi- Baker will be inside R2 for a shot or two in
ing the shooting of those first Star Wars nal films, in most shots where R2 was Episode III, as well. The films just wouldn't
films featured numerous shots of radio shown waddling on two legs, Baker was look right without Baker getting a screen
controlled R2s crashing into walls, or sim- inside. For George Lucas and the rest of the credit for portraying R2.
ply refusing to move on cue. Bies admits original Star Wars production team, having And digital effects are reducing Bies's
that the original R2s “had a lot of prob- an actor inside of Artoo was often far more role with R2, as well. “On Episode II, some-
lems, because the R/C technology at the reliable than the R/C controls of the time. body did a shot count, and there were
time was pretty much in its infancy. But For better or worse, technology has something like 96 R2 shots in the film, and
since then, the radio control units them- rendered Baker increasingly superfluous to 14 of them were digital R2s, there was one
selves have become very, very stable.” the latest trilogy. “Kenny's been used less Kenny shot, and then the rest were me
The stability of those controls allows and less,” according to Bies, “partially with the radio controlled units. With
Bies to effectively think like an actor when because of the stability and the reliability Episode III, it's too early to tell, but R2 has
he's on set, “to a certain extent. I don't of the R2 units, and partially because R2 is a bigger role in the film, and has more
want to sound like I'm doing brain surgery going more in the digital route. In Episode action sequences, so there will probably
or anything,” because R2 is “so limited in I, Kenny was in the film a fair amount, end up being more digital shots of R2 in
what it can do — the head can turn, and whenever there's a two-legged version. In the picture.”
we have the little holographic eye that Episode II, we didn't use Kenny at all in Of course, whether he's radio con-
moves up and down, so you can get a lit- Australia — we were able to do everything trolled, actor controlled, or digital, R2 will
tle motion out of that. I think that 90 per- with the radio-controlled units. And if we always be a hero to movie fans.
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The RDFR47E 55V 75A per motor unit pictured above.
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SERVO 11.2003 15
Gilbertson.qxd 10/8/2003 10:35 PM Page 16
Power Challenges
In “Always On”
Robotics
by Roger Gilbertson
Introduction between our imagination and what we can successfully

build.
Science fiction stories have always set the standards for To understand that challenge, picture a simple modern
what people expect from "real" robotic creations. Books and robot capable of "living" around your home. Assume it can
movies like I, Robot, Silent Running, and Short Circuit por- run for six hours on a set of four AA batteries. Operating 24
tray robots that exhibit intelligence, resourcefulness, autono- hours a day, 7 days a week, and using regular alkaline cells,
my, self-preservation and other sophisticated behaviors. it would need a total of 5,840 batteries per year!
Consider the famous odd couple from the Star Wars If the same robot used rechargeable batteries (a big cost
series — R2-D2 and C-3PO. They navigate their environments, savings, for sure) at four battery changes a day, you would
communicate with each other, and plan rescues of them- perform 1,460 swaps per year — more than the number of
selves and their human counterparts. Even though we find meals you'll consume in the same time. With the robot requir-
these fantasy robots captivating and compelling, their high ing this kind of attention, you'd have to wonder who's the
level abilities do not exist in present day robots, but remain servant and who's the master!
the exclusive domain of "living systems." So to significantly reduce the amount of "routine" atten-
Witness the long and thus-far fruitless efforts to create tion a robot requires from humans, our mission lies in finding
true "artificial intelligence." Even "Deep Blue," IBM's special- ways to endow the robot with the ability to reliably care for
ized chess playing computer which soundly defeated human its own power needs.
chess champ Garry Kasparov in 1997, has nothing near the
abilities of the fictional HAL 9000 computer in the classic Four Paths to Robot Power
motion picture 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The many assumptions — both stated and unstated — Let's step back and take a look at the four general ways
that lurk behind science fiction robots provide robot builders that autonomous robots handle their needs for power here
with many daunting challenges. Consider the issue of power. at the start of the 21st century.
Power Challenge Path 1 — Live Fast, Die Young

Robots on this path use power at whatever rate they
In the classic TV series Lost In Space, robot B-9 had its need, but they neither sense nor "worry" about their reserves
own station aboard the Jupiter 2 spaceship and regularly running out. When the batteries ultimately do die, so do the
returned there for recharging. robots.
Likewise, R2-D2 never exhibited a "low battery" condition Most small and "toy" type robots use this approach. They
in the middle of a battle, or at any other time. The plucky lit- generally can continue operating even as their power levels
tle Astromech droid routinely located and accessed informa- drop, though they may move more slowly as this happens.
tion ports conveniently placed throughout the Death Star
and other Empire facilities. Though never directly explained in Path 2 — Spend What You Earn
the movie, droids like R2 evidently could also recharge them- These more frugal types of robots carry solar cells to
selves as needed, without human intervention. charge a storage device, then when they have gathered suf-
So the challenge that we as robot builders face in trying ficient reserves they move, sometimes just in small jumps. Of
to "make the future come true" lies in bridging the gap course, when the sun or other light source stops shining, the
16 SERVO 11.2003
robots stop too. When the light returns, they continue.

Solar powered B.E.A.M.-type robots use this approach
to great success, but power availability generally limits their
size, since larger robots usually need more power. (All
other factors remaining equal, as robot size increases the
mass goes up by the third power, but solar panel area
increases only by the second power.)
Over the past 10 years, Sweden's major appliance
company — Husqvarna — has fielded several models of
solar powered lawn mowers to generally positive reviews.
Resembling large beetles, the mowers exhibit flat top sur-
faces covered in solar cells, and undersides with small
whirling blades that continuously nibble at the lawn as OctoBot
fresh off the
they careen randomly around the yard. A "perimeter wire" charger.
emitting a faint radio signal limits their zone of operation.
Path 3 — Do Your Thing, Then Call 911 Unfortunately, only a very small percentage of contem-
As this kind of robot loses its charge, falling power lev- porary robots have the ability to tend to their own recharg-
els can dramatically affect its performance, causing slowed ing. Some home, entertainment, and garden robots can,
motions, delayed responses, and endangering its circuitry, but they all carry prices well over $1,000.00. High perform-
its memory, and even nearby life forms. ance seems to carry a high price.
To protect the robot itself from dangerous "brown out" Given the low cost of powerful microprocessors, and
conditions, as well as anything in the nearby environment the wide availability of functional robot platforms, how can
(including robot inventors) from spastic or intermittent we create a self-charging robot system priced within reach
behaviors, microprocessor controlled circuits often include of hobbyists and experimenters?
low-voltage detectors that shut the machine down before This observation prompted my associates and I to
processing errors can occur. develop and produce the OctoBot Survivor, the first self-
All Path 3 robots monitor their own power levels, and recharging robot kit for hobbyists and experimenters
then modify their behaviors to conserve energy, compen- priced at under $200.00.
sate for slowed motors, etc. When voltages become too
low to operate properly, the robot may sound an alert, The OctoBot Survivor Story
light an LED, or ask for assistance in some other way. Then,
a human must step in and either provide power or return Starting in the fall of 2002, the design team from
the robot to an appropriate charging station. Mondo-tronics and I began exploring the options available
Many "home and garden" robots such as vacuum for building a self-charging robot so that students, hobby-
cleaners and lawn mowers indicate their power levels via ists, and experimenters could begin testing the boundaries
colored LEDs. Then they "rely on the kindness of strangers" of self-charging robots. For convenience and familiarity, we
to assist in their recharging process. started our project with many parts literally "off the shelf"
While this kind of robot offers better performance from our RobotStore.com warehouse. Items such as the
than those having no means to compensate for declining Twin Motor Gearbox and wide rubber tires from Tamiya,
power reserves, a robot that monitors its own power levels the Mini Dual H-bridge Driver Circuit, the Infrared Proximity
still depends on a human being in the life support cycle. Detector circuit, and others proved handy in creating work-
Nonetheless, such robots have some awareness of their
own condition, and that puts them just a step away from
autonomously caring for their own needs.
Path 4 — Robot Feed Thyself!

When a living creature gets hungry, it seeks out food.
Plants turn towards light, and large creatures eat smaller
ones. All living creatures survive due to this essential abili-
ty to sense their own low energy and find sources to
replenish their reserves. Since an autonomous robot
already has the ability to navigate through its world, why
should it not also seek out and acquire its own power? It
seems like a small jump, but in the past, too few robots
have attempted to do just this. One can't help but wonder
if more of the early robots had incorporated this ability that
they might still be on duty today.
SERVO 11.2003 17
— a compact battery charging-and-monitoring circuit.

Another long time associate, Ed Severinghaus, contributed
the designs for the battery charging system, and related
power systems.
Once we worked out and tested the circuits, I began
the layout of the main circuit board and many smaller sup-
porting boards, and prepared the documentation and
related materials.
Creature Features
As hobbyists ourselves, we wanted to include a great
deal of expandability into the OctoBot. First of all, we
added a 24-pin DIP socket for a Stamp 2 processor and
included connections from it to all of the sensors, and a
Opening the top reveals NiMH batteries direct line to the OctoBot's PIC brain. On start up, the PIC
(green) and 20-pin expansion header. briefly "listens" to the socket, and if a Stamp responds, the
PIC defers to the Stamp for commands. In this mode, the
ing prototypes to test our initial concepts. PIC remains very active, performing "low level" tasks such as
Once we had a basic system working, our long time movements, seeking the charger, reporting on the battery
collaborator and experimenter extraordinaire, Zach condition and such, thus freeing up the Stamp program for
Radding, began writing the software routines. The outline bigger tasks.
for the brain's function went as follows: The OctoBot also has two expansion ports to support
On a full charge, the OctoBot will select one of two user-added circuitry. A 20-pin header rests at the center of
modes: phototropic mode (active / "happy"), or photopho- the robot, and follows the Stamp Expansion Header format
bic (not as active / "sad"). On a battery low condition, the from Parallax, Inc., makers of the BASIC Stamp processors.
OctoBot will seek the charging station, stop when it makes This header gives easy access to all the sensor signals and
contact with the station, and leave the station when the the PIC processor, so that add-on boards can take control (in
batteries are charged. the same way as the Stamp 2 socket), or can carry out other
Initially, the design called for two LEDs as the only out- functions.
put indicators, but Zach pushed for the addition of a small The second, smaller expansion port on the bottom side
speaker as a way to "bring a little more life into the bot." provides power, ground, and four of the unassigned
We agreed to that, as long as the noises sounded pleasant input/output lines. This port makes it easy to add circuits for
rather than annoying. line following, edge detection, shaft encoders, and more.
During the "happy" and "sad" modes, we wanted the For our own development purposes, we first added an LCD
robot to exhibit a variety of behaviors such as object avoid- display to the 20-pin header, so that our programs could
ance, light seeking, dark seeking, wall following, and ran- report on their conditions. We've since added RF modems,
dom wandering. Zach created routines for making "emo- sonar boards, and a variety of other sensors. These projects
tive" tones that indicate the general state of the robot may make their way into future articles.
(without being annoying).
A PIC 16F876 microprocessor serves as the brain of OctoBot Challenges
the OctoBot. The robot carries six AA-size nickel metal
hydride (NiMH) cells and the Dallas Semiconductor DS2436 Just as a fish finds itself well-adapted for life in water,
but operates poorly on land, a robot's features
and abilities must also match its intended envi-
Block Diagram ronment.
of OctoBot.
The OctoBot lives best in a fairly "safe" envi-
ronment — with clearly visible walls, no sudden
drop-offs, no water hazards or sand traps, and
no narrow objects like chair legs. But the
OctoBot welcomes other obstacles in its envi-
ronment. The IR proximity sensors can detect
nearly anything that reflects infrared light —
cardboard boxes, wood blocks, sheets of paper,
shoes — and experimenters can build their own
complex and interesting environments for their
OctoBot, including light sources, areas of dark
(caves for when exhibiting photophobic behav-
18 SERVO 11.2003
iors), and more.

Also, two or more OctoBots may
even inhabit the same space, since they
can easily detect the protective body
shells of other OctoBots. However, inter-
esting results can occur if two OctoBots
become hungry at the same time and
attempt to share the same charger.
(Darwinism may take over and only the
fittest survive!)
If, for whatever reason, an OctoBot
should find itself running so low on
power that it cannot make it to a charg-
ing station, it will end up "calling for
help" by repeatedly uttering its startup
tones. If not rescued by a human at some point, it will even- Six hours in the life of OctoBot.
tually become too weak to even speak, and shut down until
a human transports its lifeless shell back to a charging sta- charger?
tion. Then, resurrected by a fresh charge, it will continue In the end, we chose a reserve level in the middle of the
with its existence, unimpaired by the experience. range — high enough that the OctoBot should have good
reserves to return from a fair distance away (the beacon
detection system works to about three meters away), yet
OctoBot Choices low enough that the robot does not constantly feel the
Unlike some of the more sophisticated self-charging need to feed.
robots, the OctoBot contains no internal representation of
the world, and no map or knowledge of its surroundings — A Day in the Life of "Asimov"
it does not even store its "mood" but references that "emo-
tion" directly from its battery voltage level. Likewise, the So what does an OctoBot do with its time? For the pur-
OctoBot need not perform any path planning or calculations poses of this article, I enlisted "Asimov," one of our oldest
in order to return to its charger. Instead, it simply wanders and most experienced OctoBots, and attached an RF radio
in search of the charger's IR beacon (using its reflexive link to it so it could wirelessly report its status to a nearby
responses to avoid walls and obstacles along the way). Once PC with an RF receiver. (This might also find its way as the
located, it moves toward the beacon until it makes contact subject of a future article).
with the charger contacts. Then the on-board charging sys- In this way, we recorded all the OctoBot's actions for a
tem monitors the batteries until fully charged (from one to day or so, and then analyzed the results. The pie chart gives
three hours). a summary account of a typical six hour period of its day.
In designing the OctoBot system, we observed some Note how Asimov spends about two thirds of its time
interesting tradeoffs between various design choices. One charging (red). Nearly one third of its time involves doing
situation involves the interplay between the light output various robot tasks around its enclosure (blue), or sitting qui-
level of the IR beacon emitters, the abilities of the robot's etly and blinking its LEDs (green). Notice how little time it
beacon detectors, and the nature of objects in the environ- actually spends in searching for the charger station (tan) —
ment. In some cases, these three factors can combine to about one percent. These results indicate that Asimov
mislead the robot. Specifically, a brighter IR beacon may would probably perform well in a larger enclosure with
allow the OctoBot to find it from farther away, but it also more obstacles, which would make for more interesting
sends light bouncing around to more places (IR reflects very behaviors while wandering, light and dark seeking, etc. This
easily). In a darkened room, the robot can end up searching would result in more challenging charger searches.
for the beacon as if wandering in a house of mirrors — fol-
lowing false reflections away from the charger, and eventu- A Self-Charging Future?
ally dying a slow death chasing the "ghosts" of the beacon.
Another design interplay comes in setting the reserve The OctoBot Survivor kit gives hobbyists and experi-
level of the robot's battery pack. An OctoBot that never ven-
tures too far from its charger beacon (for example, if it lives
in a smallish enclosure) would generally need little reserve
F.Y.I.
power in order to drive itself back to the charger. However, OctoBot, OctoBot Survivor, Always On, and Always On
an OctoBot living in a larger enclosure may require much Robotics are trademarks, and Mondo-tronics’ Robot Store
more power in order to successfully locate the charger and is a registered trademark of Mondo-tronics, Inc.
return to it from farther away. So the question becomes, at All other trademarks are of their respective holders.
what voltage should the robot begin searching for the
SERVO 11.2003 19
About the Author

In college Roger G. Gilbertson studied engineering, robotics and the walking patterns of living creatures.
In 1987, he co-founded Mondo-tronics, Inc. to explore the commercial applications of Shape Memory Alloy wires,
and in 1995 launched RobotStore.com, the internet's first commercial robotics site. Mondo-tronics' Robot Store continues
to lead the field in presenting the best and most innovative new robot products for students, educators, hobbyists
and experimenters. Roger lives and works in Marin County, California, where an intelligent android has not yet managed
to get placed on the ballot for Governor.
examples of BASIC Stamp 2

code and more, please visit our
What an web site at RobotStore.com
OctoBot
does with
its day. Conclusion
Every new technology pres-
ents us with opportunities to
make our world both safer, clean-
er, and more productive, but also
more complicated and even more
dangerous.
As the builders of the future,
we carry the great obligation to
our descendants to create the
best that we possibly can, and to
prepare ourselves for the
inevitable changes that accompa-
menters the keys to unlock doors that lead to greater realms ny every technological shift.
of robot autonomy. We see many more directions to explore The challenges of creating robots that care for their
with the OctoBot Survivor and its kin — developing better own basic needs will continue to daunt us for many years.
navigational methods, expanding its range and endurance, However, by following our science fiction dreams, and by
increasing its ability to survive in more varied environments, developing our own clear visions of what we want (and do
and perhaps some day even the ability to operate outdoors not want) to achieve, students, hobbyists, and experi-
in more complex "real world" environments. menters of all levels can make significant contributions to
For technical information on the OctoBot Survivor this exciting frontier. In time, our creations themselves may
Robot kit, including assembly instructions, accessories, turn to us and say, "Thanks!" Build more robots! S
20 SERVO 11.2003
roboto.qxd 10/9/2003 1:53 PM Page 21
ASK Mr. Roboto

by Pete Miles
Tap into the sum of all human knowledge and get your questions answered here! From software
algorithms to material selection, Mr. Roboto strives to meet you where you are. And what more
would you expect from a complex service droid?
[email protected]
Our resident expert on all things robotic, is merely an Email away.
Q. I want to build a robot with

big wheels in the back and
smaller ones in the front.
But I want each side to be driven by the
wheel's speed as a function of the small-
er wheel's speed. Since D1 is larger than
D2, the rotational speed of the larger
wheel, N1, must be slower than the
Equation 4 shows how the sprocket
diameter ratios relate to the rotational
speed of the sprockets. Here, the sprock-
et diameters are shown with the letter S.
same output shaft from my gearbox. smaller one, N2, which is in agreement
s
Obviously, I need to drive the larger with your question.
Ν1 = —2 Ν 2
wheel slower than the smaller one to
keep the linear speed the same. How do
To calculate the sprocket ratios, the s1
I compute the sprocket ratios for each? I ν=πΝD Equation 4
am going to use #25 chain. Equation 1 Since the sprockets are physically
— Anonymous attached to the same drive shaft as the
via Internet wheel, the sprocket ratios can be equat-
ν = π Ν1 D1 = π Ν 2 D2 ed to the wheel diameter ratios as seen
A. You are correct about having

to drive the larger wheel with
a lower RPM than the smaller
wheel. The short answer to your ques-
tion is that the sprocket ratio must be
Equation 2
D
Ν1 = —2 Ν 2
in Equation 5.
For this type of a robot drive system

to work properly, the sprocket ratio
must be the same as the wheel ratio.
D1
exactly the same as the wheel ratio, and Sprockets are usually identified by the
the large sprocket must be mounted on Equation 3 number of teeth they have instead of
the large wheel. The #25 chain doesn't their actual diameters, so the letter S
really come into this decision process same type of an analysis is conducted. can be substituted with the number of
unless the torque loads on the chain can Instead of the ground connecting the teeth on the sprocket. The ratio will be
cause the chain to break, or weight wheel speeds together, a chain is used based upon the number of teeth on
becomes too excessive. to couple the sprocket speeds together. each of the sprockets.
The long answer in calculating
the sprocket ratios for the wheels
begins by calculating the ratios of the Figure 1. Illustration of a
two wheel speeds, as a function of two wheel drive system with
the two wheel diameters. Figure 1 different diameter wheels.
shows a simplified sketch of this type
of configuration. The linear velocity of
the wheels is shown in Equation 1,
where N is the rotational speed in
RPM and D is the diameter of the
wheel.
Since both of the wheels are
rolling on the same surface, their lin-
ear velocity will be equal (as shown in
Equation 2). Equation 3 shows how
the wheel ratio affects the larger
SERVO 11.2003 21
The challenge to making a robot if a small mistake is made. A 100 Figure 2. Servo position vs. time
like this work properly is finding the pound go-kart can also cause a signif- due to a trapezoid velocity profile.
right combination of sprockets and icant amount of damage if something
goes wrong. So starting small is the
s2 = D2
—
right way to get rolling. 1200
s1 D—1 Probably the two best places to 1000
get started with this type of a project 800
is either getting involved with your 600
Equation 5 local high school FIRST (For Inspiration 400
and Recognition of Science and 200
0
wheels that will have the same ratios. Technology) team, or getting involved
1
6
11
16
21
26
31
Depending on the sizes of the wheels with building combat robots like the
36
41
46
51
56
61
66
71
76
you want to use, you may have to ones shown on TV, such as Robot
build a sprocket and chain based gear Wars and BattleBots. Both of these
box between your front and rear areas involve building large radio con-
wheels so that you can use the same
motor to drive both wheels with the
same linear velocity. Q Q Q Q Q
trolled robots with a heavy emphasis
on safety. And what you learn in
building them can be applied to build-
ing the radio controlled automobile.
A. The rack and pinion and the
ball screw systems are two of
the best ways to convert
rotary motion into uniform linear
Q.
More information about FIRST can motion. The linear position and velocity
I am new to robotics and I be found at www.usfirst.org There is are uniformly proportional to the rota-
would like to get into it. a lot of information about building tional position and velocity of the drive
What I would like to do is combat robots that can be found on servo.
take a car (full size automobile) and the Internet and there are several Another popular method is to use
make it radio controlled. I would most books that have been published on cams to move a sliding bar. Both posi-
likely start with lawn mowers and go- this topic. But the best place to learn tion and velocity profiles as a function
karts. Now, I don't really know where about combat robots is to actually of the servo motion can be tuned for
to start, but I am guessing the Robot build them and participate in a local long uniform velocity motions with a
Builder's Sourcebook would be good. contest. A good place to learn about short and fast return motion. Two other
Could you point me in some direction? the many different combat robot popular methods for converting rotary
— Joseph Whitney events is at the Robot Fighting motion into linear motion are called the
via Email League's website four bar linkage and the slider crank
www.botleague.com mechanism. The advantage to the lat-
A. The Robot Builder's Source-

