This post presents FrogBot 3000 a low-cost Arduino-based mobile robot
DYOR: FrogBot3000 mobile robot build
GOAL
The goal is to build a mobile robot based on a frog. It will be able to raise and lower its arms, move in any direction, display a plethora of emotions, follow a black line, and detect impediments. As an extra we will also added a little dance. This robot will have a base that will house the portable battery, the microcontroller, and all of the wires that connect the various sensors and gadgets to the controller. Below this platform will be two servos that will turn two wheels. In addition, an idler wheel will be installed in the back. In the front the ultrasonic sensor will be installed at the place where the eyes of the frog would be.
Execution
We used a wooden base for the robot and glued all the components together. An additional advantage of using wood over metal was that we did not have to insulate all our components.
To program our robot we used facilino and edited the generated C-Code afterwards. Facilino is a visual programming tool that allows you to program Arduino and ESP microprocessors. It can be used to program the DYOR robot easily and can also be used for many other purposes. After creating the block diagram the code is uploaded to the microcontroller and executed by it. To create the app that controls the robot we used MIT app inventor and used a Bluetooth connection to execute the desired code on the arduino nano.
Components:
- Arduino + Extension (Arduino Nano v3.0 (compatible), I/O Extension Shield para Arduino Nano)
- Battery (Portapilas 9V, Pila 9V Alcalina)
- Bluetooth module (SPP-C Bluetooth (compatible HC-06))
- Sonar (Sensor Ultrasonidos HC-SR04)
- IR Sensor (Módulo Seguilíneas TCRT500)
- Buzzer (Zumbador KY-006)
- LED Matrix (Matriz de LEDs 8×8 max7219)
- Wheels (2x Micro servo FS90R)
- Arms (2x Micro servo SG90)
Build:
Programming:
Facilino Coding blocks and C-Code in the Arduino IDE (for Nano).
App build:
MIT App Inventor 2 view of the screen. The buttons allow for control of the robots movement and display of the LED Matrix.
There are three special functions implemented that are more complex:
– Follow line: let’s the robot follow a black line through the light detection of an IR Sensor on the bottom of the robot
– Avoid obstacles: the sonar sensor in the robots eyes is employed to detect for objects in front of the robot. After detected, the robot will turn to circumvent the detected object.
– Frog dance: a fun feature that lets the robot perform a dance that employs the buzzer, the hands, the wheels and LED Matrix. The robot shows changing emotions on its face, plays a song and moves left to right while moving its arms.
Video showcase of some of the robots functions:
