Robots and Physical Computing

What is a Junkbot? For this project, it is a moving ‘bot’ made from waste materials, combined with an electric motor and a programmable device (in this case a Micro:Bit) to control (or try) it. An example is shown below. More details on junkbots can be found at  http://junkbots.blogspot.co.uk/ Stage 1 - The start of a Junkbot This stage is relatively simple. Tape some pens or straws to a drinks can. Stage 2 - Physical arrangement of Microbit and motor control board The control part is this via a Micro:bit ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4hVG2Br1W1LKCmw8nSm9WnQ/the-bbc-micro-bit) . Kitronik produce a motor driver board, and provide quite a bit of support for it, for the Micro:Bit (the latest version of the board can be found at  https://www.kitronik.co.uk/5620-motor-driver-board-for-the-bbc-microbit-v2.html  ). A 6v battery pack is connected (see on the left of the image) and wires going to a motor are attached to the ...

Taken from:  http://www.northampton.ac.uk/news/matthew-takes-control-of-robot-research-project/ A sixth-form student has spent the summer at the University of Northampton investigating the possibility of controlling DIY robots with a computer half the size of a credit card. Matthew Hole, who attends Wrenn Academy in Wellingborough, has been awarded a  Nuffield Research Placement  – a scheme which offers sixth formers the chance to work on university research projects during the summer. During his time at the University, Matthew used a BBC micro:bit computer  to control a junkbot – a robot made from junk, such as a drinks can, powered by a kit. Junkbots have previously been controlled by a Raspberry Pi computer, but the University’s Associate Professor in Computing and Immersive Technologies, Dr Scott Turner, saw the potential to harness the micro:bit. “The micro:bit has been given away free to every Year 7 p...

Up to this point the junk bot building has largely being about building a moving (or drawing) 'bot' moved by vibration - limited control, but fun.  A  Nuffield funded bursary studen t, Hayden Tetley,  has being working within staff from the University of Northampton on whether LEGO 8547: Mindstorms NXT 2.0: Robot or Raspberry Pi based solutions can be incorporated with the bot to add some control of the movement (still by vibration). Idea One  Is to add a LEGO NXT brick, to move a junkbot similar.The motor and broken propeller combination in the earlier junkbots is replaced with the NXT brick and LEGO motor. A good potential feature is it a self-contained unit with power and control together, as well as being potentially fairly simple to set-up. This is the focus of this post.  Here are some videos showing idea one in action using LEGO motors, brick and the software that comes with the LEGO 8547: Mindstorms NXT 2.0: Robot : For more information on how t...