Tabletop Challenge

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Home -> Robots - > Tabletop Challenge

The Home Brew Robotics Club, is having a tabletop challenge. The goal is to build a tabletop robot, that can drive around a 4x8 table without falling off the table, and locate a 2x2 inch box. Once it has found the box, it needs to push it down to one end of the table and into a shoebox. The eventual goal of this challenge is to get working robots, in the club, that could be used for 1 on 1 tabletop soccer.

The challenge has 3 phases:

Stay on the table without falling off
Locate the box on the table and push it off without falling off yourself.
Locate the box, and push it into a shoe box (goal) at one end.

Here is my progression through each of the 3 phases:

Phase 1 - "Mr. Bricks"

This robot was built up from an existing base Bob had laying around his shop. I constructed it using a modular robot technology called "Robobricks" designed by one of the members of our club. Using the bricks and Bobs already built base, it literally only took a day or two to put this one together. Click on the picture of the robot or here for more info, photos, and video clips of Mr. Bricks in action.

Phase 2 - "Boxer"

Bob, worked up a new tabletop, mechanical design, that has downward looking IR sensors. It is more suited toward the challenge goal which is to find a 2x2 box and push it off the table. It has a nice, scooping ram on the front to manage the puck and move it around on the table. Click on the picture of the robot or here for more info, photos, and video clips of Boxer in action.

Phase 3 - "Tracker"

After lots of experimentation, I determined that using a camera to track down the box quickly would be the best method for solving phase 3. I took Boxer, and retooled him with a pan-tilt camera head that could track the box, even if it was in-motion. Once I locate the box, then it is an easy task to quickly find the goal and put the box in. Click on the picture of the robot or here for more info, photos, and video clips of Tracker in-action.