{"id":5556,"date":"2019-03-07T15:15:17","date_gmt":"2019-03-07T20:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/?p=5556"},"modified":"2019-04-06T11:04:31","modified_gmt":"2019-04-06T15:04:31","slug":"real-robot-001","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/real-robot-001\/","title":{"rendered":"Build a Real Robot Part 1 &#8211; Introduction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the first of several articles and videos about building a \u201creal\u201d robot. In this first installment, I will introduce \u201cDB1\u201d, the full-sized robot project that I am building. \u00a0You can follow along and build an identical robot or use the articles and videos in this series to design and build your own unique robotic creation.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-player\" data-id=\"dy6tyhBvuw8\"><\/div>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Introduction<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ve already published <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/robots-index\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">many robotics projects and experiments<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which of course is not too surprising considering the site is called \u201cDroneBot Workshop\u201d! All of these previous projects have a few things in common:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They use inexpensive \u201crobot car\u201d bases, acrylic cutouts with 6-volt DC gearmotors and tiny wheels.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They use an Arduino as their \u201cintelligence\u201d module.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They typically perform only one or two functions simultaneously.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They can be built in just a few hours.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These projects are great in that they are educational and their low cost allows pretty well anyone to start exploring robotics. I plan to keep using these in future projects.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5560\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-001.jpg?resize=750%2C422&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"DB1 Robot Part 1\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-001.jpg?w=768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-001.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But they could hardly be described as being \u201creal\u201d robots. They are not merely toys, but they have limited capabilities. I like to think of them as prototyping tools, useful when you are trying to learn robotics or test new sensors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today I\u2019m going to start construction of something bigger and more powerful. A \u201creal\u201d robot.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A \u201cReal\u201d Robot<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s pretty difficult to come up with a standard definition of what a \u201creal robot\u201d would be, as it can be different things to different people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many people look at science fiction for examples of \u201creal\u201d robots. From the goofy robot on the old \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Robot_(Lost_in_Space)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lost in Space<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d shows, the evil <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dalek\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daleks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Dr. Who, to the loveable <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/R2-D2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">R2-D2<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of Star Wars fame robots have played a part in popular culture for a very long time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some would consider a \u201creal\u201d robot to be a humanoid device, similar to Star Wars <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/C-3PO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">C-3PO<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or Star Treks\u2019 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Data_(Star_Trek)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mr. Data<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The modern <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hansonrobotics.com\/sophia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sophia robot <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is an example of research in that direction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then there are the robots that we already encounter in real life. Robotic arms and machines that are used on assembly lines. Robots employed for dangerous activities like bomb disposal and working in hazardous environments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My definition of a \u201creal\u201d robot is as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It needs to be capable of a reasonable-sized payload, at least a kilogram or more. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It should be able to be \u201ctrained\u201d to perform specific tasks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It should be able to \u201clearn\u201d and improve its performance of those tasks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It needs to be able to handle obstacles that would prevent it from performing its tasks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It should be \u201caware\u201d of its environment and be able to navigate within it with minimal human supervision.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Based upon the above criteria I\u2019ve come up with a design, one that I will introduce you to today.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Introducing \u201cDB1\u201d<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m calling my creation \u201cDB1\u201d, with the \u201cDB\u201d standing for \u201cDroneBot\u201d. I think the \u201c1\u201d is pretty obvious, and one day I hope there will be a \u201cDB2, DB3\u201d etc. \u00a0While the name might be pretty bland an unoriginal, and possibly confused with some older database software, I\u2019m sticking with it for now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eventually, I may hold a contest to give it a better name, but for now \u201cDB1\u201d is its moniker.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Design Philosophy<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I want to build a robot that you can build too. You might want to build the whole thing exactly the way I\u2019,m building it, or you might only want to build a section of it. You may wish to build a completely different robot of your own design but incorporate some of the circuitry and programming that DB1 uses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I want to make this as universal as possible. \u00a0To accomplish this I\u2019m doing the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Standard Parts<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; You can build a great robot out of a used Segway, an old vacuum cleaner or a bunch of bicycle parts. But I\u2019m not doing that. I\u2019m going to use parts and components that you can easily obtain, either locally or over the Internet.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Standard Interfaces <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; No need to reinvent the wheel here. Standard interfaces like Ethernet, I2C, SPI, and USB will be used throughout the design.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Modular<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; This is a HUGE project, and as such it will end up being a fairly expensive one. \u00a0By breaking it down into modules you can choose to only build part of it, or build it in stages to defray the cost.