The Robot

The robot is a home-made one, controlled with an Arduino Mega 2560.

Motors

2 12v DC motors Faulhaber 2342L

The 2 motors are connected to a L298N controller and can run clockwise and anti-clockwise.

The robot moves straight forward and backward when the 2 motors run at the same speed and at opposite sense of rotation.

The robot rotates when the 2 motors run at the same speed and at the same sense of rotation.

The 2 DC motors and the servo-motor are powered by 15v batteries through respectively 10.5v and 5v regulators.

Move control

Move control is based on a home-made subsystem. This subsystem uses 2 home-made wheel encoders and a Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to keep the robot location up-to-date.

The robot controls rotation with the IMU gyroscope with +-3° precision.

The robot controls north alignment with the IMU compass with +-8° precision.

IMU compass provides the north orientation. Even if north orientation inside a room is not that much precise, it is nevertheless a precious information.

Electronic

3 microcontrollers: Arduino AtMega2560 - Arduino Nano - Olimex Esp8266

The robot communicates with the server through an ESP8266 acting as a WIFI gateway.

The electronic is powered by a dedicated 12v batteries through 9v and 5v regultators.

Shape and heading