EROBOT

Introduction:

This is a series of How-Tos that showcase the use on Intel Edison Development board powering Vex Robotics motors and building different types of real autonomous robots during the series. Part of the series will also showcase on how to control the Robots remotely from an IoT server either in single mode or multi-player mode functionality.

This will be an on-going instructables on building real-time internet-of-things for connected devices but the focus here is using the Intel Edison board instead MIT Vex Controller board.

This will be a Ten (10) part series:

Part-1: Getting Started

Part-2: Robot Building Bonaza

Part-3: Intel Edison board with L293D Motor Controller interfacing

Part-4: Internet of Things: Intel Edison, CylonJS, BreakoutJs and Intel XDK IoT hybrid

Part-5: Forget about joystick, bring me an App

Part-6: Custom Systems Image using Yocto Build Environment

Part-7: Robot Application 1: Water Seeking Robot

Part-8: Robot Application 2: Assistive Robot (Mini Home Assistive Robot for Elderly and Disabled Citizen)

Part-9: Robot Application 2: Collaborative Robots (Intelligent Programmable Self Adjusting Robots)

Part-10: Bringing It Altogether: Extending The Intel Edison Platform (Porting, Hacking, etc...)

As far as hardware goes, we will start with Intel Edison boards that were given out to us by Intel Corporation during their recent "IoT RoadShow in London" (June 13 2015). During the two days event, we got the college boys to hack on the Intel Edison Arduino compatible board. We successfully powered two L293D DC Motor drivers with Intel Edison Arduino board to drive a five (5) motors Vex Robot assembled during the two day hackathon. We were surprised that Intel Edison not only being able to power L293D but also serves as a control server and gave us the opportunity to be able to develop a mobile App to replace a joystick and joystick accessories saving us more money. The App was able to control the Robot using Wifi and Bluetooth while other features like geolocation, gyroscope, maps, line-tracker, computer-vision, data-streaming were being gradually added as plugins.

This is a proof of concepts, hands-on and series of instructables on how you can build and power your own Robot with the Intel Edison board.

Since the Intel Edison has a complete embedded Linux operating inside it. Some of the future plan is also to be able to run ROS (robot operating systems); MyRobotLab(Inmoov) and other platforms and bridge them with Libmraa so that we can use Intel Edison board within education sector to teach mechatronics, robotics, design and automation.