The Robot
Here's the good part: the actual robot. We have included below a step-by-step description (with pictures!) on how to build our robot if you so desire. Also, we have included a few of our own suggestions on robot design.
- Sensor Placement: A very important decision is where and how to orientate the sensors on the robot. We decided, as many teams in the past have, to place a set of three sensors next to one another in order to get some idea of what was both directly under the robot, as well as to the immediate left and right. However, further testing revealed that a very compact (sensors touching one another) placement lead to the robot sometimes turning in such a fashion as to have all three sensors over the line simultaneously, causing it to erroneously assume that it was over an intersection. To counter, this we found that placing a slight gap no more than perhaps half a centimeter between each sensor still allowed the sensors to fulfill their purpose, but largely stopped the problem of incorrect intersection identification. Further, it is highly recommended that the sensors be placed very close to the ground, though not quite touching, as this ensure the best possible sensor readout.
- Default Design: The Mindstorms kits come with instructions for building a default clawed robot. We found that this design provided a good base for which to expand our robot. Though we stripped it of its claws, "eyes," and impact sensor to clear out space and open up ports for the additional light sensors, the basic structure was both sturdy and effective. This permitted us to, with the only slightly added effort of constructing a sensor array, easily create a good robot for which to try out the challenges.
Build the Robot:
In the subseqent pages, we take a detailed pictographic journey through the construction of our robot.