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Building a Small Autonomous Robot?

Posted by Cliff on from the do-it-yourself-toys dept.

Nedward asks: "For Christmas I would like to give a friend all the equipment to build a small (approx 1 ft^3) mobile autonomous robot. I have looked up some kits online, but I would like more freedom than the kits offer (fully programmable, etc). The challenge: I only have $200.00 to spend. Has anyone put together a robot (CPU, motor, sensors and so forth) with that kind of a budget? Any other suggestions?"

10 of 43 comments (clear)

  1. Lego Mindstorms by nuxx · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Two words:

    Lego Mindstorms

    The perfect getting started programmable robotics kit...

  2. Lego Mindstorms by bjz · · Score: 3, Informative

    Take a look at the Lego Mindstorm kits http://www.legomindstorms.com/. They're in the $180 to $200 dollar range and come with all the parts your friend would need. Plus, there are several choices for programming the Lego Mindstorms programmable brick on both Windows and Linux, including BrickOS, Lejos(Java), and NQC(Not Quite C).

  3. One word response by FueledByRamen · · Score: 5, Informative
    MC68HC811E2P.

    I've built a few robot platforms around the 68hc11 brain, and that chip is the easiest one to get started with:
    • 8 bucks each, from any number of suppliers
    • Single-chip solution - the only external components are an 8 MHz crystal and 2x 22pf capacitors
    • DIP package - fits into Radio Shack solderless breadboards nicely
    • It's fast - a whopping 2 MHz
    • 256 bytes of RAM, and a 2K EEPROM for program storage
    • 16 lines of digital I/O, 8 ADCs, input compare and output compare timer lines, 2 serial ports, and a few other nicities
    You can download code to it over the serial port (and write it into the EEPROM), with the addition of 1 more chip - a MAX232 serial level converter. Tools for its instruction set (compilers, assemblers, etc) are very easy to find, as are schematics for a basic setup for the chip and for the serial converter. A google search should reveal a BASIC and a FORTH compiler for it, among various other (free) tools.

    The guys at the Seattle Robotics Society do a lot with this architecture, and they have plenty of articles and links pertaining to it.
    --
    Every cloud has a silver lining (except for the mushroom shaped ones, which have a lining of Iridium & Strontium 90)
    1. Re:One word response by jacobdp · · Score: 5, Informative
      DS89C450.
      • Costs around $10, or you can get two free samples from Dallas Semiconductor, the manufacturer.
      • 8051 archictecture.
      • Also a 40-pin DIP package; just add a crystal and some capacitors.
      • 33 MHz, and most instructions are executed in 1 clock cycle.
      • 1k RAM, 64k Flash.
      • Two serial ports, 32 pins of digital I/O, timers, counters, etc.
      • Serial port programmable with just a MAX232 and a 74HC125; there's a bootloader program in ROM built in on the chip.
      • Programmable in whatever, but there's a free C compiler available, which is quite easy to get started with
      And it's a recent design (last year, IIRC) - but it's based on the incredibly popular 8051 architecture, so there are tons of software tools available for it.
  4. Just one question by Odocoileus · · Score: 5, Funny

    Can I be your friend?

    --
    ...
  5. Check out some sumo resources by TomGroves · · Score: 3, Informative

    You might find sumo-related resources helpful or inspiring. Full-size (Japan) scale sumo's are 20cm^2. Mini-sumo (the most popular scale in the US) is limited to 10cm^2. Many of the designs focus on low-cost parts, tricks, etc.

    I have a list of some mini-sumo links here

  6. lots of different options.. by hari · · Score: 5, Informative

    Trusty 'ol HandyBoard
    68HC12
    Lego Mindstorm
    8051 development board
    Good 'ol Parallax

    There are also chips/development boards from Microchip (manufacturers of PIC series of ucontrollers) and Atmel.

    Most of the above DO NOT come with motors, sensors, base, wheels etc. However, these are not difficult to find at a nearby hobby shop.

    For a little more challenge, get a DSP board (TI, Motorola, Analog devices etc). You can get a good new/used one for pretty cheap from eBay

  7. Here's one under $100 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://www.junun.org/MarkIII/Info.jsp?item=1

    "This is the complete Mark III Robot kit, everything you need to build a working autonomous robot including controller board, sensors, pre-programmed PIC, chassis, wheels, motors, documentation and software. Just add batteries. Assembly required."

  8. Handy Cricket by Grond · · Score: 4, Informative

    The Handyboard is a favorite of robot hobbiests and researchers. We use them in our Mobile Robotics class at Uni. The full-on Handyboard is about $299, though. A somewhat reduced version of the Handyboard, the Handy Cricket is available for $99 from Gleason Research with a sensor/motor kit included. If you check the Handyboard page, there are several other vendors, including ones that sell unassembled kits for less, if you're not afraid of a little (okay, a fair bit of) soldering.

    I recommend using Lego to build the body of the robot as it's highly reconfigurable, cheap, and fun to play with even without the robot parts.

  9. +5 Informative? Are you slashbots morons? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    The HC11 has been nearing the end of its life for years now. You'd be nuts to use that chip in a new design.

    Consider using an AVR chip. Its a nice, modern RISC (32 registers, compared to the shitty HC11's handful). They are much cheaper, have a shitload more memory and peripherals, and tons faster (16/24 MIPS). Even a common-as-dirt PIC chip would be better then this.

    The tools are much better for PICs and AVRs because they are much more popular.