[Robotgroup] Drive a Droid proposal... How to detect the "fence"?

[Def Egge]

At 15:32  2008-07-08, you wrote:
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Clendon Gibson wrote:
 > If you are good with geometry, then you can put encoders on
 > the wheels and calculate your position by dead reckoning.

Friction errors accumulate as the wheels move 
over the surface and slide on occasion. You would 
have to rely on external, calibrations and 
corrections for any deviation caused by 
accumulated error. The amount of calibrations 
would depend on the surface, the wheels and the 
number of events that could cause slip (i.e. hard 
starts and stops, turns etc).

 > The most obvious advantage is that there is no physical fence.

But we *need* a fence, if not for keeping the bot 
in, then to keep the audience from encroaching on 
the area the droid travels. We don't want to run over any toes. :)

Vern

-- 
Vern Graner CNE/CNA/SSE    | "If the network is down, then you're
Senior Systems Engineer    | obviously incompetent so why are we
Texas Information Services | paying you? Of course, if the network
http://www.txis.com        | is up, then we obviously don't need
Austin Office 512 328-8947 | you, so why are we paying you?" ©VLG
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Let's hear it for the fence!

And [insert your favorite deity's name here] 
forbid that a combination of juvenile operator, 
perimeter, etc. leave the robot in an unbalanced 
condition ... a 225+ pound pile of hardware 
toppling over on a lesser pile of flesh would be 
one Helluva way to end one year (or start the next one).


-- 

All the best....

Mike