Whiskers with Infrared Headlights?
bahnzaijr
Posts: 2
For a class project, i am trying to make my boe-bot replicate driving on a road and reaching its destination to where it would "park". Using a white road and black borders for the headlights to navigate with, would it be possible to also have the whiskers attached? I would program them to simulate reaching the dead end of a road by hitting a wall and they both would complete the circuit with the resulting action of packing up into a parking spot.
Comments
Take a look at these:
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/128172-Boe-Bot-Robot-Corridor-Navigation
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/82131-Better-Boe-Bot-IR-Distance-Measurements-(Circuit-Programs)
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/77686-Detect-Distance-with-the-Ping)))(TM)-Ultrasonic-Detector?highlight=Detect%20Distance%20Ping)))(TM)%20Ultrasonic%20Detector
Yes, you can. The suggestions for using the PING))) Ultrasonic Distance Sensor and Line Follower AppKit would simplify your project. However, those are add-ons not included in the standard Boe-Bot Robot kit, and so I understand you wanting to use the parts that were supplied for your class.
Combining IR emitter/receivers with the whiskers can be a little bit tricky - the breadboard gets very full! I would suggest testing the whisker and IR circuits with the Debug Terminal first, before working on your application code. If you choose to use red LEDs to indicate sensor state as well, it is probably best to use them with the IR receivers.
You will need to be careful to make sure the whisker wires do not touch the leads of the IR emitter/receiver parts. I have covered the whiskers with tape, all except the point that makes contact with the 3-pin headers, to prevent accidental short-circuits between components. Then, I am careful to make sure the IR emitters are sticking out below the whisker wires, and the receivers kind of lean over the wires from the top. You could add a little tape over the exposed leads sticking above the breadboard for those parts as well.
We often show demo robots that follow a wide black path made out of removable sheet vinyl on a white shower-board surface, both of which are slightly shiny. For us, it helps to make the IR detectors a little more near-sighted by increasing the resistors connected to the IR LEDs from 1 k-ohms to 2 k-ohms. You might want to experiment with different resistor values depending on the materials you use for your black and white surfaces.
Good luck with your project!
Another question, i plan on having the boe-bot back up and turn into a tight spot as if it is parallel parking once the whiskers sense the dead end of the road. This is capable of simple navigation code, correct?
Thank you
We look forward to your update, bahnzajir!