Robots and Physical Computing

In an earlier post I played with 4Tronix's CrumbleBot to make an edge follower robot ( http://robotsandphysicalcomputing.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/edge-following-crumblebot.html ). I wanted to play a little more, so I looked at making it 'explore' a room a bit and recently 4Tronix's have released an add-on panning ultrasonic sensor for the CrumbleBot - how can I resist? What is a CrumbleBot The CrumbleBot  (http://4tronix.co.uk/store/index.php?rt=product/product&product_id=493 ) is based around the Redfern Electronic's Crumble Controller ( http://redfernelectronics.co.uk/crumble/ ) and Crumble software ( http://redfernelectronics.co.uk/crumble-software/ ); providing an intuitive graphical interface (similar to Scratch) to control two motors and four inputs/outputs. The CrumbleBot comes with a number sensors including  line-detecting sensors and Light-Dependent Resistors for light detection and you use crocodile clips to connect the sensors to the in...

Poster presented at PyCon UK 2016, 17th September 2016. Pyconuk16 junkbots   from  Scott Turner DOI:  10.13140/RG.2.2.28682.67520 For more details on the three builds: Raspberry Pi based:  http:// bit.ly /2c87qex Basic Micro:Bit build:  http:// bit.ly /2cmJo0B Radio Control Micro:Bit  Junkbot :  http:// bit.ly /2cMHpDa All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with. Twitter @scottturneruon

In an earlier post , I showed how you could build a Micro:Bit controlled Junkbot. In this post I want to show a modification to it, to use one Micro:Bit to control the junkbot controlled by another Micro:Bit. A nice feature of the Micro:Bit using micropython, is it can send and receive simple messages via radio - so here is my take on it. The first problem is the Python editor available on  https://www.microbit.co.uk/ does not seem to work with the radio API. One solution to this is to change to the mu editor. Two pieces of code are needed. Sending Code for the 'remote' control: Essentially it is set up to send two messages, via the built-in radio module,  spinl  or spinr  depending on which button is pressed. import radio from microbit import button_a, button_b radio.on() while True:    if button_a.is_pressed():        radio.send('spinl')    if button_b.is_pressed():        ra...

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 ...

CBiS Education generously sent me two of their new range of robotics development kits - BinaryBots  ( https://www.binarybots.co.uk/makers.aspx ), these are a range of cardboard based kits (so far a robot and a UFO) with electronic components for example LEDs; sensors and buzzers,  depending on the kits. What makes the kits interesting though is they are designed to be controlled by either by a BBC Micro:bit or a CodeBug.In an earlier post,  I played with the UFO one ( http://robotsandphysicalcomputing.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/ufo-detects-light.html ), now I have had a chance to play the DIMM the robot. With the wires hanging out of the mouth and its humanoid shape it reminds we a bit of the OOD from Doctor Who ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ood ) but a lot more unthreatening. How to build it video from @cbiseducation is shown below. So I built a Light detection system with the light sensor that came with the kit and added a microbit. The idea was ...

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...

In a previous post ( UFO has Landed )  I started playing with the CBiSEducation's UFO Consumable Robotics. Now I am going to play with it a bit more and add the light sensor, included in the kit, to it;is so it can detect different light levels. Again it is controlled using the Micro:Bit. Stage 1 - Decorating it The kit comes with some stickers so I added a few. Stage 2 Wiring Pins 0 and 1 are outputs to the LEDs Pin 2 is the input from the light sensor The red lead from the light sensor connects to 3v and the grounds to the ground. Stage 3 Code The light sensor works more as a low light level detector, the darker the higher the value returned (in this case) on pin 2. So in low light level,  the LEDs flash relatively quickly, when the light level rises half of the LEDs start to pulse more slowly. All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with....