Home | Robots | sandbot | sandbot II | Lawna | Mo | Localization | Docking

sandy
Sandbot

Sandbot: A prototyping platform for robitics. In this implementation, it uses IR to navigate to perform simple object avoidance. The processor is a PIC device and it is programmed in C.
sandyarduino
Sandbot II

Sandbot is modified to use an untrasonic range finder for navigation and perform object avoidance. The processor was changed to use an Arduino Uno as well as an Xbee device to provide wireless (RF) logging back to the the computer.
lawna
Lawna

Lawna is  a robotic lawnmower. It uses touch sensors only and an Arduino as a brain. Several refinements were made to increase battery life and improve obstacle avoidance in the outdoor environment.
Mo
Mo

Mo is a scaled up and practical autonomous lawnmower.
hBridge
Moana

This is a pimped version of Mo. I am embarking on a larger project to mow fields and need a prototype platform. Mo has been upgraded with larger motors and microcontroller. Moana will be used to test various new sensors such as GPS, gyros and possibly vision systems.
sonicTower
Localization

(Ongoing). Experiments in robot localization using Bayes Theory and probability distributions. This uses Sandbot as a test platform to perform a lobottomy and move the intelligence from the robot to the compter with an RF link.

Robot Docking
Experiments in automated robotic docking using an IR beacon. This may eventually make its way onto several robots to enable them to make their way back to a charging station when they need to.




This is a jump page to a few experiments with robotics. My current focus is on robot homing, navigation and localization and I would like to do some detailed work on SLAM and particle filters although there are many other obstacles I need to overcome first.

Much of the research is done with Sandbot, a small robotics platform I made precisely for this purpose. Once the ideas have been proven with sandbot, they can be spun off for use in other custom-build machines.