Classic Projects

This chapter basically summarizes two projects that are often undertaken and are an ample introduction into the fun yet complex world of programming and constructing effective robots.
The first project concerns the navigation of your room. The robot to be constructed for this project will require at least one touch sensor and ultrasonic sensor to be successful in this task. A robot optimized for this task however would probably incorporate the use of at least two touch sensors, the ultrasonic sensor as well as a bumper design and special gearing. The bumper would probably be split into two sections as it allows for more coverage and allow the robot to turn based upon which touch sensor was hit, in relation to which bumper was pressed. The only limitations with this kind of bumper however are that it increases the likelihood of the robot being too wide and getting stuck on awkward inward facing angles such as where walls meet. The gearing (1:3, meaning that for every rotation of the motor, the wheel would turn a third of its normal capacity) would be used to slow down the robot so that a more cautious approach could be used to explore your room in case the robot falls into dangerous pitfalls that would be harmful to the robot (stairs...). These additions are what differentiate a robot that is optimized for a project, and those that simply 'work.'

The second project involves line tracking and covers several methods to both increasing tracking speed, accuracy and design more efficient robots. When line tracking the important to remember is the amount of hysteresis your robot creates. Hysteresis is the amount of 'sway' the robot has as it travels over the line; more sway means less control and less speed in this case. It is also suggested to place the light sensor 5mm-10mm to the ground to maximize the amount of reflected light and reduce the chance of the robot veering off of the line (If it has too much speed).