I don't suppose there are any BEAM roboticists in the playground?

[BisectedBrioche]

Basically I thought I'd have a go at designing a robot. I've done a circuit diagram and I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts before I start on the more mechanical parts;

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/9711/robotcircuitdiagramzh7.jpg

Basically the idea is that the phototransister, and SCR (thyristor) in the red circle act as an electonic switch for the whole circuit, activating it when the phototransister is exposed to light. There is also a switch to disable the sensor.

The push-to-break switch to the left of the battery is for disabling the circuit.

When the circuit is active the motors will run, however the current will go through the two resistors reducing their speed. If one of the two phototransistors (NPN) on the far left are active then they will open up a second, lower resistance pathway increasing the speed of the motor. Thus the robot will turn towards the light.

[BisectedBrioche]

Anyone? Anyone at all?

[Spiryt]

Mechanics, or however it's called is the dark magic to me. However this sounds logical.


Anyway, you could wait more than 15 minutes to get your answers? :smalltongue:

[BisectedBrioche]

I waited 11 hours and 16 minutes.

EDIT: Also, the correct term would be either "electronics" (mechanics deals with...mechanisms) or robotics (since its a robot).

[Spiryt]

I waited 11 hours and 16 minutes.

Daaamn, that was Spot failure, wasn't it ?

Shouldn't it be 00:06 AM, anyway ? :smallconfused:

[Trog]

Never built one but read a lot about them. They are quite fascinating, actually. Good luck building yours. :smallcool:

Wish I knew enough about electronics to build one myself... and more thoroughly understand the circuitry involved.

[Dave Rapp]

"Robot" is a poorly defined and too vague a term. Those arms that put together cars in assembly lines are often called robots, even though they're just a handful of mass produced motors controlled by a program that does all the heavy lifting. They're more computer peripherals than robots.

Those metal death machines that fought in rings for a show that was once on MTV were often called robots. But those were made up of motors, armor, and weapons, all controlled by a remote control. They were basically jazzed up custom built RC cars, not robots.

I have to ask you, at what point does a device stop being some motors wired together and start being a robot? I don't know what else you have planned for your creation, but in my ever humble opinion, making it turn towards the light doesn't make it a robot. More like a very stupid pet.

[Fri]

Well, in my opinion robot is a state of mind. We can call almost any device with moving gears as robot. Like, japanese mechanical doll (karakuri), aren't they're robot too?

We can call RC Cars robot, of course. The US army's predator is a military robot drone! Isn't that cool?

[CrazedGoblin]

id love to be able to design something like that, havent got any advice to offer unfortunatly

[Psionic Dog]

So... what's your question?

I mean, it's definatly a robot: it moves and interacts with an enviroment without human assistance. The theory behind the circutes also appears sound, although I don't know quite enough about electronics to be certain.

My only advice is to remember the three laws of robotics that a profesor told me, the real three laws of robotics.

1) Do not make a robot that is faster than you (or that can not be disabled)
2) Do not make a robot that is smarter than you.
3) Do not make a robot that can do your job (ie: design other robots)

[BisectedBrioche]

My question was, "Would this circuit work if I built it?"

[BisectedBrioche]

"Robot" is a poorly defined and too vague a term. Those arms that put together cars in assembly lines are often called robots, even though they're just a handful of mass produced motors controlled by a program that does all the heavy lifting. They're more computer peripherals than robots.

Those metal death machines that fought in rings for a show that was once on MTV were often called robots. But those were made up of motors, armor, and weapons, all controlled by a remote control. They were basically jazzed up custom built RC cars, not robots.

I have to ask you, at what point does a device stop being some motors wired together and start being a robot? I don't know what else you have planned for your creation, but in my ever humble opinion, making it turn towards the light doesn't make it a robot. More like a very stupid pet.

A robot is defined as a machine capable of independant movement. Remote control machines are not strictly robots unless they can control themselves to some degree. BEAM robots are robots whether you like it or not and neither the scientific or hobbyist communities are going to change that because of what you've seen on TV.


So... what's your question?

I mean, it's definatly a robot: it moves and interacts with an enviroment without human assistance. The theory behind the circutes also appears sound, although I don't know quite enough about electronics to be certain.

My only advice is to remember the three laws of robotics that a profesor told me, the real three laws of robotics.

1) Do not make a robot that is faster than you (or that can not be disabled)
2) Do not make a robot that is smarter than you.
3) Do not make a robot that can do your job (ie: design other robots)

1 could be a problem, 2 is a given and personally I think 3 would be awesome.