Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Build Your Own Combat Robot Pete Miles Tom Carroll McGraw-Hill/Osborne New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Toronto Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Copyright © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distrib- uted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. 0-07-222844-X The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0-07-219464-2. All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. 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DOI: 10.1036/007222844X Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com CONTENTS AT A GLANCE 1 Welcome to Competition Robots 1 2 Getting Started 21 3 Robot Locomotion 41 4 Motor Selection and Performance 61 5 It’s All About Power 79 6 Power Transmission: Getting Power to Your Wheels 103 7 Controlling Your Motors 127 8 Remotely Controlling Your Robot 157 9 Robot Material and Construction Techniques 183 10 Weapons Systems for Your Robot 203 11 Autonomous Robots 239 12 Robot Brains 259 13 Robot Sumo 275 14 Real-Life Robots: Lessons from Veteran Builders 305 15 Afterword 329 A Prototyping Electronics 335 B Resources and References 343 C Helpful Formulas 355 Index 358 iii For more information about this book, click here. Copyright 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use. Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com This page intentionally left blank. Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com v Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, XI INTRODUCTION, XIII 1 Welcome to Competition Robots 1 What Is a Robot?, 5 Combat Robot Competitions, 5 BattleBots, 7 Robot Wars, 9 BotBash, 11 Robotica, 13 FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), 14 Robot Soccer, 16 The Scope of This Book, 17 2 Getting Started 21 The Robot Design Approach, 23 The Game of Compromise, 29 Design for Maintenance, 31 Start Building Now, 33 Testing, Testing, Testing, 34 Top Ten Reasons Why a Robot Fails, 34 Sources of Robot Parts, 35 Cost Factors in Large Robot Construction, 35 Safety, 36 Safety in the Use of Shop Tools, 37 Safety with Your Robot, 37 3 Robot Locomotion 41 Robots with Legs, 42 Tank Treads: The Power of a Caterpillar Bulldozer in a Robot, 45 Building Tank Treads for a Robot, 46 Wheels: A Tried and True Method of Locomotion, 47 Types of Steering, 47 Wheel Configurations, 50 Selecting Wheels for Your Combat Robot, 51 Tires, 53 Mounting and Supporting the Wheels and Axles, 54 Wheel Drive Types, 57 Protecting Your Robot’s Wheels, 59 For more information about this book, click here. Copyright 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use. Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com vi Build Your Own Combat Robot 4 Motor Selection and Performance 61 Electric Motor Basics, 62 Determining the Motor Constants, 67 Power and Heat, 68 High-Performance Motors, 73 Motor Sources, 74 Internal Combustion Engines, 76 Conclusion, 77 5 It’s All About Power 79 Battery Power Requirements, 80 Measuring Current Draw from the Battery, 80 Battery Capacity Basics, 83 Preventing Early Battery Death, 84 Sizing for a 6-Minute Run Time, 85 Comparing SLA, NiCad, and NiMH Run-Time Capacities, 86 Electrical Wiring Requirements, 91 Battery Types, 92 Sealed Lead Acid, 93 Nickel Cadmium (NiCad), 95 Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), 97 Alkaline, 98 Lithium Ion, 99 Installing the Batteries: Accessible vs. Nonaccessible, 100 6 Power Transmission: Getting Power to Your Wheels 103 Power Transmission Basics, 106 Torque, 109 Force, 109 Location of the Locomotion Components, 112 Mounting the Motors, 112 Thermal Considerations for the Motor, 113 Methods of Power Transmission, 114 Chain Drive Systems, 115 Buying the Chain, 115 Chain Sprockets, 117 Belt Drive Systems, 118 Flat Belts, 118 Synchronous Belts, 119 V-Belts, 121 Gearboxes, 122 Mounting Gear Assemblies, 122 Securing Gears to Shafts, 122 7 Controlling Your Motors 127 Relay Control, 128 Poles and Throws, 128 Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Contents vii Current Ratings, 129 How It All Works Together, 132 Variable Speed Control Basics, 139 Controlling Speed = Controlling Voltage, 140 Commercial Electronic Speed Controllers, 