Amphibionics: Build Your Own Biologically Inspired Robot / Edition 1

by Karl Williams

Overview

* Step-by-step plans on building 4 different creatures--snake, frog, turtle, and alligator with walking and swimming ability

* Tells you all you need for mechanical construction, programming, locomotion, remote control, and customization

* Teaches mechanical construction, electronics, PIC programming, artificial intelligence, and software control

* All are inexpensive to build with easy-to-find parts

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780071412452
Publisher:	McGraw-Hill/Tab Electronics
Publication date:	04/08/2003
Series:	Tab Electronics Robotics
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	363
Product dimensions:	7.33(w) x 9.17(h) x 1.08(d)

About the Author

Karl Williams is an independent robotics researcher, electronics experimenter, and software developer. He is with Mitra Imaging, a leading medical imaging software company acquired by AGFA HealthCare Informatics. He is the author of Insectronics: Build Your Own Walking Robot and has written for Nuts and Volts magazine. A resident of Ontario, Canada, Karl has hosted a robotics and electronics website for four years, and received an IBM regional computer technology award for building a computer-controlled robotic arm.

Table of Contents

	Introduction	xv
	Acknowledgments	xvii
1	Tools, Test Equipment, and Materials	1
	Test Equipment	10
	Construction Materials	12
	Summary	15
2	Printed Circuit Board Fabrication	17
	Summary	22
3	Microcontrollers and PIC Programming	25
	Microcontrollers	25
	PIC 16F84 MCU	26
	PicBasic Pro Compiler	28
	Software Installation	31
	Compiling a Program	35
	Using the EPIC Programmer to Program the PIC	40
	Testing the Controller Board	44
	MicroCode Studio Visual Integrated Development Environment	45
	Using a Programmer with MicroCode Studio	47
	MicroCode Studio in Circuit Debugger	48
	Summary	49
4	Frogbotic: Build Your Own Robotic Frog	51
	Frogs and Toads	51
	Overview of the Frogbotic Project	52
	R/C Servo Motors	54
	Modifying Servos for Continuous Rotation	55
	Controlling a Modified Servo	66
	Mechanical Construction of Frogbotic	68
	Assembling the Legs	77
	Attaching the Legs to the Robot's Body	82
	Fabricating the Servo Mounts	84
	Constructing the Front Legs	90
	Leg Position Sensors	91
	Wiring the Limit Switches	91
	Frogbotic's Main Controller Board	94
	Creating Frogbotic's Printed Circuit Board	96
	Fabricating the Power Connector	98
	Putting It All Together	100
	Programming and Experiments with Frogbotic	103
5	Serpentronic: Build Your Own Robotic Snake	117
	Snakes	117
	Overview of the Serpentronic Project	119
	Mechanical Construction of Serpentronic	120
	Constructing the Body Sections	121
	Constructing the Tail Section	130
	Constructing the Head	132
	Assembling the Snake's Mechanical Structure	137
	Connecting the Body Sections, Tail, and Head	138
	Serpentronic's Main Controller Board	144
	Creating the Main Controller Printed Circuit Board	146
	The Infrared Sensor Board	148
	Constructing the Infrared Sensor Circuit Board	152
	Calibration	154
	Mounting the Controller and Infrared Sensor Board	155
	Wiring the Robot	158
	Programming and Experiments with Serpentronic	164
	Motion Control	171
	Infrared Sensor	177
	Summary	188
6	Crocobot: Build Your Own Robotic Crocodile	191
	Crocodilians	191
	Overview of the Crocobot Project	193
	Mechanical Construction of Crocobot	194
	Constructing the Chassis	199
	Constructing the Body Covers and Tail Section	202
	Wiring the Limit Switches	209
	Constructing the Legs	211
	Assembling the Legs	213
	The Controller Circuit Board	216
	L298 Dual Full-Bridge Driver	218
	Creating the Main Controller Printed Circuit Board	222
	Putting It All Together	226
	Constructing the Remote Control Transmitter	228
	PIC 16C71	232
	Creating the Remote Control Printed Circuit Board	234
	Programming Crocobot	239
7	Turtletron: Build Your Own Robotic Turtle	271
	Turtles and Tortoises	271
	Overview of the Turtletron Project	272
	The History of Robotic Turtles	273
	Mechanical Construction of Turtletron	275
	Assembling the Gearboxes and Attaching the Wheels	277
	Electronics	283
	Ultrasonic Range Finding	286
	The Remote Control Transmitter	298
	Programming Turtletron	300
	Testing the SRF04 Ultrasonic Ranger	308
	Obstacle Avoidance Using the Ultrasonic Range Finder	313
	Distance Measurement Using an Optical Shaft Encoder	325
	Fabricating the Shaft Encoder	327
	Room Mapping Using the Shaft Encoder and Ultrasonic Range Finder	334
8	Taking It Further	345
	Frogbotic	345
	Serpentronic	346
	Crocobot	346
	Turtletron	347
	Bibliography	349
	Index	351