book by Gordon McComb
from McGraw-Hill is probably
the best single source for finding just
about anything you would need to
By participating in either of these
activities, you will learn how to build
the mechanics, the electronics, and
the radio control systems to drive
these robots around, and all this
ter two is that they are relatively easy to
implement (which is probably what you
are using right now), but the drawback
is that the output velocity will follow a
sinusoidal pattern, which also sounds
build a robot, but you are going to knowledge can then be applied to like what you are getting in your setup.
need to know what to do with the building that radio controlled automo- There are many clever kinematic
parts in order to build the radio con- bile.Q Q Q Q Q mechanisms that can approximate a
trolled automobile. "linear" motion from a rotary motion.
Q.
This may sound silly, but the radio An excellent source for different types
controlled gasoline cars you can get at I am using an R/C servo to of mechanisms is the four volume set
the hobby store will show you how to create linear motion but Ingenious Mechanisms by Jones and
get started. Most of the technology my design prevents the Horton. But since you have a design
that makes the car radio controlled will use of a rack and pinion setup. So, I constraint that does not allow a rack
be very similar to what you will need am using a standard servo horn with a and pinion solution, you may not have
to do to make the automobile radio ball joint and some threaded rod. The the room to implement one of these
controlled. They are the best place to problem is that the travel is uneven, clever kinematic solutions. Thus, you
get started, and taking them apart being faster in the middle than at the may have to use an electronic and/or
and modifying them to work better is ends. software solution.
where you will learn a lot about how Is there a clever mechanism I can R/C servos make excellent servo
to remotely control an automobile. use to "linearize" this motion? Or, since motors when controlling position is the
The three most important things I am using a BX-24 to drive the servo, main goal. A servo is designed to move
you need to keep in mind when doing is there a quick way to do this in at its maximum speed to get to its com-
something like this is safety, safety, software? manded position, and they only slow
and safety. A 3,000 pound car can — Anonymous down when it gets very near the com-
cause a lot of damage, or even death, via Internet manded position. Controlling the veloc-
22 SERVO 11.2003
ity of a servo can be done if you com-

mand the servo to make a series of
smaller move increments instead of one
large positional movement. Since stan-
dard R/C servos require the commanded
where you increment the commanded
position from six degrees to 60 degrees
in six degree increments.
With the same 20 ms pauses
between each of these move com-
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ms, this can be used to our advantage.
For example, a common servo may
net move result in the same amount of
time. This represents the maximum
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have a speed rating of 60 degrees in 0.2 velocity move for this servo. You can't Robot Kits
seconds. This is the same as a six degree tell it to go faster — but you can tell it to Line followers
movement in 20 ms. Now if you want go slower. Robot arms
the servo to move a total of 60 degrees, Now if we changed the same loop Gearboxes
you can command the servo to move to three degree steps, and still used the Chassis
the total amount in one command, and same 20 ms time delay between each
then you will have to repeat this move commanded move, the servo will in
command 10 times (10 x 20 ms = 0.2 effect move at half the speed as in the
seconds), for the servo to complete that previous example. This is because the
move. servo will reach the three degree point
Another way to do this is to create in about 10 ms, as the true velocity of 6-legged robot
a program loop in your microcontroller the servo is still six degrees per 20 ms. with 15 servos
Thus, the servo will wait for 10 ms Only $305.15
Listing 1 at the three degree position, until the Micro Dual Serial Motor Controller
next move commend is sent to the
'{$STAMP BS2} - Control two motors
servo. If you use one degree incremen- - Bidirectional control
'{$PBASIC 2.5}
tal steps, then the servo will move at - 2-9 V motor supply
' Basic Stamp 2 program demonstrating about 1/6th the maximum speed. By - Up to 1 A per motor
' variable speed control of a Tower Hobbies
' TS-53 standard servo, using a Lookup
adjusting the incremental move dis- - Perfect for small robots! Only $23.00
' function to coordinate the velocity and tances, you can control the speed of Dual serial motor controller 6-24 V.........$20.00
' position together. the servo, as long as the desired speed
' This servo will move through the following
is less than the maximum speed of the Servo Controllers & Servos
' sequence:
' Move to 0 Degrees at maximum speed, ~300 servo.
' Deg/sec (60 Deg/0.2 sec)
' Move from 0 to 24 Degrees at a constant
Now how does this fit in with your
' velocity 50 Deg/sec project? You can command the servo
' Move from 24 to 66 Degrees at a constant to move at a slower speed for its nor- 8-servo
' acceleration 1042 Deg/sec^2
mal operation — say, half its normal controller
' velocity 300 Deg/sec speed. When you come up with situa- Only $27.00
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' acceleration of -1042 Deg/sec^2 16-servo controller..................................$47.00
speed, use fewer and larger incremen-
Prototyping Supplies
' velocity 50 Deg/sec tal movements, and when you want to
i VAR Word ' Counter Variable
go slower, use more smaller incremen- Prototyping PCBs
Value VAR Word ' Position value tal movements. Breadboards
The BASIC Stamp 2 is fully capable
Main: Jumper wire kits
FOR i = 1 TO 60 ' Move to start position of doing this. You are going to have to
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PULSOUT 1, 400 do some experiments to get the right
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FOR i = 0 TO 80
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560,576,593,613,634,656,680,703,726,750,
773,796,820,843,865,886,906,923,939,954, example of using a Lookup function to
966,978,987,995,1001,1006,1010,1014,1018, generate a trapezoidal velocity profile $2.50
1022,1026,1030,1033,1037,1041,1045,1049, per minute
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S
Q Q Q Q Q 3714 E. Harmon Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89121
23
Geer.qxd 10/10/2003 6:20 AM Page 24
GeerHead
by David Geer
[email protected]
Testing Your Metal
T
he world is an ocean of parts. Junkyards and hard-
Shakes Walker ware stores stand among the dozens of spawning
“Shakes,” a three-servo hexapod walker, hand grounds for your next creation. But finding 'bot
sculpted and soldered together out of copper
plated TIG welding rod.
construction materials is not as head spinning as knowing
what to look for.
24 SERVO 11.2003
Geer.qxd 10/8/2003 6:02 PM Page 25
Steels, plastics, brass and copper, a good weight-to-strength ratio. ets. It has moderate strength, welds
bronze, aluminum, woods, and com- “PVC is relatively heavy, not as easily, and machines well, too. Mild
posites — these are the best. Factors strong, and deforms, but it's useful in steel specs into the neighborhood of
like availability, cost, strength, and prototyping chassis and support struc- a 1015. (The 15 tells you how much
ease of use will influence your choice. tures,” says Dr. Alan N. Federman, a carbon it has, says H. Ben Brown, Jr.,
“Availability and ease of use are the senior NASA engineer. Aluminum Project Scientist, The Robotics
most crucial,” says Roger G. extrusion is pricey, but very boss for Institute, Carnegie-Mellon University.)
Gilbertson, President of Mondo-tron- protos. As carbon content increases, so does
ics, Inc., and The Robot Store. It can be worked like a giant erec- strength, but at the expense of work-
tor set. Cardboard, foamcore, and ability. "Take a walk on the mild side"
Proto Parts Primer Styrofoam help with correct sizing and when strength is less important than
proto-making. cost. Parts like fasteners come in mild
Want a 'bot to be proud of? Make steel (also in high strength steels, alu-
your mistakes on a prototype first. Heavy Metal Rave — minums, and even titanium).
Some materials are specially suit- on the Mild Side
ed to prototypes. Polyvinyl chloride High Carbon
(PVC) and plywood are cheap, easy to Mild steel is common in cars and
find, and easy to work. Plywood boxes appliances. Useful in many areas of High carbon steels are in the vicin-
and I-beams are very strong and have robotics, it's a favorite for low budg- ity of a 1030 or 1040 (see AlloyInfo
Reports at All Metals & Forge
Information Resources, free registra-
tion required). The more carbon, the
more heat treatable and the harder it
is. It can be precast or you can shape
it yourself.
Music wire (piano wire) — made
of hardened high carbon steel — is
available in several diameters. Piano
wire is good where you need a hard
steel rod.
Drill rod works well where you
need a shaft of a precise diameter and
a certain hardness. Dowel pins are
also examples of very hard steel in
exact sizes, though in shorter lengths.
Chromoly Alloys
(Chrome Moly)
Chromoly is a steel alloyed
FIRST Team 255

Extruded aluminum is used for final
chassis construction. (2000) FIRST
National Champion — Team 255, San
Jose, CA.
Photo courtesy of
Dr. Alan N. Federman, NASA.
SERVO 11.2003 25
Geer.qxd 10/8/2003 6:03 PM Page 26
The Gyrover
Gyrover is a gyroscopically stabilized, single-wheel
robot built inside a 16” lightweight bicycle wheel.
The domes on each side are made of polycarbonate
sheet which provides transparency with good
strength and impact resistance. The main platform is
fabricated from a sandwich structure of two layers of
1/16” aircraft plywood with balsa wood between —
this is lightweight and strong, and allows easy
mounting of components. Other major mechanical
parts are of 6061-T6 aluminum, which has good
strength, and is low in cost and easy to fabricate.
Photo courtesy of "The Robotics Institute, Carnegie

Mellon University."
(mixed) with molybdenum and chromi- found parts and adapt them to new machines pretty well and can be weld-
um. Chromoly tubing can be welded uses. For example, an ABS electrical ed. It's available in many shapes like
into strong, light frames. As with race- box cover plate can become the base bar stock, beams, channels, and flat
cars, it's good for robots that will be for a robot,” says John Kittelsrud, sheets. “That's what we use most gen-
doing some traveling (under their own President, PAReX (Phoenix Area erally,” says Mr. Brown.
power). Robotics eXperimenters). 7075 T-6 is stronger than 6061
Suppliers abound on the Internet due to the additional alloying compo-
Other Steel Formats — Tap Plastics, Lowes, Menards, and nents: copper, zinc, and titanium. The
GE Plastics are good places to start Robotics Institute uses that to meet
“For robots that need to be light looking. Sheet plastic can be had from high strength requirements. It's more
and strong, I like TIG rod (steel rods plastics dealers and hobby shops. expensive and not available in as many
coated with copper used for welding). form factors.
These are inexpensive, strong, and you Brass, Copper, and Alloy 2024 T-4 has a strength
can solder them together with a Bronze 75% greater than 6061. "There's a
plumbing-soldering gun. It's easy to number called yield strength that's
get really creative!” says Mr. Brass machines and solders well. important. That's the stress level at
Gilbertson. Its moderate strength is comparable to which the material permanently
mild steel, though it is denser and not deforms. You usually want to stay well
Suppliers as stiff. "There is a property called below that," says Mr. Brown. Alloy
Young's Modulous (the modulous of 2024 has a 47 kPSI (thousands of
Places to locate these and other elasticity) that tells you the stiffness of pounds per square inch) yield
parts and materials include McMaster- the material as differentiated from its strength. The 6061 T-6 is 40 kPSI and
Carr, All Metals and Forge, the Human strength. This tells you how much it the 7075 is 73 kPSI. All aluminums will
Power Source Guide, surplus outlets, will deflect under a certain load," says have about the same weight or stiff-
and hardware stores. Mr. Brown. For parts where strength is ness, but differing strengths.
not as important as machining and Steel is about three times as
The Wrap on Plastics soldering, brass is worth considering, dense as aluminum and about three
as well. times as stiff. Though the two metals
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Copper is good for electrical and seem equal in this respect, aluminum
resists impact, corrosion, and abra- thermal conductivity. It's used for is often the better choice. Given two
sion. Polycarbonate resists impact and wiring and can be easily soldered. large structures of the same weight,
is good for structural and gearbox Phosphor bronzes are used in springs an aluminum one can be stiffer than
housings. Acrylic can be used for where toughness and elasticity are steel.
optics and can be made impact resist- required.
ant. Delrin is strong, chemical resist- Carbon Fiber
ant, and has low moisture absorption. Aluminum Alloys
It's used for bushings and bearings. Among Kevlar, carbon fiber, and
Nylon absorbs moisture. Aluminum alloys can be heat- fiberglass, carbon has the highest stiff-
“I use some plastics, like poly- treated to varying hardness. 6061 T-6 ness-to-weight ratio, and a fairly high
styrene, ABS, and PVC. I use lots of is a very good general-purpose alloy. It strength-to-weight ratio. With com-
26 SERVO 11.2003
Geer.qxd 10/8/2003 6:03 PM Page 27
posite materials, you can direct the with glue, hand tools, and drywall steel hardware.
fibers according to where you want screws. “Plywood is a sophisticated,
the strength. For example, if you want laminated wood product that can also Don't Dive in
a beam to resist bending, you'll want be used to add strength to sheet
the fibers aligned lengthwise. metal components,” says Dr.
Empty-handed
Fiberglass is of lower cost, lower Federman. “You don't have to have a full-on
strength, and not surprisingly, more According to Mr. Kittelsrud, Computer Numerically Controlled
frequently used. Kevlar, on the other hobby packs of pre-cut 1/4-inch x (CNC) mill set up at home or a degree
hand, is as strong but not as stiff as 1/4-inch hardwoods (available at in mechanical engineering to build a
carbon. You can buy composite mate- hobby stores) are great to work with robot,” says Mr. Kittelsrud. Small
rials in rods, square bar, or sheet stock. (think “wooden LEGOS”). “I use power tools and hand tools will bring
You can also buy raw fibers or cloth them because I don't have a big shop most materials into submission.
and add the resin yourself to cure it to rip lumber down to smaller A drill press and power sander are
into a structure of your choice. pieces,” says Mr. Kittelsrud. These are recommended for large or heavy
handy for body frames and mounts woods and plastics. “If you use steel
Wood for electronics. or heavy aluminum, you will need
some serious metal working equip-
“Wood is low in cost and density, Extra Stuff, Notes, ment — a mill, lathe, welder, cutters,
light in weight, and easy to cut and and bits,” says Mr. Gilbertson.
drill. It's something we use a lot for and Pointers
larger structures,” says Mr. Brown. Do Most Home
Spruce — once used in small aircraft — Additional Materials Roboticists Prefer Raw
is good for structures. Pine is also a Sources
good structural material. Plywood —
Materials to Kits?
layers of wood laminated so the grains Check the computer junkyard for “This is a darn good question. In
are at different angles for strength — modular steel and aluminum shelving all of the contests I have been to, the
is good for stable construction that units with pre-drilled L and square scratch-builts have always outnum-
won't warp. beams. A hacksaw will do for cutting bered the kits. I think it's part of the
“Plywood (1/2-inch thick birch) is them to size. The Home Depot also whole DIY robot thing,” says Mr.
a great prototyping material,” says Dr. carries myriad construction materials Kittelsrud. Precast parts that just go
Federman. Light and easy to machine, on the cheap — electrical conduit together are often too easy, like
it can be formed into I-beams or boxes tubes, aluminum fence posts, and painting by numbers. S
Resources
Killer Bee
Killer Bee, 500-gram mini sumo
robot.
Photo courtesy of
John Kittelsrud.
SERVO 11.2003 27
Geer.qxd 10/8/2003 6:08 PM Page 28
Millibot Train ¾¾¾

The Millibot Train combines multiple, tracked modules into
a single train, with articulated joints for enhanced mobility.
This working model uses the Fusion Deposition Modeling
(FDM) rapid prototyping method for fabrication of its major
parts. FDM allows fast, low-cost fabrication of plastic parts,
moderate dimensional resolution (~.010”), and production
of parts — such as the hollow-core sprockets for the tracks
— that could not be made by conventional machining. Other
parts include standard hobby servos to drive the tracks,
music wire axles, and tubular brass, plus small toothed belts
to make the tracks.
Photo courtesy of The Advanced Mechatronics Lab,

Carnegie Mellon University.
Resources
¾¾¾ The Robot Store
www.robotstore.com
Alloy Info Reports, All Metals & Forge

¾¾¾ Information Resources
www.steelforge.com/infoservices/
infoservices.asp
McMaster-Carr
www.mcmaster.com
¾¾¾
The Human Power Source Guide
www.ihpva.org/SourceGuide
¾¾¾
Tap Plastics
¿ www.tapplastics.com
¿
¿ ¾¾¾ Lowes
www.lowes.com
Menards
www.menards.com/nindex.html
¾¾¾
Orb of Doom GE Plastics
www.geplastics.com
“The Orb of Doom” is a radio-controlled “hamster ¾¾¾
ball” robot with a shell of carbon-Kevlar over a The Home Depot
foam core form. It met its own, personal doom at www.homedepot.com
the Second Robot Wars event in 1995. ¾¾¾
Photo courtesy of Roger G Gilbertson,
RobotStore.com ¾¾¾
28 SERVO 11.2003
menagerie.qxd 10/13/2003 2:25 PM Page 29
Send us a high-res picture of your robot with a few

descriptive sentences and we'll make you famous.
Well, mostly. [email protected]
75 MHz INCU Bus

R. Kieronski, Newport, RI
Gliding slowly along the floor,
its lighted eyes cast a pattern
on the wall in the direction of
its video camera gaze.
Maneuvered by the operator
through a radio link. If you are
chosen, it will squirt you with
its finger.
It is as a metaphor for the
information systems that silent- Green Eye Silver Dragon
ly exercise their surveillance Suni Murata, Somewhere in CA
powers on us ... at least you Thirty pound fighting robot made of sheet
can see this one. aluminum and fast electric motors. Will
www.lumion.net sport a pneumatic flipping tail in the
future. My basic philosophy: Learn from
everyone else and incorporate the design
that works. [email protected]
Dexter
Steve Benkovick, Northridge, CA
Built to compete in the 10 foot square

IEEE MicroMouse maze, Dexter has a
This electric guitar
68HC11 brain and 32K of RAM. It is pro-
playing robot from the
pelled by unipolar steppers, powered by
band Captured! By
10 NiMH batteries and uses five IR sensors
Robots! is over seven
on each side to detect walls within the
feet tall, weighs 130
maze.
pounds, and reported-
www.micromouseinfo.com
ly rocks harder than
you.
www.capturedby
robots.com
GTRBOT666
JBOT, San Francisco, CA
SERVO 11.2003 29
NovNewProducts.qxd 10/8/2003 11:44 AM Page 30
New Products
New Products
ers, multiposition chargers, custom battery assemblies,
ACCESSORIES power supplies, and analyzers.
For further information, please contact:
Multi-Position Chargers Cell-Con
305 Commerce Dr., #300
Exton, PA 19341
C ell-Con Incorporated
announces the
availability of its cus-
Incorporated Tel: 610•280•7630
Fax: 610•280•7685
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.cell-con.com
tom, multi-position Circle #111 on the Reader Service Card.
chargers. Multi-position
chargers are available
for simultaneous
charging of multiple
CONTROLLERS & PROCESSORS
battery packs assembled
from one of the following chemistries: Servio™ — The New R/C Servo and
lithium ion, NiMH, NiCd, or sealed lead acid.
These chargers are based on existing designs and
I/O Slave Controller
technology that is easily adaptable to specific customer
requirements. Fast project turn around time (30-180 days)
and a minimal financial investment are typical. Small and
P icoBytes, Inc., a leading
innovator of robotics and
automation controllers, has
large volumes accepted. released its new serial R/C
Customer specified options such as charging method servo and I/O slave controller
(constant current/constant voltage, smart, constant cur- — Servio™ . It is an intelligent
rent, overnight, and float), open frame, and battery serial R/C servo and I/O slave
refresh capabilities are available. controller capable of control-
Prices range from a few hundred dollars to a few ling up to 20 R/C servos with 16-bit resolution and 256-
thousand dollars depending upon the complexity of the speed settings. It also has eight A/D converter ports capa-
charger and its volume. ble of 10-bit resolution at 40 samples/second, with two
Cell-Con Incorporated is a US-based manufacturer of PWM signal generators capable of up to 10-bit resolution
custom power systems consisting of single position charg- with direction control for H-Bridge connections and two-

