CE Project: CE Bot [PART THREE]

Just dropping in to say Hai-e!

*waves* Hows school going, tyler?

I found an ad in my college about a 2nd hand Sony Viao for $120, haha. Its a Pentium II, I think. I was seriously considering to get it for as a possible 2nd prototype for CE Bot, but I am sort of strapped for cash 😛

Hi folks!!
Good idea, the Part3.
.........You need to think more on the Sensors, if it is autonomous.
..or is it semi-autonomous, meaning more a remote control thing, without much independent intelligence?? This may not be appropriate and cannot be a Robot, if it is mainly a Remote controlled Vehicle.
Take my Word: everyone neglects the sensors- always- and repents later.
That would be an expensive neglect indeed.........

Sorry Kinetic_joules 😔
Good luck with your studies, but remember- the world looks at what else you can do more than how much you score. Your extra achievements are what will get you much more than just academic scores. it is possible to achieve both at the same time !

Welcome back, docel 😉

You are right, Sensors will need to be carefully thought out. Most of the sensors are autonomous, things like telemetry and ambient sensors.

The camera will be manually controlled, though. It mainly acts as the eyes for the operator. However, we can certainly choose to use the video input for image processing purposes like terrain analysis.

Hi ash!!
1. Ya!Nice to be back amid the interesting stuff!!! Was caught up with a lot of boring stuff 😔

2. ?Make it 2 cameras, for Stereo imaging. This will give the Robot a lot of intelligence- distance, color, shapes, object det.......
Most of this can be done independent of the mother processor and does not pose undue code complexity.

3. Let me know if you need help with the antenna.

docelSorry Kinetic_joules 😔
Good luck with your studies, but remember- the world looks at what else you can do more than how much you score. Your extra achievements are what will get you much more than just academic scores. it is possible to achieve both at the same time !

Well. . . I'm almost done with high school, and I can't afford to flunk out now. . .

Yes, ash!!
The terrain mapping will add to the versatility of the Robot.
Wonder: what happened to the GLX effort?

Sure Kinetic_ !!!
Get some great grades & Good Luck to you !!👍
Drop in when you can take a break ;-)

another vote for terrain mapping

what about using gps to absorb the function of several other individual basic sensors?

GPS is not necessary , if you have Video Assisted Remote control.
....and it cannot really replace any navigational sensors.............

Hi-ya guys! What's happening? Got anything for me to work on? Not too much, though!

What stage are you guys in as far as this project is concerned? Has the construction and assembly begun...?

Or are you guys in the design phase deciding the various components.. their inclusions, omissions..?

And most importantly may I ask, who is heading this project? And who are all the members involved in bringing this to fruition..? if there are too many just tell me how many !

oh, by the way.. I read part 1 and part 2. Good job guys !

Hey, I am in Delhi and have recently installed a working Internet connection (at LAST!) so I am back at the project.

I was writing a report on various Sensors and their placement on the Bot with Simulated exacmples. AutoCAD simulation took most of the time so, I think I will release ver 0.7 (70% completed) of the document by tommorow.

@Desijays: Ash and me initiated the project and we are kinds co-ordinating it. There are many active members for this project who contribute good stuff regularly. We have to organize the project soon, as the planning stage has been going on for pretty long now.

hello..

I am IN!!

just waiting for my exams to be completed by NOV 5 😁

Man, I can't believe I haven't posted here for the month of October yet!

I also finish my exams in november, so I should be free-er. But, even during semester break I'm burdened with projects (CanSat & Robocon). Of course, there will still be momentum in the CE Bot project by then 😀

For the communications antennas, the CE Bot will use a spider-omni 2.4 GHz antenna for the Wi-Fi link and a standard duck antenna for other radio frequencies (like RC). For the Base Station end, a DIY 2.4 GHz patch antenna will be used for the Wi-Fi link.

Is everyone in agreement with the above?

