Mechanical Light Sensing and Flex Sensors Controlled Flower Robot
Intro: Mechanical Light Sensing and Flex Sensors Controlled Flower Robot
Purpose :
Create a robot that follows light and can move with flex sensors on a glove
This instructable was inspired by :
https://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Robotic-Hand-C...
This instructable was created in fulfillment of the project requirement of the Makecourse at the University of South Florida (www.makecourse.com).
STEP 1: Part List
MAKEcourse Kit : get it here
If you do not feel like purchasing the whole kit get the following :
Mechanical :
[ Pack of 5 ] Micro Servos
[ 2 ] Standard Servos
[5+] Ball Bearings { 0.5 inch }
Electrical :
[ 5 ]Flex Sensors
Computer :
Autodesk Inventor 2014 :
free for 3 years - just sign up
http://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/al...
Arduino IDE
STEP 2: Mechanical Design
Below are the STL files ready to be 3D printed
You could 3D print the brackets, but they need to be edited so they are not as brittle.
I would recommend buying the brackets from amazon.
The specific brackets are :
Short U Bracket :
http://www.amazon.com/Beautyforall-Steering-Bracke...
or :
http://www.amazon.com/heartsea-technologyShort-U-S...
Long U Bracket :
http://www.amazon.com/Happy-fly-shop-U-Shaped-Stee...
Oblique Bracket :
http://www.amazon.com/Beautyforall-Oblique-Steerin...
Could also buy the kit for other robot projects :
[ Which comes with ball bearings and screws ]
STEP 3: Wiring + Electronics
The basic idea is :
The large external battery goes into the step down regulator.
Then the regulator goes to the power rails on the breadboard [ which is the messier looking PCB board you see in picture 8 ].
The servos are connected to the ground and power of the power rail [ supplied by the regulated voltage ].
The signal wires of the servos go into the digital pins of the arduino.
Then , the power and ground for the sensors [ photo resistor + all flex sensors ] comes from the arduino board.
The signal wire for the touch pad goes into one of the digital pins, while the flex sensors are placed into the analog pins [ but not before a resistor is placed in series -- see the spark fun link for more clarity ].
Once the breadboard functions, then buy some PCB [ like this type ] and you are set.
Here is a similar project which did a very good job at showing the wiring for the photo-resistors and servos :
https://www.instructables.com/id/Control-Servo-with...
Fritzing Image + Wiring Clarifying : https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/sik-experimen...
STEP 4: Code
The Code is well commented but here are things to keep in mind :
- The comparison [ line 96 ] can change depending on the light you apply to the photo resistor and ambient light settings.
- [Line 162] : the range for each flex sensor is different, so change the first two numbers to get a better resolution. Also, the servos are contrained from 70 to 110 degrees because of clearance issues and a smoother operation.
- [Line 253] : Included to make sure the touchpad works before wiring everything.
Here is a good, shortened example of the flex-sensor code using serial print to see the values [ change 0 to 100 ]
http://bildr.org/2012/11/flex-sensor-arduino/
Or : Using 1 servo
STEP 5: Conclusion (with Video and More Pictures)
Thank you for viewing my instructable.
Finally, I would like to thank the following people for helping me make this project possible:
Dr. Rudy Schlaff
Eric Tridas
Sergei Dines
Dominic Cox
If you have anymore questions , feel free to message me.
3 Comments
thebear1 9 years ago
well done nice project it's nice to see young persons put up on instructables projects of this type and not just a photo or two with no instructions on how it was made
thank you
seamster 9 years ago
Very nicely done! Great first project, too.
Welcome to instructables!
ThaoDo 9 years ago
Thank you for taking your time to view and comment on my project!