30 SERVO 11.2003
New Products
channel R/C decoder with differential steering override. SM3416 is exceptional, producing more than 1 NM of
Unused A/D and servo ports can be configured as digital torque at an unprecedented low cost.
I/O. Those who love the benefits of integrated servo
Powerful features such as monitoring, servo sweep, motors have been clamoring for a low cost product in the
and sequence functions offload the burden of constant NEMA 34 size and torque range. While it sets a new prece-
polling and control from the master CPU. Unlike other dent in low cost integrated motion control, the SM3416
products, there are no complicated languages to learn. All has all the features you've come to expect from
this power is available by sending simple serial command SmartMotors — a true departure from the wiry mess of
at rates of up to 115,200 bps, which can be accomplished the traditional component solutions.
with any computer or MCU. In 1994, when Animatics released the world's first line
A comprehensive user and technical manual explains of fully integrated servos, with all of the positioning elec-
all aspects of operation with many code examples. tronics, driver circuits, and the encoder built into a single
Servio consumes less than 14 mA and weighs only small unit, the industry was slow to accept the radical
0.8 ounces (22 grams) in a 2.5" x 2.5" (63mm x 63mm) departure from conventional motion control. Today, that
footprint, which makes it ideal for battery and mobile fear is gone, the technology is proven, and the integrated
operations. servo market is touted by independent studies as the
For further information, please contact: fastest growing market within the motion control industry.
The SM3416 is a SmartMotor in a familiar package.
PicoBytes, 10674 Chinon Cir. Based on Animatics' patented, award winning design, the
Incorporated San Diego, CA 92126
Tel: 858•549•7394 Fax: 858•581•3375 SM3416 is the final chapter of the highly successful line of
Email: [email protected] OEM series SmartMotors. Comprised of both NEMA 23
Website: www.picobytes.com
and NEMA 34 size SmartMotors, the OEM Series delivers
Circle #112 on the Reader Service Card. competitively priced integrated motion control to the high
volume OEM and integrated markets.
Animatics Corporation is the world leader in integrat-
ed motion control. Animatics is located in the heart of
MOTORS Silicon Valley and designs, manufactures, and markets
motion control products for industries ranging from semi-
SM3416 conductor, nuclear, automotive, and machine tool to tradi-
tional industries such as CNC. Animatics' strength lies in
SmartMotor™ — A using technological innovation to meet complete solutions
NEMA 34 Size Low- for motion control. For further information, please contact:
Cost Integrated
Animatics 3050 Tasman Dr.
Servo Motor Corporation Santa Clara, CA 95054
Tel: 408•748•8721
A nimatics has launched the Email: [email protected]

Website: www.animatics.com
SM3416, NEMA 34 size low
cost integrated servo motor. The
Out
Check bsite!
e
Ou robotics.com
r W
npc
www.
NPC Robotics, Inc. • 4851 Shoreline Drive • PO Box 118 • Mound MN • 55364 • 800-444-3528 • Fax: 800-323-4445 • E-mail: [email protected]
SERVO 11.2003 31
New Products
PO Box 818
ROBOT KITS Lynxmotion
Incorporated
Pekin, IL 61555
Tel: 866•512•1024
Fax: 309•382•1254
Email: [email protected]
Hexapod Walker Kit Website: www.lynxmotion.com
L
ynxmotion has introduced their
totally redesigned Hexapod
1 Walker kit. This walker uses
the traditional three servo WEASEL — A Touching and
design with a twist. Seeing Robot Kit
Lynxmotion has implemented a paral-
lelogram on the lifting legs to eliminate
friction. This makes the walker much more
O WI introduces the Weasel —
a tenacious little robot
warrior that embodies two
efficient than other designs. The walker is sensors that allow it to "see" a
made from precision laser-cut Lexan (polycarbonate) mate- line or "feel" its way along
rial. The assembly is easy using common hand tools. The walls and around corners. The two motors and contact
all “nuts and bolts” construction means there is no glue or sensor activate the wall sensing micro switch to control
tape. All of the legs are actuated by quality ball links for the motor’s on/off operation that determines the path of
reliable operation. The kit uses powerful Hitec HS-422 ser- a wall. It is the classic robot design using the "Left Hand
vos. There are optional "punch-outs" to add either a stan- Rule" to escape mazes.
dard or a micro-size servo to the front. This makes adding With OWI's continued pursuit in making robots
a pan and tilt camera mount or panning ultrasonic sensor "smart," they have added an additional feature to this little
very easy. The chassis will accept either our Next Step car- bundle of energy … a sonic tracking system. Beneath
rier or an OOPic-R microcontroller. The Next Step can use Weasel's sturdy plastic base, you will discover photo-
the BS-2, the BASIC Atom, or the OOPic-C microcontroller. transistors that enable it to detect and follow a black line.
The microcontroller can be mounted on top the robot, or The Weasel also boasts a three-speed gearbox which will
inside to provide room for additional peripherals. help navigate at the velocity you determine. Quick and
The robot is available as a bare chassis (including ser- easy to assemble, this is a beginner robot that makes great
vos) for those who want to roll their own electronics. It is entries for robotic competitions, robotic workshops, after-
also available in several combo kits which include everything school programs, special events, gifts, science enrichment
needed to get the robot up and running right away. With camps, and classroom activities. It has a suggested selling
the addition of the optional “Pan & Tilt” camera mount, a price of $24.95. For further information, please contact:
Hitec remote control set, and a camera and video transmit-
ter, the robot can be configured as a remote piloted rover. OWI 17141 Kingsview Ave.
Incorporated Carson, CA 90746
Prices start at $99.95 for a truly affordable robot experimen- Tel: 310•515•1900 Fax: 310•515•1606
tation platform. Stop by the Lynxmotion website to see the Email: [email protected]
Website: www.robotikitsdirect.com
assembly guide, video of the robot in action, and much
more. For further information, please contact: Circle #115 on the Reader Service Card.
How much damage can one pound do?
sixteen oz fighting robots
Specializing in antweight robotic combat parts.

W W W. S O Z B O T S . C O M
32 SERVO 11.2003
BookstoreNov03.qxd 10/9/2003 9:14 AM Page 33
Mind C
For Todandy
The SERVO Bookstore
To order call 1-800-783-4624 or go to our website at www.servomagazine.com
Roboti ay’s
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Applied Robotics II Building Robot Drive Trains Anatomy of a Robot
by Edwin Wise by Dennis Clark / Michael Owings by Charles Bergren
Instructive illustrations, This essential title in This work looks under the
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Robotics II begins by discussing PMDC motor conveying systems. If you’re hooked on
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not-so-common objects from around the to get things up and running using only inex- Using the PIC Micro
house. Using BEAM technology, ordinary pensive, easily-obtained parts and simple by John Iovine
tools, salvaged electronic bits, and the occa- testing equipment. Detailed enough to get Here’s everything the
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SERVO 11.2003 33
soundsensor.qxd 10/8/2003 3:16 PM Page 34
ensing a sound with a robot or
S microcontroller can be challeng-

ing. If one or more of the
sounds in question is relatively brief,
the microcontroller must suspend
other activities and spend it's time
waiting for the sound to occur.
This can lock up the microcontroller
in a non-productive polling activity or
This Month’s else risk missing the pulse by doing
something else and then getting back
Projects to the sound input.
I present a circuit that offloads
some of the processing work to an
Low Cost Sound Sensor . 34 analog detector with persistent
memory.
Battery Fuel Gauge . . . . . 38 A common task involving sound
is to look for an average sound
Hexatron Part 1 . . . . . . . 42
level in a particular environ-
SOZBOTS Part 2 . . . . . . 52 ment. If only instantaneous
values are available to the
The Tracker . . . . . . . . . . 56 computer, some form of
data storage and averaging
must be carried out.
Using a sound sensor
with the capabilities to
stretch pulses and to sense
average sound levels can
relieve these tasks.
by Paul Badger
Art by Bryce Kho
Figure 1
This small sound sensor — which to pull the softest signals out of the in that you can easily re-purpose the sen-
runs on 3-15 volts and features both noise is another story. sor for a higher voltage output if a lower
analog and digital outputs — was voltage regulator is on the board. The
designed for my classes in physical com- The Gory Details microphone element can be any inex-
puting at an art school. It introduces stu- pensive electret microphone element. I
dents to the usefulness of op-amps and Referring to the left side of Figure 1, had originally used a higher gain three
illustrates several op-amp configurations. U1 is an optional 78L05 regulator. When lead mic that I found at Hosfelt
My students have found many uses for a signal is being amplified by a factor of Electronics. Just jumper the positive and
the sensor including directly driving high 100,000 it only takes a small noise com- signal pads for the more common two
efficiency LEGO motors, controlling ponent in a power supply line to serious- lead types. R1 and the zener voltage ref-
sound activated sculptures, sound-mod- ly degrade the desired signal. DC moto s erence IC lock the microphone bias to
ulated lighting projects, as well as sound are often the prime offenders in this 2.5 volts. This IC can easily be replaced
inputs for microcontrollers and robots. regard with their brushes, inductive by a 3 to 9 volt zener if you have one on
loads, and heavy current draw, which hand. Besides providing a noise-free
How it Works supply to the mic, the zener's other job
is to keep the mic voltage below 10
The sensor uses a cheap electret volts, in case a higher supply voltage is
microphone element to sense and ampli- being used.
fy sounds. This signal is then rectified by The voltage at the non-inverting
a peak detector which converts the input of A1 (pin 12), is set by R2 and R4
sound signal into a ground referenced at slightly above the negative rail and
DC voltage, holds this signal, and then also serves as the reference voltage for
lets it sink back to ground level as slow- amplifiers A2 and A3. The capacitors
ly as desired. across the microphone bias voltage
A quad op-amp does all the signal divider (C8) and the reference voltage
processing. The first two op-amps are divider (C9) are bypass capacitors that
used to amplify and find the peak of the form low pass filters. Again, the goal is
audio signal. The third op-amp buffers to prevent variations in the power sup-
the voltage across the holding capacitor ply from appearing as a signal. The elec-
and supplies an analog output signal. tret microphone's signal is coupled
The final op-amp is used as a compara- through capacitor C1 into the inverting
tor to produce a digital on/off output input of op-amp A1, that is set up as an
signal from the smoothly varying analog inverting amplifier, the gain of which is
signal. often seem to radiate low level grunge set by the input and feedback resistors
Many of the sound sensor circuits I back along the power lines. One of the by the formula: Gain = Rf / Rin. A slight
have seen using a single op-amp to best ways to deal with this noise is to complication here is that the input resis-
amplify microphone signals are less than provide a separate battery or power sup- tor is made up of R3 plus any resistance
optimal because the open-loop gain of ply. (Don't forget to tie the grounds that is to the "left" (in the sense of the
most op-amps is just barely adequate to together at a "star" point.) This is not schematic not the actual part) of the
amplify an audio signal from standard always practical so a local regulator with potentiometer wiper. The feedback
electret microphone elements to a use- bypass capacitors is another cheap and resistance is made up of any resistance
ful level. I have chosen to provide three effective cure. to the "right" of the pot wiper. This ratio
stages to insure that there is enough If you don't use the regulator, just sets the maximum gain at 250K/2K =
gain (audio sensitivity) for even the soft- jumper the input pad to the output pad 125 and the minimum gain at the lower
est signals. Now whether your microcon- on the board and omit C1. There is also limit of the pot, essentially zero, allow-
troller can be programmed well enough an advantage in not using the regulator, ing the pot to have a larger control
SERVO 11.2003 35
amplifier whose gain is set by resistors

R9 and R14 by the slightly different
equation: Gain = 1 + Rf/Rin = 1 +
R14/R9 = 11. This gain helps boost even
the weakest sounds to a full scale out-
Figure 2 put. The non-inverting configuration of
A3 with its very high input impedance
also isolates the holding capacitor from
high current loads.
Amplifier A4 is configured as a com-
parator with its output swinging from
full high to full low when the pin 3 volt-
age surpasses the reference voltage at
the inverting input (pin 2), which is set
range than if it had just been used as the prise a network that bleeds the charge by the ratio of R14 to R19. Specifically
feedback resistor. By the way, only an on C9, controlling the speed with which Vref = Vsupply * R19/(R14 + R19) and is
inverting op-amp configuration can be the voltage on C9 returns to ground an arbitrary (and non-critica) value that I
used to reduce a signal in this way after experiencing a transien t such as a chose to be slightly above the “noise
because the non-inverting configura- loud noise. The remaining components floor” while viewing it on an oscillo-
tion's minimum gain is one (unity). in the network bias the outside legs of scope. Finally, the input and feedback
C6, similar to C4, acts to pass the pot R11 at about 2.4 vold and 1.6 volts, resistors R16 and R17 serve to give the
AC signal while blocking any DC bias. which comprise the full-on (for our pur- comparator some positive feedback to
Both C6 and C4 also act as mild high- poses) and full-off points of Q1. The create hysteresis, which is a "snap" action
pass filters, so if you wanted the sensor wiper goes to the gate of Q1 controlling that helps clean up noisy, borderline sig-
to favor higher frequencies, you could the resistance of the MOSFET. Amplifier nals. The ratio of R16 to R17 sets the
experiment with smaller capacitor val- A3 is configured as a non-inverting hysteresis to 1/20. This creates a zone
ues. The math for the corner (-3dB) fre-
quency is supposed to be F = Resistors Unless noted, all 1/4 W, 10%
159,000/R6 * C6 (with C6 in micro- R1, R20 3K Parts List
farads). A2 is also set up as an inverting R2, R15 47K
amplifier with a gain equal to Rf/Rin = R3 2K
R7/R6 = 1,000. Diode D2, R8 and C9, R10, R16, R11 10 K
and the Q1 network form a peak detec- R4 4K
tor circuit. Diode D2 charges C9 through R6 1K
resistor R8 and prevents it from discharg- R7, R14 1M
R8 1K, (see text), 200 Ω minimum
ing when the voltage falls beneath the
R9 100 K
peak. With the MOSFET biased off, the R13 120 K
capacitor discharge times can be as long R17 200 K
as 45 seconds. For longer times, use a R18, R19 5K
larger capacitor, at the expense of a R5, R12 250 K trimpot
slightly less accurate response, as the op- Capacitors
amp has a finite ability to quickly charge C1 10 to 100 µF 25v tantalum or electrolytic (see text)
larger capacitors. C2 500 µF 25v electrolytic
R9 also limits the response of the C3 10-100 µF 16v electrolytic
C4, C6 - C8 0.1 µF 25v ceramic or monolithic
peak detector and can be increased to
C5 100 µF 25v mylar, polypropylene or monolithic
yield a smoother charge curve. This Semiconductors
allows the peak detector to function D1 LM385LP-2-5 2.5 vref (TO-92)
more as an average sound level detector D2 1N914 or 1N3595 low leakage diode
because brief pulses will tend to be gone D3 - D6 1N914 (or equivalent)
before the peak-hold capacitor can fully Q1 BS170 N-channel MOSFET
charge but more sustained sounds will U1 78L05 regulator (see text)
eventually charge the capacitor. When I U2 LMC6484 quad R/R op-amp or LM324 (see text)
built the circuit, I cut off two positions of LED Any LED
Miscellaneous
an IC socket to mount R8 and C9, which
Mic 2 or 3 lead electret microphone (Hosfelt MIKE-ET)
allowed me to easily experiment with dif- Velleman DC Controlled Dimmer Kit (Jameco 128901)
ferent timing constants. R9 should be A double-sided plated-through PCB for the sound sensor is available for $10.00. It is not solder-
200 ohms minimum. The MOSFET Q1, masked or silk-screened. Please include either a SASE (preferred) or $1.00 for shipping.
along with R10-R12 and D3-D6, com- Contact Paul Badger, First Strike Graphics, 349 Morris Avenue, Providence, RI 02906.
36 SERVO 11.2003
where the input signal can vary without to provide a cheap and easy sound-
switching the output. activated lighting system. When using a
5 volt input, the best results are obtained
Odds and Ends by reducing the size of the optocoupler
input resistor.
I have specified two different op- The sensor can easily function as a
amps and each have pros and cons. The sound-operated motor control, either by
LMC6484 op amp is a “rail-to-rail using the analog output with an emitter
input/output” CMOS device whose inputs follower transistor or by using the digital
and outputs both include the supply rails, output with a switching transistor (Figure
which is especially important with sensors 2). With a microcontroller or BASIC
running in the 2 to 5 volt range. The Stamp, the sensor can provide input via an
LM324 alternative is dirt cheap and ubiq- ADC, or directly from the digital output to
uitous, but can only swing its output to a microcontroller pin. Another idea that I
within 1.5 volts of the positive supply rail. have used in conjunction with microcon-
The LM324 also has about 20 milliamps trollers is to use a sensor as a kind of sonic
more output drive, which is useful if you memory, so that the micro can hang out
plan to drive a small relay or motor direct- in a low power sleep cycle and once every
ly from the sensor. 10 seconds or so wake up and check to
see if anything is happening. If a high level
Circuit Construction sound has been sensed then the micro
wakes up and does something.
The resistors and capacitors are all When done, it resets the sensor by
non-critical, so don't hesitate to use slight- asserting a pin high that is wired to the
ly different values if you want to build bleeder MOSFET's gate and then sets this
from parts on hand. This is a high gain cir- pin back to the high impedance “input”
cuit so a printed circuit board with a large state. Another idea for using the sensor is
ground plane is recommended. It is cer- in the area of frequency sensing — this will
tainly possible to build the circuit on a perf be covered in a future article along with
board with neat construction with the some BASIC Stamp code examples.
shortest practical leads being a good idea. An editable schematic is available on
There are numerous uses for the sensor, the Servo website, www.servomaga-
both on robots as well as in general gen- zine.com. I'll post any relevant revisions or
eral tinkering.The analog output of the reader feedback on my website at
sensor can be directly interfaced to a www.paulbadger.org and you can
Velleman DC controlled light dimmer kit reach me at [email protected] S
TM & © MMIII Mondo-tronics, Inc.
TM
UPDATE: EED OF
A NEW BRAGENT
ROBOTIC al
1) Perfor ms “speci ing,
MISSION: s” li ke wa ll follow ding,
robot opeking, object avoi - 2) it ging
light se an d th en
nder, eks out its char !
random wa lly se s itself. Unique
automatica recharge it with
stat ion &
amp 2 socket (control
o add-on ch ports, St
OPTIONS:n Tw mu more. keeps
your ow code ) & strives to
kit thatto ➔
ed robo t day!
advanc s into acti
on
DATION: An
RECOMMEN“a ➔ Send your
li ve!”
itself