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Buildable<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; I will document everything I\u2019m doing in great detail so that you can also build this. Some of this documentation will be in the form of this series of articles and videos. I also have plans for detailed documentation that I&#8217;ll make available very soon, stay tuned for news about that. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Robot Community<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A robot like this is not a trivial project, far from it. To build it requires skills in mechanics, electronics and programming. We will be working with machine intelligence and other esoteric fields of study.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And I really don\u2019t want to do it all alone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5567\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Robot_Chassis.jpg?resize=750%2C422&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"DB1 Robot Chassis\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Robot_Chassis.jpg?w=768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Robot_Chassis.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m hoping that at least a few of my readers and viewers will take it upon themselves to also build a similar robot. And I will support you any way I can, including exchanging ideas and code.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have a few ideas for doing just that and I\u2019ll be announcing many of them in my newsletter. If you haven\u2019t done so already, <a href=\"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/subscribe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">please subscribe to the newsletter<\/a>. This way I can keep in touch with you and bounce some ideas off of you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s make DB1 a community project! \u00a0We can all learn from each other.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DB1 Main Sections<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have divided this robot design into three main sections or \u201clayers\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Navigation Layer<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Intelligence Layer<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Environment Input\/Output Layer<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5565\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Layers.jpeg?resize=750%2C422&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"DB1 Layers\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Layers.jpeg?w=768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Layers.jpeg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s examine these three layers individually.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Navigation Layer<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Navigation Layer performs movement and navigation of the robot. I can operate independently or in conjunction with the other layers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5566\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Navigation-Layer.jpeg?resize=750%2C422&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"DB1 Navigation Layer\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Navigation-Layer.jpeg?w=768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Navigation-Layer.jpeg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ll be able to control the navigation layer using \u201chigh-level\u201d or \u201clow-level\u201d commands. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High-level commands include commands like \u201cmove forward to a position 3 meters ahead\u201d, \u201cmove to co-ordinates x &amp; y\u201d or execute a preprogrammed movement. \u00a0The robot will be able to handle situations when the position it is moving to is blocked by an obstacle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Low-level commands are more basic, things like \u201crotate the left wheel 4 turns and a specific speed\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Communication with the navigation layer can be done using Ethernet, WiFi or Bluetooth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physically the navigation layer consists of the motors and bottom frame. Electrically it consists of motor drivers, motor controllers, navigation sensors, microcontrollers, and a single board computer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My current design uses a custom motor controller, which I will be described in detail as a project very soon. It also uses both an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/store.arduino.cc\/usa\/mega-2560-r3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arduino Mega 2560<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.raspberrypi.org\/products\/raspberry-pi-3-model-b-plus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Raspberry Pi 3 B+<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u00a0Some of the navigation sensors will be I2C, some will be connected directly to the Arduino Mega 2560 and some will have their own Arduino Pro Mini microcontrollers that in turn communicate using I2C.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Navigation layer sensor will be located all over the robot body.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5561\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Base.jpg?resize=750%2C422&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"DB1 Base\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Base.jpg?w=768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Base.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Navigation layer will also house the batteries that power the robot.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Intelligence Layer<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the \u201cbrains\u201d of the robot. \u00a0It controls the Navigation layer and it communicates with the Environment Input\/Output layer. \u00a0It also controls the robots master communications, allowing the device to interact with people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5563\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Intelligence-Layer.jpeg?resize=750%2C422&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"DB1 Intelligence Layer\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Intelligence-Layer.jpeg?w=768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Intelligence-Layer.jpeg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main component of this layer will be a single-board computer (SBC) with a solid state drive (SSD). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m currently choosing a SBC for this layer and currently the main contender is the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.96boards.org\/product\/hikey970\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HiKey970<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This board is a powerful processor with a dedicated neural processor unit (NPU) and artificial intelligence capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One thing the board lacks, however, is a SATA port to connect the SSD. The board does have a couple of expansion connectors and an SSD can be connected through them with the use of an adapter card.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The choice here is not final as it will be a few months before I am ready to build this layer. By then there may be some alternate choices for a SBC for this layer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This layer will communicate with the other layers using Ethernet and can also make use of Bluetooth and WiFi. \u00a0It will also have direct connections to some of the I\/O devices such as video cameras.