Introduction: Arbotix Reactor Robot Arm and Pixycam Demonstration
We are 2 students from UCN college in Denmark. We were tasked to make an inscrutable as a part of our evaluation for our class, robot and vision. The requirements of the project were to include one or more robots from arbotix and perform a task.
Project description:
The chosen task for our project was to use a robotic arm and a color camera having the robot pick up the marker and move it in front of the camera, detecting the color of that marker and from the color recognized the robot draws a shape on a whiteboard depended on the color.
By: Razvan Ovreiu & Danny Pedersen
Step 1: User Recommedations
It is recommended that if you attempt to follow this intructable you have some basic knowledge or comprehension of the following subjects though not a must:
· Arduino ( http://learn.trossenrobotics.com/arbotix/7-arboti... )
· Robot anatomy
· Basic programming ( preferably C)
· Patience
The links below and throughout the instructable can offer you the needed knowledge of the different above mentioned subjects and much more so it is advised to use them should you have any questions or problems .
Arbotix: http://www.trossenrobotics.com/p/phantomx-ax-12-re...
Step 2: Needed Materials
All of the listed items that are listed, are required to
replicate the setup. All the items can be found and bought on the website below with the exceptions of the whiteboard markers:
www.Trossenrobotics.com
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1 x Arbotix reactor robot arm
http://www.interbotix.com/p/phantomx-ax-12-reactor-robot-arm.aspx
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1 x CMUcam5 pixy camera
http://www.trossenrobotics.com/pixy-cmucam5
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1 x pushbutton
http://www.trossenrobotics.com/robotGeek-pushbutton
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2 x whiteboard markers
Step 3: Safety
When powering up, programming and running the arbotix, it is recommended to keep oneself and any materials out of the robots reach, as it can make quick and at erratic movements.
Fastening the robot to a surface is also recommended to create a stable base, since the robots movements can make it tip over easily.
Step 4: Assembly
Assembling of the arbotix reactor robot arm will take some time and patience. Follow the arm assembly guide from the link below to avoid operating problems when done assembling :
Step 5: Connection of Components
Attachments
Step 6: Software Installation
Download the Arduino software needed for the programming of
the robot arm from the link below (Choose version 1.0.6)
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/OldSoftwareReleases...
Download the pixy camera software named pixymon from the link below:
http://www.cmucam.org/projects/cmucam5/wiki/Latest...
Install the two programs after download.
Now connect the supplied USB cables from the Arduino and pixycam to your computer and open the programs and establish a connection.
Step 7: Arbotix and Pixy Cam Setup and Configuration
The arbotix arduino and pixycam need to be setup correctly before the fun can begin. Remember to set the signatures in the PixyMon app, the first signature will represent the color on the right, and the second one will represent the color on the left.
The links below should be followed step by step to avoid any complications further on.
The linked pages also offer how to and troubleshooting should it be required,
The Arbotix and arduino:
http://learn.trossenrobotics.com/interbotix/robot-...
The pixycam:
Step 8: Robot Placement
The placement of the robot, camera and pick up position of the markers are preprogrammed, so we made a placement sketch/template on 2 pieces of A3 paper to ensure that the setup would work every time.
You could do the same, or just run the sequence from our program and make your own markings for the setup.
Step 9: Program
Here is the program made in arduino, which has to be uploaded to the board.
The program contains useful comments which will help the user understand its concept.
Attachments
Step 10: Video
Here lies a short demonstration of the process.
Step 11: Conclusion
All in all, With the experience gained from building, programming and documenting the robot arm, The team members are more confident in the skills related to this course.
The challenges faced were making the pixycam work adequately with the arduino board, therefor a big amount of time was used in the programming part. Furthermore due to the fact their is a lot of precision work involved in this project the group had a slight struggle with finding the right angles and distances.
