This project uses an ATmega16 and a radio control kit to get the job done. You can control up to four servo(motors) with a simple push of a button. The system can also control a servo with a photocell, for example if you enter its range it will turn on a light. Of-course there are a few commercial alternatives but the price is quite high and many of them are not a versatile as this one.
This is a great project if you have some spare time, and some spare junk. The boat is built entirely with what you can find around the house like: 2 computer fans, remote controll,servo and battery from a broken RC plane and an old bicycle tire tube. And it actually works, it floats and can be steered around. From the movie we can also notice that the fishes like it
The idea is so original and cool, a box that closes itself ? c’mon :). There is also a website www.leavemealonebox.com but it is unavailable now when I’m writing the article.
Taurus 2 is the second version of the Taurus Robot build by Andrew. The main reason for building Taurus2 was to fix the errors from Taurus, and there were some nasty errors:
Size Matters - Taurus was too big. The problems I had exponentially increased with the size. Forces were greater, as well as the price of everything. I will limit T2 to about the size of a shoebox.
Friction - Treads were bad. Caused way too much torque in the system. Bye-bye treads, hello large synchronous high traction wheels.
Chains, Gears - Bad. Very bad. The main reason for failure. I refuse to use them again. Ever. Servos have built in gear boxes, and are easily controllable. I will use them.
Terrain - Taurus did not conform to terrain as expected (partially due to tread failure). T2 will have a dynamic terrain conforming system. And it’s a simple design as well.
Steering - Treads made turning nearly impossible due to friction. Ive decided to independently control each wheel for T2.
And here is what Taurus2 will feature:
zero degree turning radius
near omni-directional movement (singularities at maximum servo rotations)
simulated rack and pinion movement
dynamic terrain conforming
The project is really great, and Andrew provides all the source files and CAD designs so you don’t have to worry about anything, you just have to start the project.
Sivan Toledo writes:In this project I created an infrared (IR) link that provides bi-directional communication between the NXT and the new Power-Functions system, which consists of a battery box, motors, a remote control (an IR transmitter) and an IR receiver that controls the motors.I previously built an IR transmitter for the NXT which used an MSP430 microcontroller and which was able to send Sony IR commands (the specifications of this protocol are widely available). So why the need for a new IR transmitter ? Well Sivan wanted to achieve a couple of new goals:
To analyse the Power-Functions IR protocol, for which no documentation is publicly available.
To build a system that could not only send IR commands, but could also receive and decode them.
To experiment with AVR’s, another family of microcontrollers.
So he build the project, and he published it with lots of pictures and details on he’s page for anyone who wants to build it.