In future phases, for the base/home station, I was thinking of using a diversity antenna setup, with multiple directional antennas facing out on all sides. That should keep the gain high! 😉

😁..

frankly I would be LEARNING with this project..

so guys have patience with me... 😁

Don't worry durga, we are all also learning with this project 😉

Hey all! I'm just dropping by to say hi. . .

Hey tyler! Hows school going?

I plan to get a graphic tablet in a couple of weeks. Might be useful for some digital sketches *grin*

ashHey tyler! Hows school going?

I plan to get a graphic tablet in a couple of weeks. Might be useful for some digital sketches *grin*

I have a graphic tablet. . . it's amazing. It's Wacom, I believe. . . School is going fine. . . I'm enjoying Chemistry a lot, but seem to be failing the class. . . ^ _ ^ I don't know why. . .

Okay. . . what happened in here?!? Where's the progress!?! Lol, I have to leave the team and everyone stops. . . That's not motivation to re-join the team!
So come on! Let's get this back up and make some progress! I'm the official cheerleader! :clap: 😁

I'll wait for xHx & Ash to update everyone, but here's something that we've been discussing.

We think CE BOT project is something a bit 'bigger' for our team right now. So let's start with building small robots [proposed: a robotic arm!].

Ash, xHx - over to you!

The_Big_KWe think CE BOT project is something a bit 'bigger' for our team right now.

Ash, xHx - over to you!

I don't think so. It is well within the limits of CEans.
I have already volunteered to help build the Test platform. My students are ready to fabricate the CEbot anytime. You can assume bangalorerobotics and its members are IN this fully.
Now, lets get the ball rolling..........

The_Big_KAsh, xHx - over to you!

Uh... *looks around nervously*

😛

This project should be straight forward. It may also be useful for the CE Bot at the end. Perhaps all subsystems for the CE Bot have their own mini project to get it going? 😉

I'll create a new project thread soon. CE Bot will still remain, but it will be updated once in a while by me and xhx as we continue our research (or anyone else who wishes to contribute an idea to it)

[EDIT] Here is the new thread: #-Link-Snipped-#
@ Docel
Thanks a million for your volunteering efforts!

Oh-o!!
The CEbot is much simpler and easy...and cheap.
The Prosthetic arm is much more complicated and difficult, apart from being expensive.
Still, Good luck Ash!!

No issues if everyone wants the project to continue. However, I feel its high time that we start tracking our progress with the time-scale.

Can we divide the project into short term goals and assign ownership to team members?

I second what Biggie said. The discussion has been going on since ages. Sooner or later we will have to start working.
Lets see what XhX and Ash have to say. Docel, I believe, will play a very important role in this project.

The_Big_KNo issues if everyone wants the project to continue. However, I feel its high time that we start tracking our progress with the time-scale.

Can we divide the project into short term goals and assign ownership to team members?

The way to go....should have done that in the first place. Would have seen some results by now, I feel. Lets see how many respond!!

docelThe way to go....should have done that in the first place. Would have seen some results by now, I feel. Lets see how many respond!!

Yes, there was no formal start of the project. It was just a discussion that got momentum and resulted into a project.

You're right , Biggy!!
So, do we launch this officially as a true project?
It could be divided into groups:

• Tech Group- in charge of construction & testing.
• Research group- contributors who can add content, ideas and tech. solutions.
• Sponsor Group- who can contribute materials, components, etc.,
• Bossy Group- to keep track of what where how why etc.,

Just my .01paisa suggestion..........

docelYou're right , Biggy!!
So, do we launch this officially as a true project?
It could be divided into groups:

• Tech Group- in charge of construction & testing.
• Research group- contributors who can add content, ideas and tech. solutions.
• Sponsor Group- who can contribute materials, components, etc.,
• Bossy Group- to keep track of what where how why etc.,

Just my .01paisa suggestion..........

That would be the corporate way 😀 ! What xHx and I discussed over the phone is to have a team of 4 core engineers who will be responsible for the project. The team will be free to select additional members (but ONLY IF required)

All these team members will be recognized through special titles on the forums and will be responsible for everything. Regarding the sponsorship - there are two ways to go about it -

1. We request for donations among our community
2. We request corporates to sponsor parts or the whole project.

But, we need to have the designs freezed before we ask for sponsorships. The proposed robotic arm should progress on these lines. The CE BOT project will continue, however I guess our team should focus on the Robotic Arm project. xHx believes it could be done in short time and we can make it successful.