SERVO 11.2003 37
batteryfuelgage.qxd 10/8/2003 3:27 PM Page 38
battery fuel gauge
by Fernando Garcia IC software by Francisco Peña
few things in ing and programming effort is but would work. One flaw was that it
electronics seem so simple in appear- required. would only measure battery dis-
ance, yet in actual implementation One has to determine and program charge, such that the battery had to
such a difficult task, as the means to battery coefficients like self discharge be fully discharged and then
determine the total available energy in characteristics, temperature coeffi- recharged for the reading to be accu-
a rechargeable battery. cients, charge/discharge efficiency rate. What if I wished to partially
Measure the battery voltage? Well, ratios, and other such things. This is charge the battery, and then continue
not quite. For starters, the measure- way too much effort for a simple proj- with the discharge? You know, like
ment requires to be open-circuit volt- ect. Still, if you are curious, visit the one always does with a vehicle, par-
age — something that it is not feasible Battery Management link at their tially filling your fuel tank.
in most applications. Then there is the website, www.power.ti.com After some thinking, I came up with
fact that different battery chemistries I, however, was interested in a cir- even more circuit requirements: an
have very different discharge charac- cuit which would provide an improve- absolute value circuit previous to the
teristics. For instance, nicads have a ment over the simple open circuit volt- V/F converter, a comparator to detect
fairly flat voltage vs. charge character- age reading, without the complexity the current polarity, a negative supply
istic, whereas lead-acid suffer a sub- to allow the operational amplifiers to
stantial drop in voltage. Then there is swing to a negative voltage, counters
the temperature coefficient of the with up/down capabilities,
battery voltage itself. The list goes on overcoming their short count
and on. sequences, etc. Suddenly the circuit
An accurate battery fuel gauge, as was not simple anymore!
these circuits are called in reference to I built a prototype, but it just was not
the familiar automotive gas gauges, elegant. It did work, but it was way too
are in reality quite challenging cir- intricate. There must be a better way!
cuits. These are usually customized I knew I could use a microcontroller
for the application. As shown in Photo 1 for the up/down counters and the
Photo 1, a commercial version of Battery Pack display, but the rest of the circuitry
the circuit is fairly complex, and was still too complicated. Without
thus, it is no wonder that “smart” any further recourse, I allowed the
battery packs can cost $50.00 or and sophistication of the TI devices. project to whither for a while.
more. This particular device came In a battery, this means measuring Then I found a marvelous circuit from
from a camcorder, but cell phones, its charge, or amp-hours. Therefore, Analog Devices. This device, designed
PDAs, and laptop computers have sim- one would only require a current sam- to be a self contained watt-hour meter,
ilarly complex devices. pling resistor, an amplifier to convert has all the circuit functions that I would
On the other end of the spectrum, that miniscule resistor voltage to a require. It amplifies and conditions the
there are companies which make spe- useful level, then to a voltage to fre- voltage and current samples, multiplies
cialized fuel gauge monitors. Texas quency converter, and finally to a them, determines the resultant polari-
Instruments offers a large portfolio of bunch of cascaded counters and a dis- ty, and converts it to a frequency pro-
devices, which are very powerful and play driver. portional to watts — all with crystal-
have many features. But to operate The result was a straightforward cir- controlled digital accuracy and only
them properly, substantial engineer- cuit that was not very sophisticated, requiring a single positive supply. The
38 SERVO 11.2003
batteryfuelgage.qxd 10/9/2003 7:04 AM Page 39
Figure 1
pulses can then be fed to the microcon- The device is crystal controlled for The reason for doing so is that it takes
troller, which will accumulate and dis- great accuracy. X1 is a common more charging energy to recover what
play them. This is the solution I was 3.5795 MHz, “color burst” crystal, the was lost during discharge. To account
looking for! same frequency is used to drive the for that, we must have a longer count
Of course, when one is counting microprocessor. After performing all during the charge period. I have experi-
watt-hours, one is counting energy, the internal computations digitally, U1 mentally determined that for a sealed
whereas when one is counting amp- then converts them to a variable fre- lead-acid battery this amounts to about
hours, one is counting charge — quite a quency which is proportional to the a 25% loss, which more or less agrees
different thing. The trick to make the computed value times a ratio of the with the battery manufacturer's specifi-
thing work is to feed in a very accurate clock frequency. cation of 30%. Of course, you may
voltage, which then becomes just The value of this ratio is set digitally change this ratio easily by adjusting the
another constant factor in the device's via pins S1 and S0. In this instance, the microcontroller's code. (Both the ASM
voltage to frequency conversion ratio. circuit values and the frequency divider source code and the compiled HEX
By carefully selecting this factor and are set such that 2,560 pulses are out- image may be downloaded from the
adjusting the count ratio by the micro- put, for a full-capacity battery dis- SERVO MAGAZINE website, www.
controller, I had achieved my intended charge. This is what is known in battery servomagazine.com).
result. parlance as "1C" — one unit of battery The display business of the project is
capacity. These pulses are then fed a 10-LED bargraph, which is driven
Circuit Description from U1's pin 24 to a port in the micro- directly by the microprocessor, and cur-
controller, which counts them and rent limited by resistor networks R11
As shown in the schematic of Figure advances an LED every 256 pulses. U1's and R12. Each LED segment will light
1, the battery current is sampled with a pin 22 is an output which produces a up sequentially, as the battery is
low value shunt resistor, Rsh. More on frequency 16 times faster than that of charged or discharged.
how to choose the value of Rsh later. pin 24. It is useful to monitor battery If the supply voltage is interrupted,
After some filtering via R1, R2, C1, and activity. the battery state information could be
C2, the voltage is applied to the current Another important signal comes out lost. Therefore, it is imperative that the
sense input pins of U1. from U1's pin 20 to the microcontroller. last state is stored in the microproces-
The voltage sense inputs are “fooled” It indicates the battery's current flow sor's internal nonvolatile EEPROM.
with a constant voltage developed by polarity, or whether it is discharging or Input port RB0 is configured as an
the ratio of R4 to R9. An adjustable charging. This is important because it input which is flagged by the voltage
voltage reference device, U2, is used to not only tells the microcontroller to regulator's reset output. In addition,
feed both the divider resistor and U1's count down or to count up, but also, this reset flag enables or disables Q1, a
reference voltage input. The voltage is when counting up, that 320 pulses, Darlington transistor. This feeds the
adjusted to exactly 2.600 volts via P1, instead of 256, are required to advance positive voltage to the LED display.
R7, and R8. an LED count. When the reset flag is low, the transis-
SERVO 11.2003 39
battery. The only consideration is that required, the only consideration is to

Photo 2 I performed my tests on a battery calculate the shunt resistor such that it
Shunt Resistor capacity of 7 AH. This means that the will drop 140 millivolts at the rated
20 milliohm shunt resistor will drop current "C." Speaking of the shunt
140 millivolts at the rated current. resistor, it is crucial, due to the low
Since U1's current amplifier input ohmic values involved, that a 4-wire
overloads at 440 milivolts, this essen- device is employed. On a normal 2-
tially means that the battery may sup- wire resistor, the lead and junction
ply slightly over three times the rated
current and the circuit will still meas-
ure it accurately. This is important Photo 3
especially for motor drive circuits, as a Homemade Shunt
stalled or overloaded motor con-
tor is disabled, and all of the LEDs will sumes several times its rated current
be dark. This helps preserve current while the shaft is locked (as in starting
such that the processor has enough under load).
time to perform the save state routine. Input voltage range is from 5.6 to
Finally, U3 provides a regulated +5 24 volts, which means that 5 to 10
volts for the project. It is a low- lead-acid cells may be used. The six
dropout device which will maintain cell, nominal 12 volt battery is
regulation even in the most extreme extremely popular due to its automo-
conditions. Since it was designed for tive origins, and is ideally suited for
automotive applications — where this project. On the other hand, a
reverse battery and voltage transients three cell, 6 volt nominal battery,
are common occurrences — it has when discharged, would provide too resistance, although minute, will still
extensive protection against mishaps. little voltage to allow the 5 volt regu- introduce significant errors.
It also has a reset output, which is lator to operate properly. In this Some current-sense resistors are
used for the purposes described instance, a switchmode regulator specifically designed for such a task, as
above. would be required. shown in Photo 2. If you are unable to
A suitable SEPIC-switchmode regula- procure one, you may still rig your own
tor, which operates on battery volt- 4-wire resistor as shown in Photo 3.
Circuit Construction ages above and below its output volt- A normal, low value, 2-wire device
age, appeared in the April 1999 issue has some pigtails attached as close as
The circuit values shown in the of Nuts & Volts. possible to the resistor's body. Thus,
schematic are useful for any lead-acid If a different battery capacity is wire and bonding pad resistance
errors are avoided. Of course, always
calculate the resistor's power dissipa-
tion: P = I * I * R.
Figure 2 I've specified several precision resis-
tors in the circuit. The most important
are R4 and R9, which set the "dummy"
voltage. If you may obtain 0.5% or
0.1% tolerance resistors, then essen-
tially the project's accuracy is set by
the shunt resistor accuracy. However,
if you are cost conscious, a 1% toler-
ance resistor may be used on those
locations.
The only adjustment required is to
ensure that the reference voltage is
set as closely to 2.600 volts as possi-
ble. P1 is used for that purpose. Use a
4-1/2 digit multimeter, if available, for
calibration.
It is essential that you do not
change the crystal frequency, as U1's
frequency conversion is directly pro-
portional to it.
40 SERVO 11.2003
Figure 2 shows the wiring connec-

Resistors Unless noted, all 1/8 W, 5% tions to interface the battery fuel
gauge to your application. The speci-
R1, R2, R3
R4
1K
1 K, 1% Parts List fied microcontroller has the necessary
flash-RAM, which will keep the cur-
R5 10 W rent battery state if it is turned off.
R6 2.2 K When the project is powered up, it
R7 390, 1%
R8 20.5 K, 1% briefly blinks all 10 LEDs to indicate
R9 7.32 K, 1% that the device is up and running.
R10 22 K Don't substitute the Darlington tran-
R11, R12 5 X 270 ohm network sistor for a garden variety NPN device,
P1 1 K, cermet as it will not have the required gain.
Rsh see text
As mentioned previously, this cir-
Capacitors Unless noted, use the lowest voltage cuit measures first-order charge
available for the rated capacitance effects exclusively, which essentially
means charge/discharge currents.
C1 - C4 0.033 mF, 20% X7R ceramic Self-discharge and temperature
C8, C10, C14 100 mF elecrolyctic effects are not considered in this sim-
Semiconductors ple project, but could be incorporated
fairly easily.
U1 AD7755 power meter IC, Analog Devices Therefore, this constraint makes this
U2 TL431 voltage reference, Texas Instruments project to be less accurate in applica-
U3 LM2925 regulator with reset, National tions where the battery is seldom or
U4 PIC16F84 microcontroller, Microchip infrequently used. Your battery appli-
U5 10-LED bargraph
Q1 MPSA28 Darlington NPN cation should be used at least once a
X1 3.5795 MHz crystal month, to make self discharge errors
negligible. S
SERVO 11.2003 41
nightofthelivinghexapod.qxd 10/8/2003 4:31 PM Page 42
Part 1
WALKING ROBOTS:
THEY ARE ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING RESULTS OF TODAY'S ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY.
WITH THE POPULARITY OF MICROCHIP PIC MICROCONTROLLERS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPILERS
TO SUPPORT THEM, BUILDING MOBILE ROBOTS WITH “BRAINS ON BOARD” HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER.
by Karl Williams
I n the past, a big problem with

mobile robots was that they were
often tethered to their computers. The
support electronics, microprocessors,
and batteries were too large to carry
onboard. The robots, like the comput-
ers that controlled them, were large,
power hungry machines. Keeping the
robots close to their host computers
placed limitations on the environments
that the robots could operate in and
the real world experiments that could
be carried out.
The robots were restricted to universi-
ty laboratories, out of the hands of the
electronics experimenters and enthusi-
asts.
That has all changed ...
Building the hexapod robot presented
in Figure 1 will allow you to experience
the excitement of creating your own
artificial lifeform that can walk, explore,
and react to its environment.
This hexapod robot is unique because
it uses two DC gear motors contained
in one unit to power the six legs. One
gear motor drives the three legs on the
left side of the robot’s body and the
other gear motor drives the three legs on
the right side.
The robots' body and legs are constructed
with standard aluminum pieces and fasten-
ers that are available at most hardware stores.
The robot controller circuit is designed
around the PIC 16F819, which contains 16 I/O
pins and five 12-bit analog-to-digital converters.
Another feature of this device is a software selec-
table internal oscillator that can be configured to
run between 2 and 8 MHz. With the sophistication
of the new PIC microcontrollers, the robot controller
board uses fewer parts than would have been
required a couple of years ago.
The instructions for building and programming the
robot will be divided into two articles. The first article will
deal with the mechanical aspect of the construction and
the second part will deal with the electronics, program-
ming, walking gaits and experiments.
( Complete list of parts necessary to build the robot.
44 SERVO 11.2003
nightofthelivinghexapod.qxd 10/9/2003 7:06 AM Page 45
MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION
THE CHASSIS
Step 1. Cut Out Base
The first step in creating the robot is to con-
struct the aluminum base to which the legs,
electronics, gearmotors, batteries, and the
controller circuit board will be fastened.
This will require the use of a hacksaw
(or a band saw with a metal cutting
blade), a power drill, table vise and a
metal file. Cut and drill a piece of
1/16-inch thick flat aluminum (4-1/2
inches wide x 6 inches long) to the
dimensions shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2
Body chassis cutting and bending diagram.
Figure 3
Body chassis drilling diagram.
Step 2. Drill Mounting Holes

Drill all of the holes indicated in Figure 3
using a 5/32-inch drill bit except for the two
holes that are marked as being drilled with
a 1/4-inch bit. Use a metal file to smooth
the edges and remove any burs from the
drill holes. (Bend the aluminum inward
at 90-degree angles according to the
bending lines shown in Figure 2.) Use
a bench vise or the edge of a table
to bend the pieces.
SERVO 11.2003 45
Step 3. Locate Battery Packs Thumbnail views

Locate the two 3-volt battery packs (2 x
AA) and fasten them to the bottom of
the body chassis with two 2-56 by 1/4-
inch machine screws and nuts. (Use
Figures 4 and 5 as guides when
attaching the battery packs to the
body chassis.)
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Step 4. Wire Them Up!

Next, wire the battery packs together in
series to achieve a 6-volt output by following
the wiring guide shown in Figure 4. (Note
that the 6-volt output wires are fed through
the hole in the bottom of the chassis up to
the top side as indicated in Figure 4.)
If the lengths of the wires, measured
from the top of the robot chassis, are
not at least five inches long, add some
extension wire.
Solder a two connector female
header to the end of the 6-volt out-
put wires. Insulate each of the con-
nections with a 1/2-inch piece of
heat shrink tubing.
Figure 4
Battery wiring and power lead routing.
At this point in the construc-

HEXAPOD - PART 1
tion, the body chassis with the

two 3-volt (2 x AA) battery
packs fastened to the under-
side should look like the one Figure 5
Underside view of the chassis.
shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6
46 SERVO 11.2003
Step 5. Gear Up!

Next, assemble the Tamiya twin motor gear-
box using the instructions (supplied with the
motor kit) for a gear ratio of 203:1.
Apply the supplied lubrication to the gears
so that they mesh smoothly and run quietly
when the motors are in operation. Use a
hacksaw to cut each of the motor output
shafts to a length of 5/8 inch as indicated
in Figure 7.
Cut two pieces of 2-strand connector
wire to a length of eight inches each. On
one end of each of the cables, solder a
two connector female header and use
heat shrink tubing to protect the solder
joints. Solder the first wire of the first
connector cable to one of the power
terminals of the left motor.
Solder the second wire of the first
Figure 7
Tamiya dual motor gearbox configuration. connector cable to the remaining
power terminal of the left motor.
Repeat this same procedure for the
second connector cable and
the right motor. Solder a 0.1 µF
capacitor (C4 and C5) across the
Step 6. Get Some Feedback terminals of each motor, shown
Locate the two 4.5 K potentiometers and in Figure 7, to reduce RF
attach a four inch long, 3-strand connec- interference.
tor wire to each one. Solder a 3-connec-
tor female header to the other end of
each wire as shown in Figure 8.
Figure 8
Potentiometers with connector wires attached.
Step 7. Insulate and Calibrate

Insulate each of the connections with a 1/2-
inch piece of heat shrink tubing. Before the
legs are attached to the chassis, each of the
potentiometer shafts must be set to their
middle positions. This is accomplished by
the procedure that follows.
Use Figure 9 as a guide to attach a 5-
volt DC supply to the outer terminals of
the first potentiometer. Attach the
leads of a multimeter to the middle ter-
minal and ground so that the voltage
can be read. Turn the potentiometer
Figure 9 shaft until you get a reading of 2.5
Procedure to center the potentiometer shafts. volts. Calibrate the second poten-
tiometer using the same proce-
dure.
SERVO 11.2003 47
Figure 10
Twin motor gearbox and potentiometers
Step 8. Build Up the Chassis attached to the chassis.
Now that the gear-motors and potentiome-

ters are wired, it’s time to attach them to
the body chassis. Position the gearmotor as
shown in Figure 10, and secure it to the
chassis using the two machine screws
and nuts that came with the motor kit.
Mount each of the potentiometers in
the 1/4-inch holes at the back of the
robot chassis as shown in Figure 10.
Make sure that the nuts are secured
tightly so that the potentiometers do
not move out of position when the
robot is in operation.
CONSTRUCTING THE LEGS

AND MOTOR SHAFT MOUNTS
Step 9. Give It Legs

Using the 1/2-inch by 1/8-inch aluminum
stock, cut and drill six leg pieces labeled A,
four outer leg linkage pieces labeled B,
two middle leg linkage pieces labeled C,
and two leg sensor linkage pieces
labeled D according to the dimensions
shown in Figure 11. Use a 5/32-inch
bit to drill the holes.
HEXAPOD - PART 1
Figure 11
Cutting and drilling guide for the leg
and linkage pieces.
48 SERVO 11.2003
Step 10. Shaft Mounts

Fabricate the motor output shaft mounts
and potentiometer shaft mounts using 1/4-
inch x 1/4-inch aluminum square stock
according to the dimensions shown in
Figure 12.
The motor shaft mounts are labeled as
parts E and the potentiometer shaft
mounts are labeled as parts F.
When the pieces are finished, thread
a 6-32 x 3/16-inch set screw in each
of the holes that were threaded with
the 6-32 tap.
Figure 13 shows a completed
motor shaft mount and poten-
tiometer shaft mount.
Figure 12
Motor shaft mount and potentiometer shaft
mount fabrication diagram.
ASSEMBLING
THE LEGS
Now that the individual pieces for the legs and linkages have been constructed, it’s time to put them all
together to form the mechanical part of the walking machine. Refer to Figures 14 and 15 when assembling
the legs.
Step 11. Start by attaching Step 13. On the same shaft mount F to the potentiome-
one of the motor shaft mount machine screw, place another ter shaft, but do not fasten the set
pieces labeled E to the shaft of the washer, then linkage piece B, then screw at this time.
right motor with the flat edge fac- a washer, and then another link-
ing away from the motor. age piece B. Step 16. Attach linkage piece
Make sure that the end of the Secure all of the pieces togeth- D to piece F by placing a #6 nylon
shaft is flush with the face of the er with a 6-32 locking nut. washer between the pieces and
motor linkage and secure it in secure with a 6-32 x 1-inch
place by tightening the set screw. Step 14. Attach two leg pieces machine screw and locking nut.
A and linkage piece C to the chas-
Step 12. Attach piece A to the sis at the locations shown in Step 17. Starting from the
motor mount with a 6-32 x 1-inch Figures 14 and 15. front of the robot, attach leg piece
machine screw with a nylon wash- A to linkage B with a 6-32 x 1-inch
er separating the two. Step 15. Attach potentiometer machine screw and locking nut.
SERVO 11.2003 49
Separate the pieces with a 6-32 x with enough pressure to hold the Step 21. Tighten the set screw
5/16-inch plastic spacer. parts in place, but still allow them on both of the potentiometer shaft
Do the same with middle leg to move freely without any resist- mount pieces F. If you suspect
piece A and linkage piece C but ance. that the potentiometer shafts have
add two nylon washers along with been moved from their middle
the 6-32 x 5/16-inch plastic spacer. Step 19. Perform the above positions, then re-calibrate each
procedure for the left side of the one before tightening the set
Step 18. Attach the back leg robot. screw (refer to Step 7).
piece A to pieces D and B, with a When the mechanics are com-
Step 20. When everything is in plete, add a rubber foot to the end
6-32 x 5/16-inch plastic spacer place, use your finger to manually of each leg. This will give the feet
between pieces A and D and a rotate the gearboxes so that the more friction and help to grip
nylon washer between pieces D middle leg on each side is in the when the robot is walking on slip-
and B. downward position and perpendi- pery or uneven surfaces.
Tighten all of the locking nuts cular to the chassis.
HEAD AND INFRARED

SENSOR MOUNT
Step 22. Get Ahead

Fabricate the robot’s head using a
1 3/4 x 3 1/2-inch piece of flat 1/16-
inch thick aluminum. Follow the cut-
ting, drilling, and bending diagram
shown in Figure 16.
Figure 17
Finished mechanical assembly of the robot.
Step 23. Sharp IR Detector

