Practical Robotics

Abstract

From the Book: Building Sophisticated Robotic Projects This book is a response to requests from second year students enrolled in the Engineering Design course at the University of Toronto. They have found information on robotics applications is widely dispersed, often fragmented and seldom practical in nature. Their observations are not unique since even experienced personnel sometimes have difficulty finding such information. Addressed primarily to students at the high school through third year university levels, this text will be a useful companion for the hobbyist, robotics enthusiast, and those who love to experiment. Mathematics has been used only where essential and a knowledge of Ohm's law and the Basic programming language are the only prerequisite for using this text. During ten years of teaching design courses I have been amazed at the capabilities of young people, and know from experience that given the tools and a little guidance their achievements are truly remarkable. At the beginning of each term I used several three-hour lectures to explain fundamentals of electronics and robotics to a typical class of 100 students - a select cadre of the best engineering prospects. I showed them videos of projects their compatriots completed in previous years. These screenings were accompanied by grunts of amazement and incredulity that such wonderful projects could be completed in a period of 10 weeks, with no prior training in electronics or computer hardware experience. Each year I told them several of the current year's projects would surpass the quality and sophistication level of their predecessors. They always fulfilled this prediction. A magic elixir? What is the secret formula to their success? Intelligence, dedication, perseverance, synergistic group activities, high tech support equipment, adequate guidance, moral support, expensive tools and hardware? Well, some portion of each of these ingredients is necessary, except the expensive items. Students work in groups of two to four, choose their own project, make all hardware elements they require, and also shop and pay with their own money for components they need. Selecting appropriate devices, shopping wisely and using such purchases with prudence, is an invaluable learning experience for budding engineers. Working as part of a team prepares them for real world engineering. Students' interests are eclectic, their projects spanning the gamut from humanitarian: (Head Controlled Mouse, Electromyographically Controlled Wheelchair), musical: (Trumpet and Articulated Piano Players), sports: (NHL Air Hockey, Ball Catcher), marine: (Robot Submarine, Squid Tracker), pastimes: (Computer Controlled Mechanical Rubik's Cube Solver, Chess Player). These are not singular successes, each year 90% of all projects met their objectives and over half were chosen for special recommendation. Many projects were at the fourth year bachelor's thesis level, complemented by comprehensive and erudite final reports, portraying understanding and insights well beyond their authors' years. Why is this so? I believe young people are charged with innovation, intelligence, a will to succeed and that wonderful youthful innocence of not knowing that something is `impossible'. Such latent potential is just itching to be released. Yet perhaps the most important element is that when pursuing their own ideas a project becomes a labor of love that is `theirs'. This may give the impression that the instructor is an inconsequential part of the control loop. Not quite, since students need a source of experience and inspiration when things are not going the way they should. They need to know which multiplexer to use, How can I bend acrylic sheet?, Is there a simple inexpensive electronic level sensor?, Can I tell which way this motor is turning from my encoder disk output?, How do I switch 40 amps at 12 volts?, Will I be able to control this 60 psi air flow remotely using an IR link?, Can this laser b