That said, I'm not experienced in BOT development. So please correct me if there are better ways to go about the project. Our aim is to execute the project successfully and build our own confidence.

Agree to all, except the Arm.
Like I said before, its quite difficult to fabricate a prosthetic human-assist arm ( the thing to assist eating etc.,). A normal arm is quite easy and cheap, costs next to nothing. ( #-Link-Snipped-# This was made overnight and has a 1.4mtr reach.)

hey I want to be in too !!

I am job less ( nothing to learn and only working!!! 😔 *yawns*)for next couple months... I can be of some help !!! 😀

Welcome, Ambassador!!!
Be nice to have you arbitrating us footloose folks 😁

Count me in. Though, I must warn people, I don't have any experience in Robotics.

Count me in too. I have some experience and knowledge in embedded system and a good programming knowledge

OK!!
Nice to see some reactions,atlast.....Welcome guys!!

docelOK!!
Nice to see some reactions,atlast.....Welcome guys!!

You can say Welcome back. I had been quite active on CE Bot part 1 and 2 and have many posts there. I can't say that for part 3 though.

Nice to see some enthusiasm 😉

Just to note, it does not have to be a prosthetic arm. Most likely a remote control or autonomous mechanism (out of whatever material) that is fixed in place, such as a table, bed, floor etc. Just imagine those robotic arms at the automobile factories, but much smaller scale.

I was just thinking about johnnyonthespot's post (#-Link-Snipped-#) about using the Wii nunchucks as accelerometer sensors, wirelessly connected to the robotic arm. That might be useful for this project (if you dont mind us borrowing that concept, johnny 😉 )

Another one is using a glove to virtually control it. It'll be easier to manually control the movement of the arms along the axis you want it to with the glove, rather than using multiple joysticks. Something that can make people's lives easier, I suppose.

The actual mechanism is quite straight forward. Have one or two servos per joint, connect them all to a servo controller. The servos will be fixed on servo brackets.

Anyhow, before I get carried away, lets continue discussions here:
#-Link-Snipped-#

Regarding CE Bot, I'd like to still pursue some ideas such as the communications and terrain analysis, since it's linked to my university projects 😀

Even before we go for communications and terrain analysis we can start with the basic design and functionality and may be build a framework as well as to how this thing will move and how other components will be connecting to it

durgahey I want to be in too !!

I am job less ( nothing to learn and only working!!! 😔 *yawns*)for next couple months... I can be of some help !!! 😀

Don't feel bad. I have no purpose either.

bayazidahmedEven before we go for communications and terrain analysis we can start with the basic design and functionality and may be build a framework as well as to how this thing will move and how other components will be connecting to it

Ah, we've been doing that for a while now with all the discussions. The basic design would be the 6 wheeled chassis. We also know that we'll use the old Acer laptop.

What is not decided yet is the type of sensors to place, as well as the type of communications needed. For a good preview of sensors we can use, refer to xhx's attachment @ the CE Lab website:
#-Link-Snipped-#

KINETIC_JOULESDon't feel bad. I have no purpose either.

All engineers have a purpose in life 😀

The project isn't being killed off. We are just shifting some focus to a more viable project, which is the Robotic Arm. Those still interested can continue with the CE Bot, but it will never be faced paced. If you are not too busy with school, you can still help out with designs. Improve on your existing 6 wheeled ones.. variate the designs, such as making the body wider and flatter, etc. You are the concept artist, let your imagination run!

I have to postpone my purchase on the graphic tablet.. I've been blowing hundreds of dollars on my university projects, and I'm near broke *sigh* It'll take a while to claim some of the money back.