Figure 16
Locate the Sharp IR detector module Cutting, drilling, and bending guide
and secure it to the head section with for the robot’s head section.
the mounting machine screws and
nuts that came with it. See Figure 17
for orientation.
Step 24. Recapitate

HEXAPOD - PART 1
Attach the head to the body using two

6-32 x 1/2-inch machine screws and
locking nuts as shown in Figure 17.
50 SERVO 11.2003
Figure 13 Completed motor and

potentiometer shaft mounts. The mechanics and sensors of
the walking robot are now assem- AUTHOR’S BIO
bled into place.
All that is needed to bring the Karl P.Williams is the author of
two robotics books titles
robot to life are the electronics and Insectronics: Build Your Own Six
some microcontroller programming. Legged Walking Robot (ISBN
In the next part of the Hexatron 0-07-141241-7) and Amphibionics: Build
series, the electronics, wiring, sensors Your Own Biologically Inspired Robots (ISBN
(infrared and leg position) and pro- 0-07-141245-x), both published by
gramming of the PIC 16F819 micro- McGraw-Hill.
He hosts a robotics website at
controller will be covered. (http://home.golden.net/~kpwillia)
Visit the author's website for and can be contacted through
more information about the project www.thinkbotics.com
(www.thinkbotics.com). S
Figure 14 Leg and linkage parts

assembly diagram — outside view.
Science and Engineering
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SERVO 11.2003 51
SOZBOTS.qxd 10/8/2003 10:45 PM Page 52
Build A One-Pound
Fighting Robot
PA R T 2
Put the Finishing Touches on Your Mini Robot!
by Patrick Campbell
P
art 1 of my article ran in the fighting machine, which I named PARTS LIST
Amateur Robotics Supplement Demonic. ITEM QTY PART NUMBER DESCRIPTION
1 2 SOZBOTS P/N BM3MM Dual Bearing Mount
#2, back in August of 2002, Figure 1 shows an exploded view 2 2 SOZBOTS P/N MMGH01 Motor Mount
where I explained how to design a of the design and attached is a rough 3
4
1
1
SOZBOTS P/N SOZDSC-M
Custom Fabrication
SOZBOT Speed Controller
Bottom Chassis
SOZBOT — from laying out the drive- parts list. With all the purchased parts 5 1 SOZBOTS P/N RCRXFM5 Radio Receiver
6 1 Custom Fabrication Top Chassis
train to architecting an effective in hand, I only need to make a few 7 1 SOZBOTS Weapon Motor
weapon. This part finishes off the proj- parts — the chassis top and bottom 8
9
1
2
10 Tooth Gear
7.2V 1000 mAhr
Weapon Drive Pinion
LiPoly Battery
ect and brings all the subsystems out of carbon fiber sheet, the weapon 10 1 50 Tooth Gear Weapon Disc Gear
11 1 Custom Fabrication Weapon Left Mount
together to form a fierce 16 ounce blade and two mounting plates for 12 2 SOZBOTS P/N BE3MMF Flanged 3mm Bearing
the weapon out of aluminum, and 13

14
1
1
Custom Fabrication
Custom Fabrication
Weapon Disc
Weapon Right Mount
some short shafts. First, we'll start 15 1 SWITCH Switch
16 1 Custom Fabrication Switch Block
out with the carbon fiber 17 4 SOZBOTS P/N W50T30D 50mm Wheels
parts. 18
19
2
4
SOZBOTS P/N GH27MOT
SOZBOTS P/N CHS16HEX
Gearmotor
Chain Sprocket
Parts mind. Carbon fiber is made by taking

strands of fiber and weaving it into a
Fabrication fabric. Typically, the fabric is epoxy
Carbon Fiber impregnated and cured under heat
Chassis Panels and pressure in an autoclave. The
fibers are very strong, lightweight,
When working and small in diameter. Although it is
with carbon fiber, not considered a hazardous material,
you must keep you should wear safety goggles, dust
safety in mask and gloves to avoid coming into
contact with the fibers when you are
working with it. The dust generated
from cutting, sanding and drilling is
what you don't want to get in
contact with.
In my case, I
mounted the 0.030-
inch thick carbon fiber
panel in my CNC milling
machine and cut out
the shape I designed in
FIGURE 1 my CAD program. I
realize most people
52 SERVO 11.2003
don't have access to a CNC machine, ers to keep the blade

but carbon can be cut like most other centered between the FIGURE 2
materials. It can be cut with a hack uprights.
saw, Dremel, router, shear, snips and The mounts are
even by scoring with a sharp knife if tapped #4-40 on the bot-
it's thin enough. It’s tough stuff and tom. It is attached to the
tends to wear down your tools, so use carbon fiber with small
sharp carbide or diamond tipped button head screws. One
blades if possible. I then drilled clear- of the holes is on center
ance holes for all the screws. After cut- with the motor, so by
ting and drilling, I used a file and sand- using a long enough
paper to smooth off the cut edges. screw, it bottoms out on
This ensures that the finished part is the motor, retaining it in
safe to handle without gloves and the the upright.
edges end up nice and smooth. Before spacer will hold the shaft in place, so
I removed my gloves and dust mask, I Wheel Axles adjust it to determine how much shaft
washed the parts in cold water. overhang you need. Now press the
If you don't want to work with The wheel axels need to be cut to chain sprocket and the wheel on the
carbon fiber, you can choose a variety the correct length. This is done with a shaft. If you don't want the wheel to
of materials from foamed PVC sheet hacksaw, and then filed to take off the pop off in battle, you might want to
to sheet metal. The appeal of carbon sharp edges. use a drop of superglue.
fiber is its high stiffness, high strength,
and light weight, but there are other Robot Assembly Mounting Drive Train to Chassis
materials that can do the same job at
increased weight. All the parts are ready to go — Take all four assemblies and screw
now it’s time to assemble! them to the bottom chassis using
Aluminum Blade and Mounts some #4-40 x 3/16 button head
Rear Motor and Wheel Assemblies screws. Align the sprockets and run
These parts were all cut from 1/4- the chain over them. The chain is easy
inch aluminum on my CNC milling First, we insert the flanged bear- to work with — just use your finger-
machine. Although the blade is a fair- ing into the mount with the flange on nails to take links apart and put them
ly difficult part to fabricate without the inside of the block. Then we take back together again. Figure 2 shows
such machinery, you can go down to the shaft adapter with the shaft the drive train mounted to the bottom
your local hardware store and find a pressed in it and insert it into the bear- chassis.
small cutting blade of the same diam- ing. Then we mount and install the
eter and adapt it accordingly. The motor with the two screws and lock Weapon Assembly
mounts are a bit tougher to fabricate, down the setscrew on the shaft
but your challenge will be to build adapter to the motor output shaft. Attach the gear to the saw blade
parts with the same functionality with Press on the 16-tooth chain sprocket and insert the shaft through the bore.
the tools you have on hand. to the shaft, and then press on the It’s important to keep the gear cen-
The weapon blade uses 3mm wheel and the assem-
bearings which are pressed into the bly is complete.
uprights. You can use a low friction
plastic, like Delrin (acetal), and you Front Wheel
won't need to worry about bearings. Assemblies
Delrin is a good material choice for the
uprights as it is easy to work with and Insert the two
very durable. The weapon shaft is 1/8- bearings into the
inch diameter with the ends turned mount with the
down to 3mm (0.118-inch) to fit into flanges on the inside
the bearings. The step on each end of of the block, and then
the shaft captures the shaft in the insert the shaft into
bearings. I used flanged bearings to the two bearings with
capture them between the uprights. the supplied spacer FIGURE 3
The shaft is pressed into the weapon between the bearings.
blade and I still used some shaft spac- The setscrew on the
SERVO 11.2003 53
receiver enclosure, but help minimize your weight, reduce

securing the internal clutter, and avoid electrical noise.
electronics is a little Twisting your power leads will also
tougher. You can still help to keep your wires neat and
use double-sided tape, reduce interference. I prefer to use
but you also have to Teflon wire because of its high temper-
worry about protect- ature characteristics. Twisting the wire
ing the electronics. is very easy — take two equal lengths
The antenna is of wire, clamp one end in a vise and
simply a short wire the other in your cordless drill chuck.
coming out of the Run the drill while keeping tension on
receiver. Do not the wire until you get the amount of
change the length of twist you are looking for.
FIGURE 4 the wire and don't The radio receiver connections are
loop the wire on itself. via three wire leads that get soldered
Antennas are best if into the speed controller. The other
tered as much as possible to the cen- kept in a straight line, but for robots, end of the lead is a connector that
ter bore of the blade to ensure that the best way is to zig-zag it. Figure 4 plugs into the receiver. Next, the bat-
the gears mesh correctly. Install the shows the antenna taped to the bot- tery lead gets soldered into the board
bearings in each mount and then tom of the robot. Since we are typical- and the hot lead is cut and wired to
mount the motor to the left motor ly operating the robot from no more the power switch. The power switch
mount. Attach the left motor mount than seven feet away, range is usually should always be located away from
to the chassis, then the blade axle, not an issue, but getting a good signal the weapon, and in a location that
and then screw in the right side to the to the robot is critical. makes it difficult for the switch to get
chassis. I used fiber washers as shaft The lightweight receivers used in hit accidentally, especially by another
spacers to keep the blade centered on these robots tend to be glitchy com- robot. Figure 5 shows the wiring.
the shaft, but almost any spacer will pared to the heavier and usually more
work. Figure 3 shows the weapon expensive ones. The key difference is Battery
assembly attached to the chassis. the lighter ones are single conversion
and tend to be more susceptible to I was planning on using NiCd bat-
Electronics interference compared to dual conver- teries, but switched to lithium polymer
sion receivers. (LiPoly) to save weight and gain run
Except for the chassis top, the Because of this, it's important to time. For less weight, I can have about
robot is mechanically ready. Now we'll have good wiring and a properly four times the battery capacity. This
start with the electronics. mounted antenna to reduce glitching allows me to have just one battery in
in the robot. the robot that I top off between
Radio Receiver matches. I never fully drain the battery
Speed Controller in a bout and can easily run two
The receiver is secured to the bot- matches back-to-back, which can hap-
tom chassis using double-sided tape. The speed controller is the heart pen quite often in double elimination
You can save weight by removing the of the robot — it connects to the competitions.
power source, to LiPoly batteries have improved to
the radio receiver, the point that they can be used at
and to all the high discharge rates — up to 8C. This
motors. Because of means that my 1,000 mAH battery
this, there is a good can continuously source 8 amps. This
deal of wiring is just enough current to feed my drive
involved with this and weapon motors. I used double-
unit. It’s best to sided tape to secure the battery and I
determine the can charge it while it's in the robot. If
mounting locations you are using a battery that you need
of your electronics to remove to charge, then consider a
and then figure out mounting method that is easily serv-
the shortest wire iceable.
FIGURE 5 length that will There is no way to fast charge a
work. Short wires LiPoly, but having the extra capacity
54 SERVO 11.2003
means that if you keep the robot on Demonic has entered four compe-
charge between matches, one battery titions since being built, and has won S ixt een OZ ro BO T S !
should last you for the day. But, always 7 matches out of 15. Not quite 50%,
To learn more about these SOZBOTS
have backups as parts can easily get but future improvements will give it a
and their fighting events, visit
damaged in a match. better chance.
A couple of improvements include www.sozbots.com
www.sozbots.com .
Motors replacing the aluminum blade with
titanium and adding a wedge in the around. Good luck with your one-
To help eliminate motor noise, it's front to keep other robots from get- pounder and see you at the next
best to solder three 0.01 µF capacitors ting underneath and pushing him SOZBOTS event! S
on the motors — from each brush of
the motor to the motor body and
between each brush. This is very
important on cheap toy motors, but
not always necessary on good quality
motors. Remember to keep the motor
leads as short as possible.
Final Assembly and

Testing
Whenever you first power up the
robot, keep safety in mind. I discon-
nect the weapon motor so that I can
check the drive system and radio sys-
tem first. Block the robot so its wheels
don't touch the ground. Turn the radio
transmitter on first and then the
robot.
Once you confirm the radio and
the drive are working, turn the robot
off and connect the motor. Power-up Circle #107 on the Reader Service Card.
again and test. If everything works,
get plenty of driving practice for the
next competition.
Conclusion
SOZBOTS are an excellent way to
get into the sport of fighting robots.
Half the fun of competing is designing
and building your own robot, using
your own designs.
The other half is the actual com-
peting. It's a great way to challenge
yourself to come up with a solution
that is better than the other guy’s as
well as challenge your ability to build a
durable robot that can handle the rig-
ors of battle. And because the robots
can only weigh up to one pound, the
cost of building a robot and compet-
ing is far less than any other weight
class.
SERVO 11.2003 55
Tracker.qxd 10/8/2003 12:58 AM Page 56
This sensor mimics the activity of our

