Intro to Robotics Projects - Part 1

At the end of ES450 Intro to Robotics, students are tasked with coming up with a task to automate that integrates computer vision and a robot manipulator.

Here the camera sees and object and determined its color, then the robot used the computer keyboard to send a text message, with the object's color, to a mobile phone using Matlab (Ruttum & Baker)

Here the Scorbot plays TicTacToe Against a human. It uses the camera to detect the state of the board, computes the best move, and moves the blocks (it is hard to write with a pen using the robot). It is always able to at least draw against a human player. (Valdez)

A GUI to control the scorbot. Robot scolds you if you click outside workspace. (Hatch & Landholt)

Goin' Ballistic

November marked another semester's ES300 ballistics lab, but this semester there was a twist. Instead of the typical lecture and demo period in the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range, ES300 students got to fire a potato gun. For those not familiar, a potato gun is made from readily available PVC pipe, and is fired using any number of household aerosols, including hairspray and deodorant to propel the common Idaho spud to distances exceeding 200 yards. Gun construction is very simple and involves a hacksaw and PVC cement. The real trick is getting the correct fuel-air mixture, and igniting it with sufficient spark to get good combustion. This year's lab succeeded on all counts, launching potatoes from 1st class parking, all the way across Hospital Point into the Severn.
After the potato gun lab, students were brought down to the range and given a demo on interior, exterior and terminal ballistics. The indoor range cannot handle the energy from a rifle round, so only handguns were tested, including .22, 9mm, .40 and .45 pistols. Impact media included ballistics gel (just like in Mythbusters), Kevlar armor, and some proprietary molded armor from a company called MACRO Industries. The intent was to show how combat ammunition performs on various targets and in different scenarios. Students gained an appreciation for the marksmanship skills necessary to effectively dissuade the enemy from pursuing a negative course of action.

3rd Annual Worm Chariot Race

For the third consecutive year, students in Es451 make robotic worms using the Bioloid Robotics Kit. Engineering issues considered include gait design, stability, traction, sensing and responding to obstacles. The Chariots contain the batteries and small computers which store the programs.

The first test is the 10 foot dash. It is graded based on how straight the robot moves (<6" deviation from straight line over a 10 ft course) .

Turning is one of biggest challenges. I have to say this is the ugliest robot snake turn I have seen but it is remarkably close to 90 degrees (the goal). And reliable too! The turn is triggered by the presence of an obstacle as measures by an IR range sensor.

And they are off! (they really shouldn't be touching the robots once the race starts but it didn't effect the outcome)

Congratulations:

Winners (1st period): Midn 1/C Hatch, Meyer, Myers

Winners (3rd period): Midn 1/C Felps, Honan, Beates