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

[Clendon Gibson]

perhaps we are all looking at this the wrong way. We are all thinking about how the robot detects the fence. Maybe the fence needs to detect the robot. 

Pulling stuff out of the air:

Set up saw horses for the barrier. Use tilt sensors on the saw horses. If tilt, broadcast a shutdown signal to the R2. (If jiggle if...add fav sensor type here...)

This is open to endless variation.

Pro: if an observer messes with a saw horse, the robot stops. 
Pro: little if any mod tot he robot. (Fix it in software)

Con: all saw horses have to be wired. 
Con Saw horses don't look purty.


----- Original Message ----
From: brooksdesign <brooksdesign at peoplepc.com>
To: The Robot Group Mailing List <robotgroup at puremagic.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2008 8:53:25 PM
Subject: Re: [Robotgroup] Drive a Droid proposal... How to detect the

nothing beats a physical bearier, did anybody already mention the possablity of making simple bumper switch contacts on the PVC fence that triggers reverse or shutdown thru the transmitter? It would save any alterations to the r2.
-brooks

-----Original Message-----
>From: Clendon Gibson <bsandyman at yahoo.com>
>Sent: Jul 8, 2008 5:18 PM
>To: The Robot Group Mailing List <robotgroup at puremagic.com>
>Subject: Re: [Robotgroup] Drive a Droid proposal... How to detect the    "fence"?
>
>We need a fence. The point was that it could be a fence imposed by software. 
>
>Many of the other fences are simply software detecting a state and preventing the robot from continuing. This isn't really different then the dead reckoning except that there is a physical thing representing a fence.With the dead reckoning you can still rope off an area, it's just that the robot does not use these for its fence detection. 
>
>Given the size and speed of the thing, lay some sand filled PVC pipe.
>
>
>
>----- Original Message ----
>From: Vern Graner <vern at txis.com>
>To: The Robot Group Mailing List <robotgroup at puremagic.com>
>Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2008 3:32:07 PM
>Subject: Re: [Robotgroup] Drive a Droid proposal... How to detect the "fence"?
>
>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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