Tankbot controlled Microscope

Have you ever used a microscope?
I often used one for my research when I was a graduate university student, and sometimes it was awkward to use.

So I and my friends tried to make a more user friendly microscope.

The microscope I will introduce here is actuated by "Tankbot" a  toy tank controlled by a device like iPhone, iPad, Android.

Photograph1 is an overview of this device. The contents are included below.


1. Tankbot and holder
2. Flexible joint 
3. USB camera
4. Microscope and XY stage
5. LED light
6. Base panel

 
The Tankbot is fixed in the holder (1) and the rotaion of tires is transmitted to the XY stage(4) by flexible joints (2).
So the movement of the Tankbot changed to movement of a slide glass on stage and you can watch it from your PC via a USB camera (3).
An LED light (5) is used for a light source of the microscope and the Base panel (6) is the foundation of this device.


Photograph2 is the Tankbot's face.
If you want to know more about it, see the page below.
http://www.mydeskpets.com/tankbot/

The movie below shows the overview of this device.

In the next step, I will describe how to make the Tankbot holder.

Step 1 Make a Tankbot holder

I made a holder out of Lego blocks.
To fix the position of the Tankbot, make a space to fit the size of it.

Both sides of the holder have reduction gears that enable slower movements.
(When you see the microscope, the movement of the stage should be precise.)

Each Gear has below functions.
1. Touch Tankbot's caterpillar and transit the movement to axis rotation.
2. A small gear, the axis of it is same as gear1, transmit the rotation to gear3.
3. A larger gear, transmit the rotation to flexible joint. 
(axis of gear 3 is connected to flexible joint and when gear3 rotates, flexible joint rotates and transmit rotation to XY stage.)

The gear ratio of gear 2 and 3 is 1:8. But it's not essential.