Autonomous Mobile Robots

*** Robotics Students: I have previous final papers if you want to view them for educational purposes. Email me.
*** There are assorted robot video DVD's and mobile mpg's in the Prototyping Laboratory for your viewing pleasure.

Robot Tank Battle Videos

Tank Battle 2018 Clips - Tank Battle 2017 Clips -Tank Battle 2016 Clips - Tank Battle 2015 Clips - Tank Battle 2014 Clips - Tank Battle 2012 Clips -Tank Battle 2011 Clips
Tank Battle 2010 Clips - Tank Battle 2009 Clips (Part 1) - Tank Battle 2009 Clips (Part 2) - Tank Battle 2008 Clips - Tank Battle 2007 Clips - Tank Battle 2005 Clips - Tank Battle 2004 Clips

Semester Schedule - Schedule.xls

Week	Date	Topic	Project Due (Type) [Worth]
1	4-Sep-18	Introduction and Overview
2	11-Sep-18	Sensors
3	18-Sep-18	Actuators/Controllers and programming	Formed Groups
4	25-Sep-18	Tools Overview/ Individual Robot Proposal Review	Robot Proposal (Hand-In, Meeting) [5%]
5	2-Oct-18	68HC11 Assembler	Finalized Robot Proposal (Hand-In, Meeting) [5%]
6	9-Oct-18	Behavioral Programming Concepts
7	16-Oct-18	Lab/Discussions	Robot Construction Progress Class Presentation [5%]
8	23-Oct-18	Lab/Discussions	Robot Construction Progress Class Presentation [5%]
9	30-Oct-18	Lab/Discussions	Robot Construction Progress Class Presentation [5%]
10	6-Nov-18	Lab/Discussions	Completed Robot Platform (Demo***) [10%]
11	13-Nov-18	Lab/Discussions	Light Tracking behavior (Demo***) [10%]
12	27-Nov-18	Lab/Discussions	Obstacle Avoidance behavior (Demo***) [10%]
13	4-Dec-18	Lab/Discussions	TBD
14	11-Dec-18	Lab/Discussions	TBD
15	18-Dec-18	Contest Running	Final Projects Due (Demo + Final Paper) [45%]

* Each of these 3 "Demos" may be presented earlier (+2% per week) or later (-2% per week) up to the December 11 class.
Past the December 11 deadline, any incomplete Demo will receive 0%.

** The final contest is worth 12%. There will be 4 “achievements” which your robot has to succeed at once during the contest in order to get credit.
Opponent Base Hit (+3%), Opponent Robot Hit (+3%), Return Home (+3%), No Collision During a Round (+3%). The final paper is worth 33%.

ME412 Details

Course Description - ME412_Description.pdf

Course Details - ME 412_2018_Details.pdf

Semester Topics / Schedule - Schedule.xls

2018 Cooper Union Robot Tank Battle Arena

2018 Cooper Union Robot Tank Battle Rules

ME412 Resources

Videos of 2018 Robot Tank Battle
Tank Battle 2018 Clips

Videos of 2017 Robot Tank Battle
Tank Battle 2017 Clips

Videos of 2016 Robot Tank Battle
Tank Battle 2016 Clips

Videos of 2015 Robot Tank Battle
Tank Battle 2015 Clips

Videos of 2014 Robot Tank Battle
Tank Battle 2014 Clips

Videos of 2012 Robot Tank Battle
Tank Battle 2012 Clips

Videos of 2011 Robot Tank Battle
Tank Battle 2011 Clips

Videos of 2010 Robot Tank Battle
Tank Battle 2010 Clips

Videos of 2009 Robot Tank Battle
Tank Battle 2009 Clips (Part 1)
Tank Battle 2009 Clips (Part 2)

Video of 2008 Robot Tank Battle
Tank Battle 2008 Clips

Video of 2007 Robot Tank Battle
Tank Battle 2007 Clips

Video of 2005 Robot Tank Battle
Tank Battle 2005 Clips

Video of 2004 Robot Tank Battle
Tank Battle 2004 Clips

Ericson Mar's Robotics Home Page - http://faculty.cooper.edu/mar/Welcome.html

Videos of Ericson Mar's Thesis Robot in Action - http://faculty.cooper.edu/mar/mar.htm

My Robotics Links Page - http://faculty.cooper.edu/mar/robotics_links.htm

Trinity College Fire Fighting Robot Home Page - https://trinityrobotcontest.org

Alumnus Andrew Louie's videos of his team's 2005 International Finals 3rd-place winning Fire-Fighting Robot - http://www.andrewlouie.com/cooper/

Robotics Competition FAQ - http://robots.net/rcfaq.html

Resistor Color Code Guide - http://www.elexp.com/t_resist.htm

Previous final papers are also available. You can learn a lot from the experiences of past projects. Email me.

Wire Wrap Electronic Prototyping - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_wrap

How To: Heat Shrink Tubing - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-5dsaenRig

ME Design Studio Safety Manual - All students must read this and pass a test prior to using any equipment.

