Pogo by Alan McDonley
Your Name: Alan McDonley
Robot Name: POGO (Rug Warrior Pro)
Email Address: alanmcdonley@yahoo.com
Robot Description:
POGO - An enhanced Rug Warrior Pro
Owner: Alan McDonley, Florida, USA
alanmcdonley@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/alanmcdonley
Manufacturers Website: http://www.akpeters.com/rug-warrior.html
Programming Environment: Interactive C v3.2 on Windows 98, Emacs editor
Bot's Operating System: Interactive C (Multi-process with interrupts)
Host Interface: RS232, Port Adapter and Cable provided, 9600 bps
Download time: Less than 20 seconds to completely fill program memory
Sample Programs included in kit:
FollowMe,
Wimp (move away from bump),
Hide/Seek light Moth,
Bugle and 10 other songs,
Theremin (light sensitive music generator),
YoYo (move away from bump and return to start point),
Echo (count noises up to three),
Sonic Commander (sound commanded motion),
Behave (menu of all programs),
Very Complete Hardware SelfTest,
Companion Book: "Mobile Robots: Inspiration to Implementation",
Joseph L Jones, Anita Flyn, Bruce A. Seiger,
A K Peters, Ltd.
Programs in Book: (many small interface examples)
Lewis and Clark
(Subsumption architecture: wander, avoid, escape)
Memory:32K Battery Backup
Processor:MC68HC11 - 2Mhz clock 1Mhz instruction cycle
Sensors: Shaft/Wheel Encoders - 32 segments, "16 click driver"
Sensor - Visible Light Fwd L & Fwd R
Sound Pressure (Microphone) - very sensitive, detects pauses
in TV news anchor sentences from across
the room.
Bump - Full Body detection- 2 fwd & 1 rear -8 combinations
detected
IR Detector: 1 front IS1U60
Added Sensors:
Battery Voltage - analog input from 2 resistor voltage divider
ELTEC-442-3 Pyro Sensor - analog input tuned to human heat range
Outputs: IR Illumination - Modulated - Left fwd & Right Fwd
Sound - Variable pitch & length
Text - 2 line x 16 chars LCD
Battery Low LED (State not available to CPU)
Obstacle Detection Range: 3-12 inches unless object is pure black
(With skirt off the range is 3-5 feet, but not desirable)
Drive Motors: 2 Long Life Gear Head
Wheels: 2.5" Dia. Rubber
Speed: 0.67 feet per second - fast enough but not fast (slow walk)
Size & Shape: Circular Cylinder 7.3" Dia. 4.75" high
Power: 6 NiMH "C" cells (8.3v fully charged - 4.6v at reset hold)
Recharge Time: 15 minutes
Battery Life: 10-12 hours no motion, 2 hours with constant motion
Memory Backup in Off state: Manufacturer claimed current draw
should protect program for several months
over a year, but never tested.
Number Sold: "Several Thousand" (3/21/00) manufacturer claim
Number with websites: about 10
Time to Build: 16 hours
Assembly Manual: Phenominal - build a little, test, build, test ...
Cost: RWP kit - $599 ($525 from webbooks.net)
6 NiMH C cells - $30
MRC SuperBrain Recharger - $40
Expansion board and connectors - $40
ELTEC Pyro Sensor - $40
POGO Geneology
Pre-1989 Rodney Brooks's AI Lab at MIT breeds ideas
1986 Brooks, "A Robust Layered Control System for a mobile Robot"
1989 Parts kit and builder's guide given to students for Robot Talent Show
1991 Interactive C - Dev by Randy Sargent and Fred Martin for MIT
undergrad course
1991 Brooks, "Intelligence without reason"
1992 IC allows parallel c modues
1993 "Mobile Robots: Inspiration to Implementation", (MR:i2i)
Joseph L Jones, Anita Flyn, Bruce A. Seiger, A K Peters, Ltd.
Exposes "RugWarrior" to the world
1994 Rug Warrior kit offered to public by AKPeters, Ltd
1997 RugWarrior Pro kit offered to public
Improvements:
Stackable Expansion Module (SEM) defined
Free: analog inputs PE5, PE6, PE7, digital inputs PA1, PA2 output PA3
digital outputs PA4, PA5, PA6 are free but not routed to SEM
Low Dropout Regulator for Logic Supply and memory backup
Single, High Capacity Power Pack - twice the capacity, alkaline, NiCd, NiMH ok
Louder Piezo
Serial Com LED
Improved low-voltage inhibit chip helps resist memory corruption
during transients
Improved IR detector - IS1U60 improves reliability and assembly
Improved Shaft Encoders
More internal signal access points
More efficient motors - no load current factor of ten better -
several hours on one charge
Simplified sensors and actuator wiring with two ribbon cables
New skirt attachment method allows bot to be lifted by the skirt,
easier removal also
32 Character (2 lines x 16) Liquid Crystal Display
Debugging LEDs eliminated
1998 MIT 6.270 "RoboSkiff and Handyboard" replace RWP in course
1999 MR:i2i 2nd ed. published
2000 March 27, 2000 RugWarrior Pro "POGO" sang his first song
Additional Behaviors Implemented:
track age variables (time since boot, max time since boot, time since load, total run time)
track average, max, minimum sound levels,
warn of impending low voltage condition
output strings in morse code
sing "hava nagila"
periodically say a few random phrases in morse code
My minimum "dream" for this bot is to add:
a) an IR beacon in the environment
b) scanning and recognition of an IR beacon
c) docking station with power contacts
d) ability to dock with the docking station
Then I hope to add:
wall following behavior
human following behavior
obstacle "evaluation" behavior -
(determine the shape of an obstacle - no useful value but ...)
playful behaviors - dancing to music beat, spinning, waddling, squares, circles
perhaps reactions to light coming on or going off, detecting vacuum cleaner and hiding?
Problems encountered:
Right Shaft Encoder had spurious detections - change resistor value
Spurious IR Obstacle detections - added small paper cone around detector
For extensive photos and description of the whole assembly process
visit http://www.geocities.com/alanmcdonley/rugwarrior.html
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