143 8 Remotely Controlling Your Robot 157 Traditional R/C Controls, 158 The R/C Controller’s Interface, 159 The R/C Servo, 160 Control Channels, 160 Radio Control Frequencies, 162 AM, FM, PCM, and Radio Interference, 167 Amplitude Modulation, 167 Frequency Modulation, 167 Radio Interference and Reliable Control, 170 Radio to Radio Interference, 172 Antennas and Shielding, 173 Antenna Placement, 174 Innovation First Isaac Robot Controller and Other Radio Modems, 175 Radio Modems, 178 Failsafe Compliance, 179 9 Robot Material and Construction Techniques 183 Metals and Materials, 184 High-Strength Plastics, 184 Metals, 185 General Machining Operations, 193 Tools You Might Need to Construct Robots, 193 Welding, Joining, and Fastening, 195 Structural Design for Fastener Placement, 195 When in Doubt, Build It Stout, 201 10 Weapons Systems for Your Robot 203 Weapon Strategy and Effectiveness, 204 Ram Bots, 205 Wedge Bots, 208 Lifter Bots, 210 Launchers, 212 Clamp Bots, 215 Thwack Bots, 217 Overhead Thwack Bots, 219 Spinner Bots, 220 Saw Bots, 222 Vertical Spinner, 224 Drum Bots, 226 Hammer Bots, 228 Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com viii Build Your Own Combat Robot Crusher Bots, 231 Spear Bots, 233 Closing Remarks on Weapons, 236 11 Autonomous Robots 239 Using Sensors to Allow Your Robot to See, Hear, and Feel, 241 Passive Sensors, 242 Active Sensors, 243 Thermal Sensors, 246 Tilt Sensors, 247 Bump Sensors, 248 Implementing Sensors in Combat Robots, 248 Sensing: It’s a Noisy World Out There, 249 Techniques for Improving Sensor Input, 249 Semiautonomous Target and Weapon Tracking, 250 Semiautonomous Weapons, 251 Implementing Semiautonomous Target Tracking, 251 Semiautonomous Target Tracking with Constant Standoff Distances, 252 Autonomous Target Tracking, 253 Fully Autonomous Robot Class, 253 More Information, 257 12 Robot Brains 259 Microcontroller Basics, 260 Basic Stamp, 264 BrainStem, 266 Handy Board, 267 BotBoard, 267 Other Microcontrollers, 267 Microcontroller Applications, 268 The Robo-Goose, 268 The BrainStem Bug, 270 1BDI, an Autonomous Robot, 271 The Rover, Teleoperated with Feedback, 272 Summary, 273 13 Robot Sumo 275 How a Sumo Match Proceeds, 278 The Sumo Ring Specification, 280 Mini Sumo, 281 Modifying an R/C Servo for Continuous Rotation, 281 Building a Mini Sumo, 284 Mini Sumo Body Assembly, 284 Remote-Control Mini Sumo, 285 Autonomous Mini Sumo, 286 Edge Detector, 286 Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Contents ix Object Detector, 290 Sensor Integration, 293 Performance Improvements, 297 Various Mini Sumo Robots, 297 International Robot Sumo Class, 299 Motors, 299 Motor Controllers, 299 Ultrasonic Range Detectors, 300 Infrared Range Detectors, 301 Laser Range Finding and Vision Systems, 301 Advanced Software Algorithms, 301 Traction Improvements, 302 Robot Part Suppliers, 302 Annual Robot Sumo Events, 303 14 Real-Life Robots: Lessons from Veteran Builders 305 Ronni Katz—Building Chew Toy, 306 Step 1: Research, 306 Step 2: Conception, 308 Step 3: Building the Bot, 310 Step 4: Creating Weapons and Armor, 311 Final Words, 315 Pete Miles—Building Live Wires, 316 Step 1: Making the Sketch, 316 Step 2: Securing the Motors, 316 Step 3: Adding Wheels, 317 Step 4: Adding Motor Housings and Controllers, 317 Step 5: Layout and Modeling, 319 Step 6: Scrambling, 321 Step 7: Building the Frame, 322 Step 8: Adding a Weapon, 324 Finally: The Show, 325 15 Afterword 329 The Future of Robot Combat, 330 A Prototyping Electronics 335 Breadboarding and Using Prototyping Boards for Electronic Circuits, 336 Wire-Wrapping Prototyping, 337 Soldering for Robots, 337 Soldering Printed Circuit Boards, 338 Soldering Wires, 339 Soldering Connectors, 339 Crimp-Style Connectors, 339 Static Sensitivity, 340 Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com [...]