Planet Arduino

During the last months we’ve been involved with RS components in launching the “Hack the Arduino Robot” competition. It has been a bit of a special competition where people would participate by posting their ideas and a committee of experts would choose which could be the most interesting challenges for the Arduino Robot to perform.

I was part of the committee and I am pleased to say that I am not disappointed. The level of the projects is in general pretty impressive, specially considering the amount of time they had to put into making something innovative. I am really thrilled about getting to know which team will be the one voted as the final winner of the challenge, I have my favorites, but I will not say publicly.

I think everyone should look at the videos just to see that robots can be so much more than whatever it is we conceptualized them for.

Now it’s time to express your vote too: the likes of the videos on the playlist will be counted until 23rd of March 2014. The project with the most likes wins the community award!

RS Components released the second video focused on the first steps with the Arduino Robot with Massimo Banzi, David Cuartielles and Xun Yang:

In this video you will see where to find code examples on the IDE. The robot library comes with two folders named “learn” and “explore” with examples on how to use the software to program the top board – this is the board you will mainly interact with while the motor board runs its original firmware.

One of the first examples of coding on the Arduino Robot is called “LOGO” which is very similar to an early educational programming language that controlled a virtual turtle moving across the screen with simple instructions. This time however, instead of having a small virtual turtle running on a screen, we have a robot that can respond to commands demonstrating a basic example of movement.

“LOGO” invites users to interact with the robot using the keypad to tell the robot whether to move forwards/backwards or to turn left/right. The program can store a series of commands that will then be executed one at a time.

Xun and David show users where to find the LOGO example and how to upload it to the robot’s control board. You will notice that the robot’s motors are disengaged when the USB cable is connected. The Arduino Robot can be pretty powerful and this feature prevents it from running away with your laptop!

Since all motors are slightly different, users will have to configure the robot’s movement using a different example called “Calibration”. Using a screwdriver on the trimmer on the bottom board, it is possible to balance the strength applied by each one of the wheels so that the robot moves straight when asked to. The video closes with an example of how to use a simple IR-receiver connected to one of the sensor inputs on the robot to control it using a small universal TV-remote. This program is also part of the basic list of examples in the library.

Go and run with the first Arduino on wheels!

Last year, Arduino and RS Components, collaborated in the creation of 10 video tutorials focused on the Arduino Starter Kit. Some months ago they were released in Creative Commons and are available also on our Youtube channel.

During Maker Faire Rome, at the beginning of October, RS Components together with Massimo Banzi and David Cuartielles, unveiled the release of other five exclusive video tutorials introducing the Arduino Robot and exploring various characteristics of this new open-source hardware on wheels.

The series of five 10 minute videos (English language, with subtitled versions available in French, German, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Japanese!) follows an instructive and entertaining journey through the use of the Robot, and shows Massimo Banzi, along with Arduino co-founder David Cuartielles and Interaction Designer Xun Yang, having fun with some example projects:

- Introduction to Arduino Robot – how to unbox, mount, and use the Arduino IDE to program the Robot
- LOGO and Remote Control your Robot – where to find code examples on the IDE, and how to control the Robot using a universal TV remote
- Avoid Obstacles, Create Strategies – use different technologies to detect distance from the Robot to objects in the room
- Following Lines, Going to the Rescue – how to follow lines using the IR-array sensor on the motor board
- Images and Sounds – how to use the screen and play sound on the Robot’s speaker

Massimo Banzi said, “I am very pleased to announce Arduino’s partnership with RS at the Maker Faire. We have worked together to create five exclusive video tutorials, which feature the new Arduino Robot. David Cuartielles and Xun Yang joined me to cover everything from the Arduino Robot essentials to more challenging programming. This has been a very exciting time for Arduino, and the team is looking forward to learning how followers will be using the Robot.”

“These videos from the makers of Arduino give a simple, step-by-step guide to using and developing projects with the Robot,” said Glenn Jarrett, Global Head of Product Marketing, RS Components. “The informative yet light-hearted content will appeal equally to existing Arduino enthusiasts and to anyone dipping their toes into the world of computer programming for the first time.”

Watch the first video tutorial below and keep updated on the release of the others at this link (remember to select your country).