Class Notes

Sensors - sensors.pdf

Actuators - actuators.pdf

My Demo IC program - emantest.c

Links to Commonly Used Devices

Contact Sensor datasheet - http://www.mouser.com/catalog/specsheets/MS-100118.pdf

CdS Light Sensor datasheet - http://www.mouser.com/catalog/specsheets/083393.pdf

Reflective Photosensor (QRD1114) datasheet - http://www.fairchildsemi.com/ds/QR/QRD1114.pdf

Modulated IR Proximity Detector (IS471F) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EuWAI6gFMM

IR Emitting Diode (TSAL6400) - http://www.vishay.com/docs/81011/tsal6400.pdf
IR Phototransistor (BPV11F) - http://www.vishay.com/docs/81505/bpv11f.pdf

IR Long Range Sensor (GP2D12) - http://www.robotshop.com/blog/en/effectively-using-the-sharp-gp2d12-rangefinder-4252
IR Short Range Sensor (GP2D120) - https://www.pololu.com/product/1136/
Acroname Article on Sharp IR Ranger Comparison - https://acroname.com/blog/sharp-infrared-ranger-comparison
Acroname Article on Linearizing Sharp Ranger Data - https://acroname.com/blog/sharp-infrared-ranger-comparison
*info: GP2D's emit at ~ 850 (peak) +/- 70 nm

SF04 Technical Specification - http://www.robot-electronics.co.uk/htm/srf04tech.htm
Ultrasonic Rangers FAQ - http://www.robot-electronics.co.uk/htm/sonar_faq.htm

Devantec Compass - https://acroname.com/products/r117-compass
CMPS03 Technical Specification - http://www.robot-electronics.co.uk/htm/cmps3tech.htm
CMPS03 Compass Module FAQ - http://www.robotshop.com/media/files/PDF/devantech-tilt-compensated-magnetic-compass-cmps09.pdf

Ultrasonic vs Infrared (IR) Sensors – Which is better?

Melexis Anglar Rate Gyro (MLX90609) - https://www.sparkfun.com/products/retired/8372
Micro Piezo Gyro (PG2033) - http://www.maxxprod.com/pdf/PG2033.pdf

Overview of Inertial Sensors

MOSFET transitor switch tutorial video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrvvkYTW_0k

Info on Gears - http://wiki.wpi.edu/robotics/Gears
Spur vs. Planetary Gearheads - http://machinedesign.com/archive/spur-versus-planetary-gearheads-dc-servomotors

Standard Servo - https://www.servocity.com/html/hitec_servos.html
Servo Modified for Continuous Rotation - https://www.parallax.com/product/900-00008

Douglas W. Jones on Stepping Motors
Animated presentation on the Variable Reluctance Stepper Motor

Battery Comparison Table (and crash course)
Internal Resistance of Batteries
Battery Performance Curves
What's the Best Battery?

Handy Board Home Page - http://www.handyboard.com/
Handy Board Software Resource - http://handyboard.com/oldhb/software/libs.html
Expansion Board for the Handy Board Home Page - http://handyboard.com/hb/hardware/expansion-board/
Handy Board Technical Reference - http://handyboard.com/oldhb/techdocs/hbmanual.pdf
Handy Board H-Bridge IC datasheet (rated for 1A max motors) - http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/sn754410.pdf
68HC11 Microprocessor Reference Manual - http://www.handyboard.com/oldhb/techdocs/moto-6811-techref.pdf
Dr. Fred Martin's Introduction to 6811 Programming (assembler) - http://www.handyboard.com/oldhb/techdocs/6811intr.pdf
MC68HC11A8 Programming Reference Guide - MC68HC11.pdf
Yahoo! Newsgroup on Handy Board - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/handyboard/
Using an external power source to power the motors on the Handy Board - http://www.handyboard.com/oldhb/mods/hbmcut.html
Using an external power source to power the servos on the Expansion Board - http://www.handyboard.com/oldhb/hbexp30/software.html
Handy Board power adapter info! - http://handyboard.com/hb/faq/hardware-faqs/compatible-adapters/
DO NOT use the wrong RJ11cable! - http://handyboard.com/hb/faq/hardware-faqs/wrong-rj11-cable/

Interactive C - http://handyboard.com/hb/software/interactive-c/
Interactive C 3.2 (Licensed) download site (email me for key if using) - http://www.newtonlabs.com/ic/ic_download.html
Note: I tried IC 3.2 on Windows Vista 64-bit. It didn't work for me. I had to use the BotBall version.
Please let me know if any other version you try doesn't work with Windows Vista. Thanks.
AS11_IC Assembler (Interactive C Binary compiler) - http://www.handyboard.com/oldhb/software/pcode_pc.zip

Drivers to Sabrent USB 2.0 to Serial (9-pin) DB-9 RS-232 Adapter (Model: SBT-USC1M) - https://www.sabrent.com/downloads/

Subsumption Architecture - http://cs.brown.edu/people/tdean/courses/cs148/02/architectures.html
Subsumption Architecture in the Roomba Vacuum Robot
Subsumption Architecture in Asimov's 3 laws of Robotics
Rodney Brooks interview on currrent state of Subsumption Architecture