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Environment Input\/Output Layer<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The final layer is the Environment I\/O Layer. \u00a0This layer allows the robot to interact with the outside world and explore its local environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5562\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Environment-Layer.jpeg?resize=750%2C422&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"DB1 Environment Layer\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Environment-Layer.jpeg?w=768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Environment-Layer.jpeg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This layer is where all of the non-navigation sensors are managed, by \u201cnon-navigation\u201d I mean the sensors that are not specifically tied to the Navigation layer. \u00a0Sensors in this layer include, but are not limited to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LiDAR to map the local environment.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Video camera for object recognition (there are also video cameras tied directly to the Intelligence layer, these are different).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Speaker to make sound and voice.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Microphone(s) to listen with and to receive voice commands.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Temperature, Humidity and Light sensors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proximity detectors.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m sure that this list will grow as the robot is constructed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The key fact about the sensors here is that they are \u201chigh-level\u201d. This means that they pre-process data, either by themselves or in conjunction with a dedicated microcontroller or microcomputer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By doing this the layer only exchanges high-level information with the Intelligence layer. Here is an example that illustrates this.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let&#8217;s say the object recognition camera spots an object that it has already been trained to recognize, such as a blue ball. Instead of sending the Intelligence layer the pixel data about the object we tell it that it\u2019s a blue ball (or, more likely, something like \u201cobject #241\u201d). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means that the Intelligence layer doesn\u2019t need to know how to recognize a blue ball. It just needs to know what to do when a blue ball is detected in a specific location.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This distributed processing model is repeated throughout the robot design.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Environment layer will make use of several microcomputers and microcontrollers and will communicate with the Intelligence layer using Ethernet.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sensor Turntable<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many of the Environment sensors will be mounted on a turntable, located in the upper section of the robot. \u00a0This arrangement allows the sensors to be moved to different angles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&lt;INSERT TURNTABLE PICTURE&gt;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is similar to the way we humans, and most animals can rotate our heads &#8211; our ears, eyes, mouth, and nose all rotate with it at the same time. \u00a0This way we can aim all of our \u201csensors\u201d at a specific location. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It makes crossing the street a lot safer!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5568\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Turntable.jpg?resize=750%2C422&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"DB1 Turntable\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Turntable.jpg?w=768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Turntable.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The turntable is driven by a stepper motor and can rotate a full 360 degrees, although its field of view is blocked on each side by the robot structure. \u00a0The stepper motor, a 12-volt Nema 17 sized motor, is controlled by the Environment I\/O layer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the turntable can rotate continuously it would make it difficult to run cables and power to it. It will need its own rechargeable power source and the recharging will be done via induction. Communications with the devices on the turntable will be done wirelessly as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Communications Between Layers<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Navigation and Environment I\/O layers communicate with the Intelligence layer using Ethernet. I chose this because it is a standard and it is very fast. Also, all of the single board computers I am using or considering using have Ethernet connections.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5564\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Layer-Connections.jpeg?resize=750%2C422&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"DB1 Layer Connections\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Layer-Connections.jpeg?w=768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-Layer-Connections.jpeg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By using Ethernet I will also have the option of hooking in a standard computer for development or troubleshooting purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The power for all of the layers, except the turntable in the Environment I\/O layer, is supplied from the Navigation layer. The power source will eventually be rechargeable batteries located in the base of the robot, however, during development, I will be using a bench power supply. This will allow me to determine the final current requirements so I can select suitable batteries.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conclusion &#8211; What&#8217;s Next?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is just the beginning of this series and I hope it has sparked your interest. In the next installment, I will go into details about the robot chassis design and construction and will introduce you to the Actobotics channeling that I built the robot frame out of.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After that we will go over the motors and wheels, I\u2019ll show you how to select them and how t mount them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We will then start focusing on building the Navigation layer with sensors, motor controllers and microcomputer. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I hope you follow along for this journey into robotics. It promises to be quite a ride! \u00a0There will be a new installment of this series every Thursday. Please join me for the next one.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, if you\u2019ll excuse me, I have a robot to build!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introducing DB1, a &#8220;real&#8221; robot project that you can follow along and build. <\/p>\n<p>In this introduction to the project I will go over the main features and &#8220;layers&#8221; that DB1 is composed of.  You will also get an idea of how the project will evolve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5560,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[88,4],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/DB1-001.jpg?fit=768%2C432&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p74ClK-1rC","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5556"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5556"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5556\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}