All engineers have a purpose in life 😀

The project isn't being killed off. We are just shifting some focus to a more viable project, which is the Robotic Arm. Those still interested can continue with the CE Bot, but it will never be faced paced. If you are not too busy with school, you can still help out with designs. Improve on your existing 6 wheeled ones.. variate the designs, such as making the body wider and flatter, etc. You are the concept artist, let your imagination run!

I have to postpone my purchase on the graphic tablet.. I've been blowing hundreds of dollars on my university projects, and I'm near broke *sigh* It'll take a while to claim some of the money back.

I'm not TOO busy. I've a term paper coming up and I just finished an easy chem. test. I've got several art projects due. . . but otherwise, I'm not really busy. "Concept artist"? I like the sound of that. What exactly are you meaning, though?

Ah, concept artist in our case means doing the chassis designs in software and predict what it'll look and how it operates! Its something like what you have already done before, but now you can add the situations in which the robot will be in (such as traveling across rough terrain, picking up an object, etc). This requires lots of creativity and design skill, which you are best at 😀

With these things, it can help us "see" the actions and situations they would be it. We'll give you the necessary inputs later so you can start work on it. But keep in mind that our pace has been slowed down. I'll PM you more details later.

Hey guys. . . why aren't the creative juices flowing!? I miss you all! ^ _ ^

Most of it has flowed to other projects for now 😛

There are some things going on behind the scenes as well, which will help with the project organization of all our projects. Sorry, I was supposed to send you some instructions, but I'll wait when the internal stuff is complete.

Why don't you check out these projects:
-> #-Link-Snipped-#

-> #-Link-Snipped-#

and drop by the Chillax forum too!

We also have a creative writing competition which is ending in a few days. Maybe you can think of something quick!

-> #-Link-Snipped-#

TASK UPDATES
​
To: raj87verma88

Task: Procurement of a base model Laptop for use in CE Bot. With following specs:

1x SERIAL PORT
1x PARALLEL PORT
2x or more USB PORTS
1x CD ROM (simple)
1x HARD DRIVE SLOT (in all models)
1x or more RAM SLOTS (better if RAM is present, 128 or more)
1x KEYBOARD
1x PS/2 MOUSE CONNECTION (optional)
1x EXTERNAL MONITOR CONNECTION
1x BATTERY (optional)

Time: 1 week for look-out. 2nd week for delivery.

Info: My original idea to use my old Acer is not possible as I do not have it with me in India, so we will be using an old post-year 2000 model as the main processor.


To: Ash

Task: Post a report on tests conducted on Wireless models. Any information is fine.

Time: 3 days. Till or on 15th Thursday, Jan, 09.


To: Other Active members of CE Bot Project

Task: Everyone answer the following Q's:
1. Why are you interested in this project?
2. What areas you are Skilled at? Eg: Software? C, J, C++, Python etc, Electronics etc etc
3. Do you want to be a part of something big on CE? (Do I hear a YES?)
​

Ah, I see this project still has a lifeline 😀

I dont think I can compile the wireless results in time ( a bit busy with uni stuff), but I'll see what I can do by end of this week.

Do we have the funds for procurement already? And, if we are not using the laptop anymore, perhaps we could just buy a low powered motherboard instead? We'll have a heck more ports and expansion options to play around with, like the possibility of adding I/O PCI expansion cards (e.g those 10-100 TTL level ones).

For the CPU, we can use those 45W AMD Semprons 😀 Yes, power consumption might still be an issue, but we can still handle it.

[EDIT]
Regarding the software aspect, maybe we can make that a separate CE Project? An OS environment for embedded/robotic systems? At least we can break down the CE Bot project, as behemoth as it is, into smaller and manageable chunks that can also be used for other purposes.

It's just like the CE Robotic Arm project. Results from that can be implemented into CE Bot easily. I think the communication aspect can also be done as a standalone project.

What say?

I have started the search for a laptop. Let me see if I can find one. I will post about the find in 5-6 days.

raj87verma88I have started the search for a laptop. Let me see if I can find one. I will post about the find in 5-6 days.

Search for AMD Sempron and Intel Celeron motherboards well while you're at it 😀

Do you want any specific configuration or any specific model?