own human eyes, which move in
rapid, discrete steps to take in their
surroundings.
tHE TRACKER by Thomas Scarborough
A
s I write, a prototype of "The shadow sensors, will track shoppers charge (that is, the potential) at the
Tracker" watches my every move through a store-front window or detect comparator's inverting input exceeds
with attention as keen as that of "thermally neutral" motion, such as that at the non-inverting input and the
a dog expecting a treat — and every luggage moving on a conveyer belt. comparator's output goes low, thus
time I leave my seat, it turns its head These features are described in greater triggering a monostable timer. The
to follow my movements around detail below. effect is that the eye compares light
the room. level over time.
The Tracker is a robotic head which Block Diagram One of the toughest problems to
employs two electronic "eyes," each of crack with the present circuit was that
which is extremely sensitive to moving The block diagram in Figure 1 of the eye's response under AC light-
shadows. By adding some simple logic gives a simplified representation of ing. This is because the circuit needs to
to the eyes, and a "power section" with how one of The Tracker's eyes works. distinguish between quick and subtle
a robust DC motor, The Tracker will Note that several components are shifts in light level on the one hand,
turn a head to track the motion of a omitted from this diagram. and the flicker of AC lighting on the
person walking by. A light dependent resistor (LDR) other. This problem was effectively
Sophisticated circuitry is normally forms the lower arm of a potential solved for incandescent lighting,
used to track motion in this way. The divider, and this presents a potential at although harsher lighting (i.e., sodium
Tracker, however, uses cheap and com- point X of approximately half the sup- lamps) could negatively affect sensitiv-
mon components throughout, in what ply voltage. This potential fluctuates ity.
is a relatively simple circuit. If its left with changing light levels (i.e., shad- The core of the solution lies in a
eye detects motion, its head rotates ows in clothing). carefully chosen capacitor (Figure 1)
left. If its right eye detects motion, The potential at point X is then wired in parallel with the LDR, which
its head rotates right. If both eyes presented simultaneously to the inputs smoothes out ripples at point X. While
detect motion simultaneously, it simply of two bilateral switches. An astable this reduces the overall sensitivity of
"stays put." oscillator with an integral divider alter- the eye by about one-third, it also
nately switches the bilateral switches reduces AC ripple by about 90%. In
The Eyes at several Hertz, so that the two capac- conjunction with other select compo-
itors at the inputs are alternately nent values in the "eyes section," this
The success of The Tracker as a charged. brings about a very significant improve-
design comes down, in the final analy- Since the resistance of the bilateral ment in response.
sis, to its eyes. These need to meet two switches in the off state is very high and The "sure bet" range of The Tracker
important criteria. the input impedance of the op-amp under AC incandescent lighting should
First, they need to be very respon- comparator is very high, the charge on be more than eight feet — and about
sive if they are to pick up moving shad- the capacitors is "trapped" in the twice this under natural lighting.
ows at any distance. Second, they need spaces between the bilateral switches However, with careful adjustment and
to auto-adjust to ambient light, so as to and the comparator. These are referred tweaking, as described below, it should
respond to a fairly wide range of light- to as sample-and-hold circuits. be possible to extend this to the full
ing conditions as they scan a scene. As the light level rises and falls, the potential range of the eyes. These are
On the second count, The Tracker
uses what is called a "passive" detec- .:. Figure 1 .:.
tion system. This means that it does
not use a fixed light source which is
integral to the design, but responds to
relative fluctuations in light level.
I chose "shadow sensors" for the
eyes (sometimes called "light sen-
tinels"), since in certain situations
these have important advantages over
infrared or ultrasound.
First, both infrared and ultrasound
are unable to sense motion through
glass. Second, infrared is unable to
sense objects which are thermally
indistinguishable from their back-
ground. The Tracker, through its use of
SERVO 11.2003 57
the tracker
eral switches U2a to U2d alternately.
U4 and U5 were chosen particular-
ly for their high input impedances,
which are necessary so that C4 to C7
will retain their charge. Also, they were
chosen specifically for their provision of
an offset-null adjustment, which is
used to balance the differential input
stage so that the inverting input is nor-
mally higher than the non-inverting
input. Failing this, the potentials at
the two inputs would be too close for
comfort, and might or might not trigger
the ICs.
While LDRs have slower response
times than other light sensitive devices,
two LDRs were chosen for this circuit
because they are common devices,
.:. Figure 2 .:. and may easily be interchanged with
similar devices of the same family. This
capable of spotting a person walking Second, if both monostable timers is not always the case with photo-tran-
under natural lighting at 60 feet, or trigger simultaneously (which is AND), sistors or photo-diodes, which have
under AC incandescent lighting at 20 both timers are instantly reset. This some awkward relatives. Note that if
feet, without lenses. removes any conflict between the two photo-diodes are used, the cathodes
eyes (and thus any conflict at the would normally be wired to points A
Motor “Blanking” motor), and causes The Tracker to and C in the circuit. An LDR is com-
wait for the next trigger pulse from pletely non-polar.
The block diagram in Figure 2 either eye. The first stages of the circuit espe-
gives a more simplified overview of cially require quietness to function
The Tracker's logic, or brain. Circuit Detail properly. Therefore, no LED is used to
The Tracker's brain is small, per- display the switching action of U1,
forming only an AND operation and an Much of this circuit (see Figure 3) although this might be helpful. Also, no
OR operation on the two monostable represents standard electronics, and LED is used to show the state of the
timer's outputs, with the help of four requires little explanation. At the same output of either U4 or U5. Where an
bilateral switches. time, there are a few critical features LED is indeed essential in the first
If either eye triggers individually which I shall highlight here. stages (LED1), this uses a high value
(which is OR), the other eye is instant- Most importantly, the circuit needs ballast resistor (R6). Therefore, an
ly disabled. In fact, both eyes are dis- to combine the extreme sensitivity of ultrabright or high efficiency LED is
abled to prevent any interference from the eyes with the heavy switching of used in this position.
the power section and motor, which the power section and motor. A special problem presents itself in
draw a heavy current and send ripples Therefore it uses supply decoupling the form of the power section (U7 and
throughout the circuit. The eyes are capacitors throughout. (In the interest its surrounding components) and
disabled as long as the motor is ener- of simplicity, these are not reflected in motor M1. This has already been
gized, and continue to be disabled for the full circuit diagram). described in brief.
as long as a timing capacitor deter- The circuit also uses small value Taking the example of U7a, when
mines (C12 in the full circuit diagram). capacitors — in particular C1 and C12 — the output of U7a goes high, capacitor
This "blanks" the action of the motor, and high value resistors — in particular C12 is charged, and bilateral switch
and gives the circuit sufficient time to R1, R6, and R13. C12 dispenses with a U6c conducts. This means that the
compose itself after each movement of good practice parallel resistor for the potential at the junction of R11 and
The Tracker's neck. sake of further discouraging ripples on U6c goes high. Therefore, with trigger
This blanking has more than one the supply. Also note capacitors C8- pin 6 being held high, this is disabled
purpose. First, if there was no blanking, C11, which help to stabilize the two for a moment, giving the circuit time
the eyes would see motion all the time eyes. These in particular need time to to settle after the motor has been
as The Tracker turned its neck. The cir- settle at switch-on. energized.
cuit blanks out the motion of a spin- The 4047B CMOS oscillator (U1) LED2 and LED3 are included in the
ning world around it, as well as any provides — through an internal divider blanking described. As small as their
physical vibrations that might be — a near perfect mark-space ratio at its power consumption is, these alone
caused by the turning of its neck. output pins 10 and 11, to switch bilat- would be capable of significantly desta-
58 SERVO 11.2003
the tracker
bilizing the circuit during switching. are required for the construction of the tors, then add the LDRs — leaving long
Finally, a power MOSFET H-bridge neck, which in the prototype has free enough legs for these to be "splayed"
is used to turn the motor either clock- 360° rotation. PCB patterns are avail- (see below).
wise or counterclockwise in response able for download on the SERVO When an LDR is in its "naked"
to pulses from IC7 ouput pins 5 and 9. website (www.servomagazine.com). state, it has a very wide viewing angle,
The specified MOSFETs will turn any An early prototype used an umbilical and its sensitivity is dull. The sensitivity
small motor without the need for heat cord between PCB 1 (the body) and may be greatly increased by making it
sinks, yet remain generously within PCB 2 (the head), which on one occa- "look" down the length of a narrow,
their limits. D4 and C15 are included to sion led to complete self-strangulation! black tube. In this case, three-inch long
suppress back-EMF. The upper plate makes contact with black tubes are recommended. For
Current consumption of The the lower plate through three sprung maximum range, try longer tubes —
Tracker is less than 10 mA on standby, wires (or brushes) as shown in the however, this reduces the field of
so that operation off a 12 volt 7 Ah bat- photographs. vision, which can be self-defeating in
tery is feasible, and would likely carry Note that U1, U2, U6, and U7 are some lighting situations. The tubes
the circuit through a few days of con- CMOS devices, and require care when are later fixed to the head assembly,
tinuous use in a store-front window handling (first discharge your body to so that vibration is reduced to a
before requiring a recharge. ground). Because PCB 1 is not small, I minimum.
Finally, it would be a fairly simple would recommend the use of dual-in- Once soldering is complete, insert
matter to add speech to The Tracker. As line pin (DIP) sockets throughout. the ICs in the DIP sockets, observing
an example, an ISD1400-series single- Starting with PCB 1, begin by sol- the correct orientation, and mount
chip record and playback device would dering the solder pins, the seven DIP potentiometers VR1-VR3, LED1-LED3,
provide a simple option if suitable trig- sockets, and 32 jumper wires. Then and S1 and the DC power socket on
ger inputs were arranged. Since these solder the resistors, the diodes, the the case.
devices have versatile addressing capa- potentiometers, the capacitors, and the
bility, various spoken messages could power MOSFETs, finishing with the Mechanical Construction
be incorporated in the circuit. LEDs (these should have suitably long
Comprehensive data is available at legs for mounting on the case — and The motor is mounted firmly on
www.isd.com note orientation). Use suitable lengths the top of the case, with its "face"
of connecting wire to connect S1 and being flat horizontal. This is a 12 volt
Electronic Construction the DC power socket (points F and G in DC bidirectional motor with fairly low
Figure 3). The three solder pins near revs (650 RPM in the prototype), and
The Tracker is built on two PCBs, potentiometer VR1 are taken to the good torque. The circuit allows for
one each for the processing and sens- lower plate of the neck as shown, with more than a little latitude when it
ing circuitry. Two further PCBs (an suitable lengths of connecting wire. comes to the motor's speed, so that
upper and a lower plate, consisting of Turning to PCB 2 (the smaller various, similar DC motors may be
three concentric circles of copper track) PCB), solder the resistors and capaci- tried.
.:. Figure 3 .:.
SERVO 11.2003 59
the tracker
Resistors All 1/4W, 5% unless noted Semiconductors .:. Parts List .:.
R1 470 K D1-D3
R2, R5 33 K 1N4148
R3, R4 39 K D4 1N4001
R6 22 K D5 1N5400 (or to suit motor)
R7, R8, R13 220 K LED1-LED3 5 mm ultrabright red LED
R9, R10, R14-R17 1K TR1-TR4 IRF510 power MOSFET
R11, R12 47 K U1 4047B CMOS oscillator
LDR1, LDR2 NORP-12 U2 TL072CN dual JFET op-amp
VR1, VR3 Dual gang 100 K linear pot U3, U6 4016 CMOS quad bilateral switch
VR2 Dual gang 47 K linear pot U4, U5 TL071 JFET op-amp
U7 ICM7556IPD dual CMOS timer
Capacitors
C1, C15 100 nF Miscellaneous
C2, C3 1 µF electrolytic 16 V M1 12 volt DC gearhead motor
C4-C11 47 nF (All Electronics CAT # DCM-208)
C12 680 pF S1 On-off switch rated 1A
C13, C14 470 nF PS1 (optional) 12 volts DC 1 amp power supply
C16-C21 100 µF electrolytic 16 V <30 mV ripple
C22 1000 µF electrolytic 16 V SK1 DC power socket to suit PS1
Wire up the bottom neck plate, three potentiometers, plug 12 volts one or the other LED will blink ran-
mounting it on the face of the motor. DC into The Tracker's DC power domly. If the head is properly con-
Solder sprung wires (brushes) to the socket (center pin positive), then nected, it will now twitch both clock-
upper neck plate, and fix this on the switch on. If a 115 volt AC to 12 volt wise and counterclockwise when it
motor's shaft, ensuring that all the DC wall pack is used, this should be senses motion before the eyes.
brushes make good contact with the rated 1 amp with 30 mV RMS ripple We now require more decisive
circular copper tracks on the bottom or less, otherwise the circuit's sensi- motion of the neck. For this purpose,
plate, and that the upper plate is flat tivity could be compromised. In dual potentiometer VR3 is turned up
parallel with the bottom plate. Wipe other words, a high quality regulated (clockwise) until the neck turns
both plates with alcohol or methylated wall pack is required. through a suitable arc to effectively
solvent before securing them, since At this point, The Tracker's head track a person walking by. The set-
residues from their manufacture might should not be moving, except per- ting of VR3 will vary according to the
dirty the brushes. haps for one or two twitches at motor used, and the distance and
Construct a central cylinder which switch-on. The circuit takes a minute speed of people walking by. The
will enable the upper plate to fit tightly or more to fully settle, and may motor should turn the neck so that
onto the motor's shaft. I did this with exhibit unexpected behavior before the eye which is triggered advances
soft copper plate which I wrapped this. its position ahead of the motion it
tightly round the shaft, then soldered Turn up (clockwise) dual poten- has detected (i.e., ahead of a per-
rigidly into place. The upper plate tiometer VR1 until LED1 illuminates. son's path), while not advancing the
should then slide tightly on and off the If this does not illuminate, the light other eye too far. Each time the neck
motor's shaft. If this proves not to be level might be out of range. Unless it turns, the head should more or less
sturdy enough, epoxy glue is suggest- is far out of range, this should not turn to face you directly. If the head
ed. A head is then built onto the upper present a problem — simply turn the
plate. For this I used stiff card stock, potentiometer to the brightest
and added some sparse "decoration" (clockwise) or dimmest (counter-
as seen in the photographs. The head clockwise) light setting. LED1 might
construction also serves to support the blink on and off during operation,
eye-tubes. depending on the light level per-
The eye-tubes were splayed at 65° ceived by the circuit at each turn of
in the prototype. If this angle is the neck.
reduced, The Tracker may lose you too Next, turn up (clockwise) dual
easily as you walk past. potentiometer VR2 until LED2 and
LED3 blink when there is motion
Set-up and before the eyes. If you turn this up
Troubleshooting too far, the AND logic described
above will kick in and tend to cancel
Turn back (counterclockwise) all out the response of both eyes — or .:. Main processing PCB .:.
60 SERVO 11.2003
the tracker
might lie in interference between
the two eyes. If a hand is moved in
front of one eye and the LED of the
opposite eye flashes also, then there
is interference.
Assuming that the circuit has
been given ample time to settle, try
turning back VR2. If this leads to
poor sensitivity, a poor quality power
supply would be the No.1 suspect.
The perfect solution in this case
.:. Sensor PCB .:. would be a 12V battery. Interference
from the motor or physical vibration
turns the wrong way, simply reverse of the head should be the next sus-
the leads of the motor. pects. The solution in this case
If the circuit does not work as would lie in a longer blanking peri- .:. Head scaffold with neck
described, switch off and carefully od, by increasing the value of C12. I plates and sprung wires .:.
re-check. Ensure that there are no myself needed to add 470 pF in par-
solder bridges on the PCB, that all allel with C12 after I added a head to chrome" and dark or light patches
components are inserted correctly, the "head scaffold," due to increased might obscure shadows. Uniform
and that all inter-wiring is correct. vibration and momentum with the brightness in a room will work best.
Simple trouble-shooting of the added weight. Make sure that all If The Tracker is to be used in bright
circuit may be done with an LED and parts of the head are well secured. daylight or sunlight, the values of
a 1K series resistor, with the LED's Another potential problem would be VR1 and R7-R10 should be adjusted
cathode being wired to ground. particularly bad lighting conditions to give a potential of about half the
Touch the resistor to pin 10, then to (i.e., sodium lamps). In this case, supply voltage at point X.
pin 11 of U1. The LED should flash "easier" lighting would be recom- With some experimentation, The
both times. Touch it to U4 pin 6, mended, although an increase to the Tracker may be set to transition
then to U5 pin 6. With the correct values of C2 and C3 might help. The seamlessly from natural to AC light-
setting of VR2, the LED should blink Tracker will work best in situations of ing — but this, unfortunately, will not
both times when a hand is moved in good contrast (i.e., shadows on a occur at maximum sensitivity for
front of the corresponding eye. All white wall). If a room has large, dark both. If maximum sensitivity under
being well at this stage, any further areas on the one hand, or especially natural lighting triggers the circuit
problems will lie in U6, U7, or the bright areas on the other (such as under AC, then adjust for maximum
power MOSFETs. U2 is incidental to wall lamps) The Tracker might sensitivity under AC — and vice versa.
the circuit, and is unlikely to cause become confused — due partly to The author may be contacted at
any problems. A further problem the fact that it sees "in mono- [email protected] S
SERVO 11.2003 61
Robyte.qxd 10/9/2003 2:38 PM Page 62
Robytes
elcome to Robytes, SERVO's
W collection of random bits of

robot news from around the
world. Every issue you'll get a good
proven their abilities to scamper about.
Talk about wanting to be a fly on the
wall — Pister's microbots may finally be
Robots Try to Put David Beckham
Out of Work
Pity poor Posh
cross section of what's going on. Got able to let you know what your co- Spice — currently
a good story on robots? Email me: workers really think about you. married to one of
[email protected]
And, if you'd like to get even more http://robotics-society.org/servo/001 the greatest soccer
robot news delivered to your in-box players ever. FIRA —
(no spam, just robo-news), drop a line: the Federation of
[email protected] International
Robot Tries to Put Sniffer Dogs RobotSoccer
— David Calkins Out of Work Association — held its annual competi-
tion in Vienna at the beginning of
Pity the poor sniffer dog. First October. Robots, both walking and on
Smart Dust Millirobots Take a someone shoves a dirty shirt under his wheels, are quickly catching up to us
Walk nose, and then he drags some guy mere mortals. The goal of FIRA is to
through the woods looking for the bad have a bipedal robot team beat a
While most guys. Andy Russell of Monash human team by 2050. T
robotic engi- University in Australia hopes to put the he recent games consisted of both
neers are work- sniffer dogs out of work. He's devel- wheeled and bipedal bots — the goal of
ing on making oped robots that can detect a scent the wheeled bots being to accurately
bigger robots, and follow it to its source. Although find the ball, opponents, and goal —
UC Berkeley pro- not yet as "scents-itive" as dogs, the while the bipeds focus on being able to
fessor Kristofer Pister has been follow- bots will eventually be able stand and kick. Soon, the two types
ing the idea that smaller is better. to precisely recognize individual odors will converge to create autonomous
Using circuit designing techniques, he's and alert humans to their source and bipedal robots that can independently
building robots that will soon be invisi- exact composition — not just "it's find the ball, determine friend from
ble to the naked eye. They use micro- a bomb," but such details as the foe, kick the ball into the opposing
electromechanical systems (MEMS), exact type of explosive used. The bots goal, and just about anything else
which act like an inchworm to give the should have no problem finding my Messr Beckham can do. Victoria will
bots better crawling capabilities. While laundry pile ... need to invest in batteries ...
these robots aren't quite capable of http://robotics-society.org/servo/002 http://robotics-society.org/servo/003
outrunning Carl Lewis, they have
Snake Robots Slither Into the

Future
microEngineering Labs, Inc. Order online at:
Development Tools for PICmicro MCUs www.melabs.com Tokyo research-
es have developed
PIC Micro-Bot $239.95 new snake robots to
Programmers Proto Boards
powered by PicBasic Pro
PICProto help find survivors
Prototyping
Boards
trapped in collapsed
Serial Programmer
buildings after earth-
Starting at
$79.95
$8.95 quakes, explosions,
EPIC Programmer
$59.95 and bombings.
Fumitoshi Matsuno of Tokyo’s
University of Electro-Communications'
Experimenter Mechanical Engineering and Intelligent
BASIC Compilers Boards Systems, has spearheaded the project
PicBasic
Compiler
which developed snake-bots that "can
$99.95 go into narrow places and their long
PicBasic Pro Micro-Bot is a wheeled robot controlled
and thin bodies can disperse the
Compiler
$249.95
by a PIC MCU. Includes a free demo
version of the PicBasic Pro Compiler, as
Assembled LAB-X
Experimenter Boards
weight to prevent a secondary collapse
well as sample programs, parts kit for
infrared & photocell experiments,
Starting at $69.95 of wrecked structures," something that
schematics, and projects for RF remote
control & sonar range-finding/navigation.
traditional wheeled bots can't do.
These robots will really advance the
Phone: (719) 520-5323 Fax: (719) 520-1867 Box 60039, Colorado Springs, CO 80960
science, but they could have saved
62 SERVO 11.2003
Robyte.qxd 10/9/2003 2:38 PM Page 63
Robytes
themselves a lot of time if they'd called Nanorobots to Swim Through the To the Moon, Alice!
Gavin Miller first. Bloodstream
http://robotics-society.org/servo/004 The European
As a boy, I Space agency
remember launched its first
Korean Industry Works to Develop watching the lunar robot probe
Service Robots old movie Sept. 28th from Photo courtesy
of ESA
"Fantastic French Guiana (erm,
Home robots have long escaped our Voyage" (later robots, space missions, and French
dreams of an in-house service bot that remade as "Innerspace") about a Guiana? Where do I apply?) The probe,
will do our laundry, dishes, and take the miniaturized submarine that cruises SMART-1 (Small Missions for Advanced
dog for a walk. But the International through a man’s body in order to per- Research in Technology), is the first of
Federation of Robotics is hoping that in- form microscopic surgery, and think- ESA’s Small Missions for Advanced
home service robots will soon be as ing "No way could they do that! Cool Research in Technology. Carrying sever-
prevalent as cars — growing from a $400 movie though." I've learned a lot in al miniaturized instruments, it's en
million dollar industry in 2003 to a $2.2 my old age. One thing is never to say route to the moon using solar-electric
billion dollar industry by 2005 — and as "No way they could do that." propulsion and a spiffy new ion engine.
much as $70 billion by 2010. The Well, Rutgers University is build- These incredible ion engines work simi-
Koreans, hoping to capitalize on the ing robots that someday will travel larly to rockets, but they fire out a pro-
explosive growth, are focusing their ener- your bloodstream to repair damaged pellant gas much faster than the jet of
gy on creating everything from vacuum cells, tissues, and DNA. a chemical rocket — delivering about 10
bots to cleaning bots. With heavy hitters A prototype of their Nano Motor times as much thrust per kilo of propel-
such as Samsung and Hyundai leading is expected to be unveiled in 2007, lant. Electric guns fire out charged
the way, better bots are within our gen- with research and development atoms, which is what gives the engine
eration. I just hope that my future butler funded by a four-year its "ion" name. SMART-1 will make the
bot has as cool a voice as B-9 did in $1,050,017.00 grant from the first comprehensive inventory of key
"Lost in Space." National Science Foundation and its chemical elements on the lunar surface,
http://robotics-society.org/servo/005 Nanoscale Science and Engineering and investigate the theory that the
program. Moon was formed following the violent
These motors — 1/50,000th the collision of a smaller planet with Earth.
New Walking Robots for Under width of a human hair — will truly It will also search for ice — something
$100.00 revolutionize how we look at medi- everyone hopes to find on the moon, as
cine and the body. So long as you it is the key to colonizing the moon. I
Mark Tilden, don't sneeze them out ... guess Norton will have to start packing.
the famous inventor http://robotics-society.org/servo/007 http://robotics-society.org/servo/008
of BEAM robotics
and annoyer of gen-
erals everywhere, is
coming out with
walking robots
which will give
ASIMO a "run" for its money. Spurned
by the success of BIO bugs, and on loan
TEXAS ART ROBOTS
from NASA (until they stop crashing his H A N D M A D E I N T E L L I G E N C E
robots into mars), he's introducing a
new robot — the "RoboSapien" — a full
function, fast moving robot minion suit- CUSTOM SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
able for all your world domination ROBOTICS & EMBEDDED SYSTEMS
needs. It features real multi-speed fast
dynamic walking, running, and turning, AI, speech, vision, sonar, navigation/mapping, teams,
67 pre-programmed functions including
pick-up, throw, kick, sweep, dance, fart, motion control, sensors, arms, legs, grippers, power mgmt,
belch, rap, and half-a-dozen different motors, steppers, servos, A/D, D/A, interrupts, threads,
kung-fu moves. And it even speaks flu- PIC, Atmel, Intel, Motorola, asm, C, C++, Java, Lisp, Basic,
ent international "caveman." All this
Windows, Mac, Linux, DOS, any RTOS, PalmOS, kernel,
without a computer. The big question,
of course, is will it take my Aibo for a 30 years experience, one-man shop, any size project, fast.
walk, or try to steal its lunch money.
http://robotics-society.org/servo/006 S COT T @ A RT BOTS . CO M
SERVO 11.2003 63
Events.qxd 10/9/2003 10:54 AM Page 64
courtesy of
ovember is a busy month for robot competitors — with 20-22 Texas BEST Competition
N the 24th annual All Japan MicroMouse Contest being the
biggest event of the lot. There are also contests being held by
Texas A & M University, College Station, TX — If
your school doesn't have a team, check the web
several of the major robot clubs in the US including CIRC site to find out how to get one started.
and ChiBots in Illinois, and the DPRG in Texas. And once www.texasbest.org or www.bestinc.org
again, Texas A & M University will be hosting the annual
state championship for the BEST competition. 21-23All Japan MicroMouse Contest
The first quarter of a new year is usually a bit slow but The Panasonic Center, Tokyo, Japan — This is the
there are some notable exceptions this year with the APEC 24th annual contest; 24 years of optimization have
MicroMouse Contest scheduled for February in CA and the produced robots that can solve these mazes in 10
much anticipated DARPA Grand Challenge coming in seconds instead of the original 10 minutes.
March. With a one million dollar prize, the DARPA event is www.bekkoame.ne.jp/~ntf/mouse/taikai/taikai.html
shaping up to be one of the highest profile events ever for
autonomous mobile robots. December 2003
— R. Steven Rainwater
6 Boonshoft Museum LEGO Mindstorms
N ov e m b e r 2 0 0 3 Robotics Competition
Boonshoft Museum, Dayton, OH — Local
8 CIRC Autonomous Sumo Robot Competition competition for the FIRST LEGO League. Winners
Peoria, IL — This Central Illinois Robotics Club move on to the state competition.
event will include an R/C robotic combat event in www.boonshoftmuseum.org/special_events.php3
addition to autonomous sumo.
www.circ.mtco.com/competitions/2003/sumorules.htm 6 Penn State Abington Robo-Hoops
Penn State Abington, Abington, PA — Yes, this is
8-9 Olimpiada Robotica autonomous robot basketball. Each robot has 60
Commercial Center Vizcaya de Medellin, Columbia seconds to make up to four baskets by shooting
— An annual maze-running contest. or dunking.
www.upb.edu.co/automatica/olimpiada/olimpiada.html www.ecsel.psu.edu/~avanzato/robots/robohoops.htm
9 ChiBots Robotics Contest 13 LEGO MY EGG-O Robotic Egg Hunt