... ripping off another robot s entire armor plating, and completely disintegrating an opponent in a single blow One of the most destructive robots the sport has seen to date is Blendo This spinning robot, more commonly known as a SpinBot-class robot, totally destroyed 3 4 Build Your Own Combat Robot Simpo PDF Merge and FIGURE 1-2 Thumper, an autonomous robot built by Bob Gross, won big-time at Robot Wars in... first official combat robot event was held at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco It was a huge success Since Robot Wars first came on the scene, thousands of people have participated in building combat robots, and millions have watched and cheered on their favorite bots Many new combat robot contests—such as BattleBots, Robotica, and BotBash, to name a few—have been spawned from the original Robot Wars... including diamonds.” Miles is currently an active member of the Seattle Robotics Society, the world’s largest robotics club, and was recently appointed to the SRS Board of Directors He is an avid competitor in autonomous robot sumo, and enjoys building legged robots for various contests to demonstrate that walking robots can be formidable competitors Tom Carroll has been involved with robotics for more... around an Olympic gold medalist Robot combat has leveled the playing field so that anyone can compete against anyone on equal ground Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com W hat Is a Robot? Now that you’ve made up your mind to build a robot, you’re probably sitting back wondering just what you’ve gotten yourself into “What is a robot? ” you ask yourself Surprisingly, there... and cooperation FIRST robotics is an extremely challenging and exciting contest Many of today’s famous combat robot warriors cut their teeth in competition robotics by competing in FIRST, either by participating as a member of a high-school team or serving as a mentor to a FIRST team A lot of the technologies and skills needed for building combat robots are used in designing FIRST robots The official... 1-1 Biohazard, a superstar of robotic combat (courtesy of Carlo Bertocchini) Welcome to Competition Robots This sport has become so popular, in fact, that many robots have become better known than their human creators For example, devout followers of robotic combat are familiar with such famous builders as Carlo Bertocchini, Gage Cauchois, and Jamie Hyneman, but these mens’ robots—Biohazard (pictured... watch BattleBots on TV The various robotic combat events have seen many different types of machines, from two-wheel-drive lightweight robots to six-wheel-drive, gasoline-powered superheavyweights Even walking robots, more commonly known as StompBots, have entered into the mayhem Probably the most well-known StompBot is the six-legged superheavyweight Mechadon built by Mark Setrakian Setrakian has even... time playing sports I spend mine building robots You may think that this is not a typical hobby for a teenaged girl, and you’re right I am part of a rapidly-growing community of combat robot builders from all across the U.S., of all ages, and I’m not exactly new to the sport, either I was at Fort Mason San Francisco in 1994 watching the first robotic combat competition, Robot Wars I saw my dad win match... force that it was once banned from continuing to compete in a contest and was automatically declared co-champion for that event Today, most combat Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Split Unregistered robots are remote-controlled; but in the early years of Robot Wars, there were several fully autonomous combat robots These robots ran completely on their own, using internal microcontrollers and computers... The Wild Cookie, an interactive kids’ story on CD-ROM xv xvi Build Your Own Combat Robot Simpo PDF Merge and A Ronni Katz is an adjunct professor of computer science at DeVry College of Technology in North Brunswick, New Jersey She was an original member of “Team Spike” at the first Robot Wars competition and has helped design and build combat robots that have won Version highly at numerous competitions . Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Build Your Own Combat Robot Pete Miles Tom Carroll McGraw-Hill/Osborne New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid. Controlling Your Robot 157 9 Robot Material and Construction Techniques 183 10 Weapons Systems for Your Robot 203 11 Autonomous Robots 239 12 Robot Brains 259 13 Robot Sumo 275 14 Real-Life Robots:. http://www.simpopdf.com viii Build Your Own Combat Robot Crusher Bots, 231 Spear Bots, 233 Closing Remarks on Weapons, 236 11 Autonomous Robots 239 Using Sensors to Allow Your Robot to See, Hear, and