The Parallax Propeller is a pretty powerful MCU as [Dino] recently discovered in his latest Hack a Week installment. He wanted to build a simple robotics platform that he could use for testing out various sensors, and he figured he might as well learn about a different type of micro controller in the process.
He pieced together his robot using a pair of old Roomba motors he had sitting around, mounting them on a standard RadioShack project box. A Propeller MSR1 control board runs the show, and a Propeller PING sensor is used to get an idea of what the robot’s surroundings look like. He is an admitted newbie when it comes to using Propeller micro controllers, but [Dino] was able to give his robot some rudimentary object avoidance abilities fairly easily. A few small bugs aside, he had the robot up and running in short order, a testament to how easy it is to work with the Propeller platform.
Stick around to see a brief video covering the robot’s construction we have embedded below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znGYZdH3ebs#&w=470]
I remember making this exact same type of robot with a BASIC Stamp II about ten years ago, great times playing with stamps!
Wall… e?
@ crazymike: I have that exact kit right now. Basic object avoidance is one of the experiments the project book walks you through
He thinks he is a newbie? HA! I havent even memorized the resistor color codes
It looks really neat…but no weapons? What is the point of a robot if you can’t use it to fight other robots?
Next project with involves LAZERZ!!
Anyone else think the base had propellers in it?