Schaumburg Public Library, Schaumburg, IL — Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland, OH —
Events include basic and advanced line following, Bi-annual student contest of the Case Western
solaroller, and the amazing "Pound of Wood Mini- Reserve University Autonomous LEGO Robotics
Sumo Challenge." Course.
www.chibots.org http://www.eecs.cwru.edu/courses/lego375/
15 DPRG Table-Top Robot Contest and Talent Show 15-16 Eastern Canadian Robot Games
Dallas, TX — The last DPRG Talent Show was in Ontario Science Centre, Ontario Canada — In
1999 — they don't happen often enough to miss! addition to the expected BEAM events, there's
www.dprg.org/competitions also a regional for the Trinity Fire-Fighting con-
tests and autonomous sumo.
22 PAReX Autonomous Robotics Competition www.robotgames.ca
Challenger Learning Center, Phoenix, AZ —
Autonomous Mini Sumo and Maze Solving. Mr. Januar y 2004
Ball is lost in the land of snakes and scorpions.
Can your robot find him in time? 24-26 Yantriki TECHFEST 2004, IIT
www.parex.org/autoevent1.shtml Bombay, India — This is a huge technical festival
64 SERVO 11.2003
Events.qxd 10/9/2003 11:24 AM Page 65
PWR
GND
Serial I/O PartyBus™
+5VDC
Connect Sensors & Servos

to Your PC or µC
NEW PartyBus™ is a new simple network for
robotics and automation. PartyBus™
modules provide analog/digital I/Os,
switch inputs, servo outputs & relays.
Why use a control network? To add
flexibility and simplify wiring. The
control systems in
cars, airplanes,
and factories are
involving over 15,000 stu- networked. Now your projects
dents from 750 colleges can be networked too.
across India. There are a lot Use PartyBus™ with a laptop PC,
desktop PC, or serial-enabled µC. Have fun, and
of other technical contests gain experience programming in Java or C/C++.
in addition to the robotics Starter Kit Software for
events. Windows® 98SE – XP
www.me.iitb.ernet.in/yantriki or j Free Java IDE (netBeans IDE + J2SE SDK)
www.techfest.org j Java classes for PartyBus™, text-to-speech
output, and image acquisition from PC cameras
j C++ source code to access PartyBus™
j PartyTalk and PartyControl utilities
F e b ru a r y 2 0 0 4 Linux
j C source code to access PartyBus™
j PartyTalk utility
22-26 APEC MicroMouse Contest
The Disneyland Hotel, Would a flexible control network simplify
Anaheim, CA — If you can't your next project? Visit us online today.
catch the Japanese Micro- Micros Made Easy
Mouse event, this one Shrewsbury, MA, USA
should be just as interesting www.MicrosMadeEasy.com

with some very advanced
robots.
www.apecconf.org/2004/APEC04
Robotics Showcase
_Home_Page.html
March 2004
13 DARPA Grand Challenge
Los Angeles, CA — The
autonomous LA to Vegas THOUSANDS OF ELECTRONIC
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lighting effects.qxd 10/8/2003 10:58 PM Page 66
Robotics Resources:
Lighting Effects
o, you have this great robot that can follow a black line instance, a 4,500 mcd LED produces 4.5 candles — that's
S around the room. You and I know this is a terrific

accomplishment, but it's lost on the non-practitioners
of the robotic art. They respond to robots on a far more shal-
bright! And some are even brighter.
Color is obviously one feature to look for when shopping
for super bright LEDs. You'll also want to compare the beam
low level — like how much damage it can inflict, or if it's spread. The highest outputs are achieved by using a narrow
“cute” like R2-D2. Few onlookers will ever ask you "what does 10 or 15 percent beam, rather than the more typical 30 per-
it do" if your robot makes funny sounds or blinks lots of lights. cent. For the latter, the LED may produce the same amount
While not a construction material, and certainly not nec- of light, but disperse it over a wider area. As a result, the
essary to make your robot smart, lighting elements add style measured point intensity is lower. The brightest of the super
and decoration to your robot. The right lights can make even bright LEDs are so bright they are painful to directly look at.
the most boring line follower look cool. Lighting can also be So don't! In fact, they can cause the same sort of blind spots
used for practical applications. For instance, electrolumines- as any high intensity light.
cent wire could be attached to the floor and used to prevent This is especially true of ultraviolet LEDs, which produce
a robot from wandering outside its perimeter. Or high bright- light at 400 nanometers, just below the visible spectrum. UV
ness flashing LEDs could be used in multiple-player robot soc- LEDs are typically used with fluorescent inks and dyes. On
cer. Ultraviolet lamps (and ultraviolet detectors, typically used mobile robots, limit their use to "undercarriage" lights to
for testing of paper money) could provide an optical proxim- avoid the beam from pointing directly into anyone's eyes. UV
ity system based on the fluorescence of materials. light is more interesting for what it does to fluorescing mate-
In this column, we'll examine several popular types of rials, than as a direct light source.
lighting you can add to your robot. All are
fairly inexpensive and can be purchased
locally or through the Internet.
Super Br ight and

Specialty LEDs
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been
around for decades, but a fairly recent inno-
vation is the super bright LED. These put out
a bright beam that can be seen for hun-
dreds, if not thousands, of feet. They're avail-
able in just about every color of the rainbow,
including blue and even white.
Visible light LEDs are classified by their
light output, rated in candles (also called
candela). Until recently, few LEDs produced
more than one candle, so the typical specifi-
cation was in millicandles (mcd) — or thou-
sandths of a candle. A 100 mcd LED pro-
duces 100 millicandles — or 1/10 of a can-
dle. Super bright LEDs, on the other hand,
produce several candles of light. These may Find most any color LED at SuperBrightLeds.com
be rated in candles or millicandles. For
66 SERVO 11.2003
For Robotics
Cold Cathode way to dip your toes into the exciting world of electrolumi-
Fluorescent Tubes nescent panels. The kit includes an inverter, color filters, and
a 3.75-inch by 1.7-inch EL strip that provides multiple connec-
Cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) tubes are com- tion points. The strip can be cut into smaller pieces. The
monly used to “hop-up” personal computers with glow inverter can power up to five separate strips, and provides 32
effects. The light consists of the tube itself, plus a high volt- pre-programmed lighting sequences.
age inverter. Inside the tube is a coating that causes it to
glow in any of several striking colors, as well as white and Elec troluminescent Wire
ultraviolet. (Be careful of the ultraviolet tubes unless you
know it's safe — short wave ultraviolet can cause sunburn and Imagine a flexible neon sign — that's what EL wire is. EL
blindness.) The inverter steps up the 5 to 12 volt battery volt- wire looks a lot like small plastic tubing, but when electricity
age to 100 or more volts, to light the tube. is applied, it glows in a rainbow of colors. Here's how it
CCFL tubes are available in different lengths. For robotics works: At the center is a solid copper conductor. This conduc-
applications, the shorter 100 mm (about four inches) length is tor is coated with an electroluminescent phosphor. To excite
about right. Another common length is 300 mm (about 12 the phosphor, two very fine wires are wrapped around the
inches). If the tube is “bare,” you'll want to place it in a clear, center conductor. Covering this whole arrangement is a clear
rigid protective tube. You can purchase these at some home plastic sheath, which also protects everything inside.
improvement stores, as well as specialty plastics outlets. The Apply current to the wires and the phosphor lights up.
tube helps prevent breakage and the possibility of small shards Different colors are produced by varying the chemical make-
of glass flying everywhere. If a rigid tube is not practical, clear up of the phosphor, altering the tinting of the plastic protec-
flexible hosing, available at any pet shop that sells aquarium tive sheath, varying the voltage, and/or varying the frequen-
supplies, is the next best choice. The tube may still break if cy of the current driving the wire. The end result is a bright-
something strikes it, but the glass will remain inside the hose. ly colored glowing wire. EL wire has several uses in robotics.
Use caution when handling the tube and inverter. Though Here are just some of them:
the current produced by an inverter is low, the shock is
unpleasant, and it may cause you to recoil and drop the tube. •First and foremost, it looks cool! Wrap some EL wire of
different colors around the periphery of your robot to give it
Elec troluminescent P anels some pizzazz.
•Small strips of EL wire, of a certain color, can be used
Electroluminescent (EL) panels are used in products rang- to identify robots in a competition. If the robots are equipped
ing from nightlights to LCD backlights. The typical color is a with filtered light sensors, they can even differentiate friend
soft green, but other colors are possible, including reds, from foe on the battlefield.
oranges, and blues. Overlay filters can be used to alter the •EL wire can provide illumination for the robot for use in
color, but the choices are limited. Electroluminescent panels object detection. When used in conjunction with cadmium
require a high voltage (90 volts or higher), and like the CCFL sulfide (CdS) cells, the reflected glow of the EL wire can be
products, this is accomplished with an inverter. The inverter detected and used for proximity sensing. (In addition, many
steps up the battery voltage to 90-120 VAC. red colored phosphors will emit a certain amount of near-
You can purchase EL panels as surplus, and experiment infrared light, which is detectable with ordinary infrared
with them. Look for panels with solid leads already attached; photo-transistors.)
you can solder wires to the leads. Less useful are panels that •A strip of EL wire on the floor can be used for a line
require a pressure connection to make electrical contact. tracking robot. On the underside of the robot, affix sensors
These are harder to solder to. to detect the glow of the wire.
The chaser panel kits sold by All Electronics offer a great •Strips of EL wire can be placed around the periphery of
by Gordon McComb
SERVO 11.2003 67
a room or along the floor, to serve as a kind

of electronic fence. Sensors on the under-
side of the robot detect the light from the EL
wire. A bonus: unlike a painted line, the EL
wire can be switched on and off, thereby
allowing the robot to exit the fenced area,
should that be necessary.
EL wire is driven by a high voltage alter-
nating current. But it need not be plugged
into a wall outlet. Rather, the wire uses
small, self-contained inverters that produce
the required voltage from a small DC source
(usually 3 to 12 volts; AA batteries are suffi-
cient).
Inverters are not terribly expensive —
consumer models retail for $7.00 to $12.00.
You'll have good results if you add more
inverters to drive additional strands of EL
wire, rather than try to do it all from one
unit. Additionally, you can opt for an invert-
er that blinks the EL wire at specific intervals,
or keeps it on continuously. Specialty invert-
ers are available with built-in sequencers Coolight.com offers electroluminescent wire
that, in turn, selectively activate several in a variety of colors and thicknesses.
strands of EL wire. Note that inverters are
available at different operating frequencies — from 400 Hz to
over 12,000 Hz. The brightest outputs are provided at the L asers
higher frequencies. The color of some phosphors can be
altered by changing the frequency of the AC excitation. For Lasers can be used for unusual and brilliant lighting
example, the “blue” phosphors can be changed from green effects, as long as your robot will be used in a protected envi-
to blue by varying the frequency between 400 and about ronment, without curious kids who might pick it up and look
6,000 Hz. into the laser light. Laser pointers are battery powered, and
Color choice varies by manufacturer, but most offer the relatively inexpensive (many sell for under $10.00). The most
following, in diameters from 1.3 millimeters (called “angle common color is red, but laser pointers in green and a few
hair”) to 5.0 millimeters: aqua (blue/green), deep red, green, other colors are available. Cost is considerably more for the
indigo (deep blue), lime green, orange, pink, purple, red, latter, as non-red laser diodes are more expensive to manu-
white, and yellow. The blues and greens tend to be the most facture.
vibrant colors. You may opt to use the laser pointer as-is, mounting it
directly to the robot. The on/off switch is spring-loaded, so
Bod y Je w elr y you'll need to work out a way to keep it depressed. Or, you
can remove the laser diode from the body of the pointer, and
Light-up body jewelry uses various types of LEDs — flash- activate it via a transistor or relay. Removing the laser diode
ing and continuous — electroluminescent panels and wires, is not always as easy as it sounds, or even recommended —
and even Cyalume glowsticks. Glow-in-the-dark sticks can be the metal barrel of the pointer acts as a heat sink. Without
purchased at mall stores and even discount retailers such as the heat sink, the laser diode may prematurely burn-out. You
Wal-Mart. Look for a party shop, such as Spencer Gifts (mail will also need to provide regulated voltage. A limiting resistor
order and mall stores), for light-up body jewelry. For more may be needed to prevent the laser diode from pulling too
online choices, try various Google.com searches: much current from the robot's power supply.
Of course, the usual precautions of using lasers should
•glowstick be observed. Avoid looking directly into the beam, and don't
•rave lights allow the robot to be used in any situation where the beam
•glow jewelry can accidentally point toward anyone — or any animal, for
•magnetic LED earrings that matter.
One idea for a laser-equipped robot is “light writing”
Of particular interest are the LED earrings. Most use a using the open bulb setting of a 35mm film camera. Set
magnetic backing rather than a piercing or clip. They're bat- the camera on a tripod, set the camera to “bulb” (the
tery powered and pulse in any of several colors. Colors vary shutter stays open until you release it), turn off the
— typical are alternating blue and red. You can attach the ear- lights, and let your robot loose. The laser will “paint”
rings to your robot using glue, double-sided foam tape, or streaks of colored light on the film as it roams around the
even with a flexible magnet strip. room. S
68 SERVO 11.2003
C h r i s t m a s D e c o ra t i o n s
Christmas is one of the best times to find unique lighting
systems for your robot. An increasing number of products are
designed to run off low-voltage DC, so they're suitable for
battery-operated robots. Examples I've seen recently: mistle-
S OURCES
toe that lights up when someone stands under it, a glowing
Santa that speaks when someone approaches the front door,
and chaser-light tree ornaments operated by two AA batter-
ies.
Wait until after December 25th to get the good deals.
AND S IDEBARS
Stores routinely offer unsold Christmas decorations at 50%
off, or more. Same goes for the days right after Halloween.
Though most Halloween lighting is in oranges and reds,
they're a cheap source of LEDs, incandescent lights (strip off
the colored gel filters), and glowsticks.
Fiber Optics
Fiber optics is an old technology, and
it's easy to forget when planning light
effects for your robot. But there's still plen-
ty of life left in good ol' fiber optic lighting,
and new technologies make it even more
exciting. Case in point: so-called “side
glow” fibers emit light over the length of
the strand, not just the end. They look
more like electroluminescent wire, but can
be made to glow any color, even alternate
colors.
Surprisingly, fiber optic strands suitable
for lighting effects can be hard to find.
Most fiber optics sold these days are for
data transmission — expensive. Rather, you
want cheap fiber optic strands used to
make “fountain lamps” popular in the early
1970s. Fortunately, a few retailers such as
Target and Spencer Gifts sell low-cost
reproductions of these lamps. You can yank
Fiber Optic Products offers side glow fiber optic cable, similar in off the fiber and use it in your robot proj-
functionality to electroluminescent wire. ects. If you need longer lengths or a partic-
ular style or type of fiber, check out Fiber
Optic Products, listed in the Sources sec-
Sources tion. They offer end glow and side glow
* All Elec tronics
fibers, lamps, bundles, fluorescent fiber
optics, and associated products.
www.allelectronics.com
All Electronics (local stores in Los Angeles, CA, cata-

log mail order elsewhere) offers high brightness LEDs, About the Author
electroluminescent panel kits (cut out shapes to make Gordon McComb is the author of the best-selling
your own), CCFL lights, and high voltage inverters.
Robot Builder's Bonanza and the Robot Builder's
Sourcebook, both from Tab/McGraw-Hill. In addition
AS&C CooLight to writing books, he operates a small manufacturing
www.coolight.com
company dedicated to low-cost amateur robotics,
Electroluminescent wire, inverters, and sequencers.
www.budgetrobotics.com He can also be reached at
Products can be purchased through their web page.
[email protected]
SERVO 11.2003 69
* SBlack
ources continued...
Feather Elec tronics Olmec A dvanced Mat er ials, Ltd.
www.blkfeather.com www.olmec.co.uk
A cornucopia of unique electronics items: connectors Resellers and fabricators of specialty materials, includ-
and cords, audio, gadgets, laser pointers, mini-cams, sol- ing Surelight electroluminescent wire.
dering, parts and switches, power, test equipment, kits,
tools, video; high-brightness LEDs, and electroluminescent RepairFAQ: Sam's L aser FAQ
wire. www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
From Sam Goldwasser's RepairFAQ: Using and abusing
Cool Neon/F unhouse Produc tions (how not to) lasers. Includes a good section on safety.
www.coolneon.com
Cool Neon sells electroluminescent (EL) wire — a wire Spencer Gi f ts, Inc.
that glows when subjected to high frequency supply volt- www.spencergifts.com
ages. Select colors and thicknesses, add a driver/inverter, Spencer Gifts is a retailer of the unusual, including gag
and you're all set to go. Website includes some details on cards, joke gifts, adult novelties, and unusual lighting
soldering EL wire. effects (such as UV, fiber optics, and electroluminescent).
You can order online, or visit a store near you. Most
Don Klipst ein's LED and L aser Spencer Gift stores are in fashion shopping malls.
Inf or mation
http://misty.com/people/don Super Br ight LEDs
Everything you ever wanted to know about lamps, www.superbrightleds.com
LEDs, lasers, and strobe lights. Super Bright LEDs offers a wide assortment of high
brightness LEDs in a multitude of colors. Datasheets are
EL AM Elec troluminescent Industr ies, provided for all products. They also sell LED lamp products
Ltd. such as car running lights and “glow tubes.” Many of these
www.elamusainc.com are applicable as attention-getters on robots, as well.
ELAM is the manufacturer of many of the electrolumi-
nescent wires sold under varying trade names (such as Surelight
Neon Rim, Cool Wire, Live Wire, and Cool Neon). ELAM's www.surelight.com
name for the stuff is LyTec. The company provides techni- Surelight sells electroluminescent (EL) wire in various
cal details and specification sheets on the wire and invert- colors and thicknesses, as well as EL drivers, light sticks,
er/driver products. and other specialty lighting goods.
F iber Optic Produc ts That's Cool Wire/Solution Industr ies

www.fiberopticproducts.com www.thatscoolwire.com
Fiber optics for lighting effects. Includes the tradition- That's Cool Wire sells electroluminescent wire and driv-
al “end glow” fibers, where light goes in one end, and er modules.
comes out the other, as well as “side glow” fibers, where
light is emitted through the shaft. Xenoline
www.xenoline.com
Gilw a y Technical L amp Xenoline sells electroluminescent and high-tech “glow-
www.gilway.com in-the-dark” products. This stuff is useful to “dress up” an
LEDs and lamps. Specialty products include super- otherwise boring robot, to provide a guide path or fence,
bright LEDs in all colors — from ultraviolet to infrared. or to provide illumination of a specific color for a robot with
vision. Key products include:
Glo wire
www.glowire.com • Xenopaks — Kits of different colored electrolumines-
Glowire sells electroluminescent wire in different thick- cent wire and driver circuits
nesses and colors, as well as the necessary DC inverters used • ZLine — Flat electroluminescent light strips (several
to drive the wire. They also provide "laser LEDs," which are real- colors in the orange to blue spectrum), 1/4” wide x 28”
ly very bright colored LEDs. Useful if your robot needs bright long
headlights. • Gamma Rays — Ultra-bright colored (blue, red,
green, yellow, and white) LEDs intended as a light source
J. A . LeClaire • Krill Lamps — Compact self-contained electrolumi-
www.neontrim.com nescent “lanterns” in a variety of colors
Sellers of Neon Trim electroluminescent wire, inverters, • Laser pointers — Hack ‘em to make any pinpoint light
and programmable sequencers. source for your robot
70 SERVO 11.2003
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NEURONS
FOR
ROBOTS
by Harold Reed
edited by Chris Hannold
These days, motors, since every animal seems to Table 2

robot builders are have these. Also, we need to learn
about neurons, functions, trees, and Neuron[j] = f(synapses[j])
fortunate in that there is a host nodes, as well as apply some algebra ; from fact 4
of inexpensive and easily adaptable and computer science to the system.
mobile robot base platforms available, Building anything requires that you Brain = {Neuron[1]...Neuron[n]}
and there are even more choices when have a tool set that is appropriate to ; from fact 3
it comes to control electronics. what you are working on. After we
Everyone has his or her favorite plat- look at neurons, we will construct a
form. toolset to define them. There is no universal form for this
However, the choices are severely Let's start with some brain facts except as a list of transfer functions.
limited when it comes to designing the that are generally known. For example, If a brain is the code, then neurons
actual programs that listen to sensors, we know that sensors, a brain, and are the hardware. Designing brains
control movements, and make deci- motors are attached to a body. There requires writing code. Building brains
sions. A platform-independent method are many sensors, one brain, and many requires assembling neurons that
for designing control code would make motors. All living things, including match the functions in the code. An
it much easier for robot builders to microbes and cells, have some variety example is given in Table 2.
share and expand upon previous work. of this architecture. There is also a data From Fact 2, we can deduce that
That is what I hope to offer here. flow which requires "writers" and "read- there must be a "least order" brain.
We are interested not in how ers." Data always flows from writer to Suppose there is no neuron. What
things look, but in how things work. reader: does this mean?
The most interesting structures we see Nature >> Sensor >> Motor >> Nature
Nature >> Sensor >> Brain >>
are living things. We want to build life
Motor >> Nature
like machines, and would like to know This is the resulting data flow.
how they work. To do that, we need to This shows the data flow and posi- Note that sensor and motor are singu-
understand sensors, brains, and tion of each of the elements of any lar here. From this we deduce that a
robot or living being. It can also be brain is needed when sensors are
visualized as a circle with feedback greater in number than the number of
Table 1 through nature. Sensors read nature, motors.
Fact 1: and a brain reads sensors. Motors read A neuron is needed for mapping
the brain and act on nature, which multiple inputs to an output. Since a
A brain is always between
changes what the sensors read. In liv- neuron is a function, we can write an
sensors and motors. ing things, feedback is everywhere — equivalent function on paper and build
from bottom to top. it in hardware. If we can make a neu-
Fact 2: Table 1 lists some common, obvi- ron, we can make a brain.
Brains are of different sizes. ous brain facts or axioms. From these We need some tools to write brain
facts, we can deduce a purpose: code. I call my tool set "Hal Algebra." In
life, neurons form upside-down trees
Fact 3: Brains mediate between sensors with many inputs leading to an output.
Brains are constructed of and a motor. In Hal Algebra, we'll call these HalTrees
neurons. and we'll call neurons nodes. There are
They are sort of impedance match- several types of nodes.
Fact 4: ers or transformers converting multiple I use long variable names and try
inputs to separate outputs. A brain is to flow the math into the language. If I
Neurons have synapses and a the total assemblage of neurons and have a variable name that is plural,
single axon. includes sensor and motor neurons. then that means there is more than
SERVO 11.2003 71
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Table 3 The property of trees that allows

us to measure size is the number of
Operator HalNode Notation Description inputs the tree has. To make a larger
Tree nodes SNodes tree, combine it with or add it to anoth-
- CNode O <= I - R O is the difference of I,R er tree. To make a smaller tree, take
+ PNode O <= I + R O is the sum of I,R away some of the tree. Trees obey the
o ONode O <= I o R O is the Max(I,R) rules of arithmetic:
a ANode O <= I a R O is the Min(I,R)
> GTNode O <= I > R O is I if I > R else 0
< LTNode O <= I < R O is I if I < R else 0 Tree A = Tree B + Tree C
is ISNode O <= I is R O is I if I = R else 0
If you have a tree with B inputs
Single nodes TNodes and you add a tree with C inputs the
i INode O <= I(I)-R O is integral of I result will be a tree with B + C
d DNode O <= d(I) O is derivative of I
f FNode O <= f(I) O is frequency of I
inputs.This means that on your robot,
n NNode O <= n(I) O is 0 - I you can start at a motor and build the
b BNode O <= b(I) integer -> offset binary neuron tree at will, expanding as you
Not NotNode O <= I) If I = 0, O = 1 else O = 0 go. You can start with a two-input tree
and end with a hundred-input tree by
Switches SNodes adding one node at a time. To add a
g GNode O <= I g R O is R if I > 0 else 0
l LNode O <= I l R O is R if I < 0 else 0
node, open up a header and plug in
z ZNode O <= I z R O is R if I = 0 else 0 another node or tree.
The only software you need to
change is the brain's neuron list. There
one item attached. The math is based differences, of course. In the table, N is are many possible tree architectures, as
on simple algebra and the operations any counting number, c is node cycle you might have guessed. Here, we will
+ (Add), - (Subtract), * (Multiply) and / time, L is column level, and S is the ignore size and instead look at the
(Divide). Ultimately, we will turn equa- number of inputs. shape. Here are a few examples using
tions into machines. Equations have a There are some differences, mostly a Cnode at the motor (O is the differ-
single output, and one or more inputs in favor of HalTrees: ence of I,R). By now you should be visu-
separated by operators. A = B + C is a alizing data pouring into the inputs,
general example. A is the output of B + 1. HalNode headers connect tightly and streaming out of the output in the
C, where B and C are inputs and + is to data cable plugs. Neurons axons and examples:
the operator. synapses connect loosely and wetly.
Z = f(X,Y) says that for every value Global acting, hormonal-like actions • Command trees collect do's and
of X and Y there is a value for Z, based are explicit in the brain code, that is, don'ts for a motor:
on the function f. Z is the output, and they must be programmed in. Doing = Do - Don't
X and Y are inputs. Functions will also • Information trees collect direction
become machines. 2. The insides of neurons cannot be for a motor:
So far, I have made these func- accessed. HalTrees can be accessed at Direction = Left - Right
tions, or nodes, shown as a table. "I" any and every node.
stands for Input, "R" is a second input, • Collection trees gather information
and "O" stands for Output. SNodes can 3. Neurons can change their internal from sensors:
be tree nodes and switches (IF-Then- code based on input information. The Touched = touchedLeft - TouchedRight
Else for you code hounds). TNodes are designer of HalTrees must change code • Property trees collect object prop-
single nodes that perform a complex by rearranging connections based on erties:
function. Refer to Table 3 for a list. experience. Headers make this possible animal = living + being ; 2 = 1 + 1
Table 4 lists some similarities of in hardware. man = rational + animal ; 3 = 1 + 2
neurons and HalTrees. There are also rational = man - animal ; 1 = 3 - 2
Table 4
Property In a neuron In a HalTree
Data flow Synapses >> axon Inputs >> output

Input size 1 to N 1 to N
Data size >= 2 bits >= 2 bits (8 bits now)
Cycle time t=(S-1)*c t=(S-1)*c
Fan out SL-1 SL-1
Functions varied See Table 3
72 SERVO 11.2003
neuronsforrobots.qxd 10/14/2003 11:02 AM Page 73
Here is some pseudocode for a -> Motor. The data stream cable can
Of course, there is more to this — sensor: have any name. We say ThisMotor =
several books more, but like every- ThatSensor. That means ThisMotor is
thing, it starts simply. Your brain can pasted on the motor input I, and
grow as the complexity of your robot ThatSensor is pasted on the sensor out-
grows. Since code must be easily mod- put header O. Anywhere there is a
ified, I would also make the hardware header, a data stream socket can con-
easy to modify by providing easy connect. Data streams carry information.
nections with headers and sockets. This month, you were introduced
We can make nodes of sensors Sensor: to Hal Algebra as a way to design neu-
and motors. Let I, R, and O be headers Read a property of nature rons for robots. Neurons are simply
on the nodes. Convert it ; Light intensity to number functions that can be modeled by
Carry the data flow on cables Write to O mathematics. I gave several examples
with plugs that plug into the headers, Go to Sensor: ; Do this forever of simple neurons and showed how
and you have the machinery of the they can be used to describe the
data flow captured. Nature plugs into Here, the motor reads a data actions between sensors, motors, and
sensors, which plug into a brain, stream and writes to nature: the robot's environment.
which plugs into motors, which move In a future article, we'll cover a few
nature. Any computable equation or Input -> Action more functions and start combining
function can be made into hardware Definition: Motor reads a data them into HalTrees. Finally, we'll put all
this way. stream. this knowledge to use by designing a
From now on, when you see an brain for a simple microbe living in a
equation, also see the inputs, output, pond.
the program, and the connections.
• -, +, o, a, >, <, is, g, l, z S
are operators
• Not, n, d and i are functions
• <- is a data flow indicator
(here from right to left) I -> Nature ; is the equation
• = is the transfer operator (it
may be read as "becomes") Here is some pseudocode for a
• ; is a comment delimiter motor:
Sensors read nature and write Motor:

data streams: Read I
Convert it to an action ; run CW, CCW
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sense -> Output Write it to nature You can learn more about Harold L.
Go to Motor: ; Do this forever Reed's work at his website,
Definition: Sensor writes a data www.halbr
www.halbrain.com
ain.com and he can be
stream. Any sensor can connect to any reached at [email protected]
Nature -> O ; is the equation motor with a data stream cable. Sensor
SERVO 11.2003 73
Gailey.qxd 10/7/2003 11:25 AM Page 74
What Would
You Trust A
by Jeannine Gailey
Dr. Ernest Hall builds robots that learn

from their mistakes. Adapt or perish!
74 SERVO 11.2003
Gailey.qxd 10/7/2003 11:27 AM Page 75
Robot To Do?
graduate
industrial
spent
and
20
and
undergraduate
?
On any given Saturday this summer at the University of Cincinnati,
you will find Dr. Ernest L. Hall, Director of the Robotics Center, in
the robotics laboratory with a dozen or so students, eating pizza and
comparing ideas for their robot, the Bearcat (named after University
of Cincinnati's team
electrical
years
mascot),
giving
which
programs
engineering,
will
Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition in 2004. The students are from
as
psychology. Dr. Hall, who recently won an Innovative Teaching award,

has students the
be
diverse
competing
computer
opportunity
theory they learn in his classes by designing and building a robot that
is capable of guiding itself through an obstacle course.
as
science,
to
in
mechanical,
apply
the
and
the
Dr. Hall is interested in robotics, but also interested in the

practical application of engineering design, artificial intelligence
theories, software and hardware programming, and plain old mechanical
ability. And he wants to make that application fun. That is why
students are willing to give up their free time to work in the lab
building and programming a robot that can gather information about its
surroundings, make decisions, and physically master a series of
challenges. This isn't your average Radio Shack robot made for a quick
derby battle, content to be driven by a person with a remote control.
In many ways, it is a thinking machine.
SERVO 11.2003 75
Gailey.qxd 10/7/2003 12:13 PM Page 76
Why Intelligent Dr. Hall defines machine intel-

ligence as requiring two attrib-
Robots? utes. The first is the ability to react
You can see the potential for to sensory information. "We have
thousands of applications — robots been doing this for twenty years,"
that could navigate a street with- he says. Examples of this today
out running over pets or crashing include AIBO, the robot dog from
into other objects could perform Sony that has the ability to
routine duties such as street clean- respond to sound, touch, and
ing or trash collection. Such robots visual stimuli. However, AIBO can-
could also perform risky blood not learn. "The other, more chal-
work in a medical lab, or take the lenging, aspect of machine intelli-
strain off overworked hospital staff by doing tasks like deliv- gence is creating a computer brain that can learn from repeti-
ering meals to patients or collecting soiled laundry. What tive actions." With his students, Hall has been studying neural
would you trust a robot to do? This is a key question, Dr. Hall networks in robots — that is, an architecture in which com-
points out, one that both defines and limits the goals of puter processors are interconnected similarly to the way neu-
robotic researchers. If a robot is developed that could admin- rons connect in a human brain. This system allows the com-
ister vaccinations, would people trust a robot to do that? But, puter to learn by a process of trial and error. "We need to be
if the robot could be trained to perform janitorial duties at a more patient with our robots," Hall says. "Giving them time
nuclear waste site, and this eliminated risk to human life, to learn may mean exposing them to not hundreds but thou-
would people be more willing to trust it then? The practical sands of iterations over time." More advanced ideas about
advantage of robots that can learn is in allowing robots to neural networking have emerged recently - for instance, the
take the place of humans in dangerous situations, which ideas of the adaptive critic and creative learning.
means having robots that could detect and avoid land mines, Dr. David Casasent, a professor of electrical and comput-
or collect hazardous materials at a Superfund site without er engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and also a
contaminating safe areas. researcher in the area of optical systems, has worked with Dr.
Dr. Hall, who has written three books and hundreds of Hall for over 20 years. "When we started the SPIE Intelligent
papers and articles on machine intelligence, knows that the Robotics and Computer Vision Conference, vision guided
idea of an intelligent robot may sound pie-in-the-sky. But he robotics was just a research idea. Now we have several of these
points to examples of intelligent robots that are already in ideas put into actual practice, such as the Sojourner that is on
the workforce — the robot lawn mower, robot vacuum clean- Mars, and many vision-guided robots in industry and defense."
er, robot food delivery system and robot helpers for the elder-
ly. Unmanned military ground, underwater, and aerial vehicles Q/A With Dr. Hall
are currently beind developed at an accelerated pace as well.
JG:
JG What is this adaptive critic learning?
What is Machine Intelligence? Dr.
Dr. Hall:
Hall The adaptive critic is a form of reinforcement learn-
ing that was developed by Paul Werbos of the National
Alan Turing is often thought of as one of the "fathers" of Science Foundation (NSF). It uses a back-propagation algo-
Artificial Intelligence, the science of creating intelligent com- rithm of a neural network to distribute error through the net-
puters. As early as 1947, he believed machine intelligence work network and make the adjustments needed to learn a
would be found in the ability to communicate with natural given goal. In robotics, it can be used, for example, to make
language. Some "bots" on the web are now savvy in the nat- a robot follow a precisely specified path.
ural language department. In the 1970s, research into artifi-
cial intelligence moved towards creating machines that could JG:
JG How would you define creative learning and how is this
respond to visual stimuli, and some scientists tried to repli- approach different from existing techiques in machine intelli-
cate the data manipulation of the human brain, building gence?
machines with neural networks. Dr.
Dr. Hall:
Hall Creative learning chooses one of several goals - this
Want to Know More About Intelligent Robots?

Web Sites of Interest:
www.r
www.robotics.uc.edu
obotics.uc.edu - The University of Cincinnati's Robotics web page
www.igvc.org/deplo
www.igvc.org/deploy y - The Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition web page
www.auvsi.org
www.auvsi.org - The main sponsoring organization for the University of Cincinnati robot team
www.ai.mit.edu
www.ai.mit.edu - MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab site
http://vasc.ri.cmu.edu
http://vasc.ri.cmu.edu - Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute's Vision and Autonomous Systems center
www.aaai.org/P
www.aaai.org/Pathfinder/index.html
athfinder/index.html - A Web site of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence
76 SERVO 11.2003
Gailey.qxd 10/7/2003 12:19 PM Page 77

Take a Closer Look ...

is the creative part. Once a goal is selected, the adaptive crit- Hanbook of Industrial
Automation
ic can be used to let the robot achieve it. This approach has Edited by Richard L. Shell
one higher level of control than the adaptive critic alone. and Ernest L. Hall; Hall
also wrote Computer
Image Processing and
JG:
JG Tell me a little bit about the robot that you are design- Recognition
ing to test creative learning.
Dr.
Dr. Hall:
Hall We have designed the hardware of the Bearcat
Cub, a small modern version of our existing Bearcat robot. It
has a hybrid power source that will generate electrical power Behavior-Based
from a small, quiet gas engine. It also uses Segway™ high Robotics (Intelligent
Robotics and
traction wheels and gearboxes. It also has a web-based Galil™ Autonomous Agents)
motion controller and will be run from a Dell laptop. We are by Ronald C. Arkin
also designing creative control and learning software for it.
JG:
JG How does the robot you are working on display decision-
making abilities?
Dr.
Dr. Hall:
Hall The robot's program employs decision making Mobile Robots:
logic. It starts by following a line on the ground. If an obsta- Inspiration to
Implementation
cle is encountered, it must go around, and then return to line by Joseph L. Jones
following. If the line disappears, it looks on the other side of and Anita M. Flynn
the path for it.
JG:
JG So, which type of creative learning or machine intelli-
gence does the robot you take to the contest display? And
what makes your robot different or more intelligent than, say,
Check out these cool books to learn more about intelligent robots!

the robotic vacuum cleaner that's now commercially available?
Dr.
Dr. Hall:
Hall The type of machine intelligence programmed into Mobile Robotics: A
Practical Introduction
our robot for the contest is goal accomplishment with adap- by Ulrich Nehmzow
tation. That is, during the line following (autonomous chal-
lenge) part of the contest, the robot's goal is clear: go the
longest distance in the shortest time. It is even given lines to
follow. However, along the way there are obstacles to avoid,
a hill to climb, a sand trap, an asphalt section where the lines
change colors and portions where the lines become dashed
and disappear. Adapting in real time to all these changing

environmental conditions displays one form of machine intel- Artificial Intelligence:
ligence. In the navigation part of the contest, the robot is Modern Approach
given waypoints that mark locations on a map. However, it by Stuart J. Russell and
Peter Norvig
must first determine which waypoint to go to and still avoid
obstacles along the way.
Finally, in the follow-the-leader part of the contest, the
robot must follow a human driven vehicle at a given distance
even when the leader vehicle turns, speeds up and slows down.
Each of these adaptive behaviors show a little intelligence.
Atificial Intelligence and
Certainly, the exploration into intelligent robots that Mobile Robots: Case
University of Cincinnati's Dr. Hall and his team exemplify what is Studies of Successful
happening at other colleges in the United States, from MIT and Robot Systems
Edited by David
CMU to the more far-flung reaches of Japan, Wales, and Kortenkamp, R. Peter
Finland. With increased interest and funding, and more every- Bonasso, and Robin
day applications being solved, these programs will soon be the Murphy
birth place of the next generation of decision making robots. S

AUTHOR BIO Sensors for Mobile
Jeannine Gailey, who has worked at Microsoft, IBM, and AT&T, is Robots: Theory and
Application
currently a consultant and writer whose book on XML Web by H.R. Everett
Services is debuting this fall from Microsoft press. You can learn
more about her work at www.w
www.webbish6.com
ebbish6.com, and she can be
reached at [email protected].
page78.qxd 10/14/2003 9:38 AM Page 78
APPETIZE R
A numeric crossword! Do you really need a calculator?
Æ π
All Electronics Corp. ..............................................................65

BotBash ...................................................................................41
Budget Robotics .....................................................................15
Custom Computer Services, Inc............................................20
ECD, Inc. ...................................................................................3
Hobby Engineering ................................................................14
Gears Educational Systems, LLC ..........................................51
LabJack ..................................................................................78
Lynxmotion, Inc. .....................................................................37
microEngineering Labs, Inc. .................................................62
Micros Made Easy ..................................................................65
Mondo-tronics, Inc. .................................................................37
Net Media ..................................................................................2
New Micros, Inc. ......................................................................79
NPC Robotics, Inc. .................................................................31
Parallax, Inc. ............................................................Back Cover
Plantraco ................................................................................ 30
Pololu Robotics & Electronics ................................................23
ROBOlympics .........................................................................73
Solarbotics ..............................................................................55
Sozbots.....................................................................................32
Surplus Sales of Nebraska .....................................................65
Technological Arts ..................................................................61
Texas Art Robots .....................................................................63
The Machine Lab.....................................................................55
Vantec.......................................................................................15
Zagros Robotics.......................................................................65
Your company could be listed here, too.

Call us today for advertising information.
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78 SERVO 11.2003
CoverInside.qxd 10/13/2003 12:54 PM Page 2
Control many things

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SERVO 11.2003 79
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Vol. 1 No. 1
SERVO MAGAZINE
LIGHTS, SOUND, ACTUATION Robots In The Movies
November 2003
U.S. $5.50 CANADA $9.25

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Control many things

71 NEURONS FOR ROBOTS

74 WHAT WOULD YOU TRUST

Cover Photo by Keith Hamshere.

table of contents Vol. 1 No. 1

Coming 12.2003 in SERVO

projects columns departments

Mind / Iron Subscription Order ONLY Line

by Dan Danknick  PUBLISHER

Photo by Giles Westley

ROBOTS WITH CHARACTER. ROBOTS ENHANCED.

T been fascinated with robots,

Photo by Keith Hamshere

evolves into at the end of the film. al computer became a reality.

Photo by Keith Hamshere

Photo by Lisa Tomasetti

Photo by Keith Hamshere

Photo by Giles Keyte

Inside The World's

STEER WINNING ROBOTS

P erform proportional speed, direction, and steering with

Introduction between our imagination and what we can successfully

Power Challenge Path 1 — Live Fast, Die Young

robots stop too. When the light returns, they continue.

Path 4 — Robot Feed Thyself!

— a compact battery charging-and-monitoring circuit.

iors), and more.

About the Author

examples of BASIC Stamp 2

ASK Mr. Roboto

Q. I want to build a robot with

A. You are correct about having

For this type of a robot drive system

s1 D—1 Probably the two best places to 1000

get started with this type of a project 800

is either getting involved with your 600

Equation 5 local high school FIRST (For Inspiration 400

and Recognition of Science and 200

A. The Robot Builder's Source-

ity of a servo can be done if you com-

Testing Your Metal

FIRST Team 255

Photo courtesy of "The Robotics Institute, Carnegie

Millibot Train ¾¾¾

Photo courtesy of The Advanced Mechatronics Lab,

Alloy Info Reports, All Metals & Forge

Send us a high-res picture of your robot with a few

75 MHz INCU Bus

Built to compete in the 10 foot square

Circle #109 on the Reader Service Card.

A nimatics has launched the Email: [email protected]

How much damage can one pound do?

sixteen oz fighting robots

Specializing in antweight robotic combat parts.

ensing a sound with a robot or

S microcontroller can be challeng-

amplifier whose gain is set by resistors

by Dan Danknick PUBLISHER