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syberium
11-15-2007, 02:41 AM
Ok, So...

Nasa is hosting a robotics competition that our class is gunna be competing in.
The competition is this:
A robot will have to move "moon dirt" from the sand box to a collector. sounds easy right?
well here is more details.
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/336/robotcompir9.jpg


The robot is going to programmed in the C language. the sponsors were nice enough to give us "EasyC" which is supposed to make programming easier. but i suspect we will have the most trouble with that. so what im asking from you guys is:

to brain storm on how to accomplish this task, and help out with the c coding or something. im not sure on all the details because the competition hasent even officially started yet. our school is like 2 months ahead of the rest.

Thanks.
-Syberium

Pyro
11-15-2007, 08:46 AM
Link? Are outsiders allowed to join the compeition?

BenLand100
11-15-2007, 06:30 PM
You are going to be building the robot as well I assume? What class is this, I want to take it :p Anyway, I've used EasyC before, its actualy fairly straight forward, assuming you know C. However, you need to make a subsystem of sensors, servos, recievers, etc. before you even think of programming it. IE, you need the robot before you write the program. Needless to say you need to know what you need to be able to detect/do before you make the robot... The beacon system will be the most interesting. I'd have them emit something at two different frequencies, and since you know how far appart they are, you can use relative strengths to align yourself via triangulation. The whole shoveling thing will be... interesting. How large of a robot are you planning on building? I mean, moving 100 lbs of dirt is quite a task, ignoring that you will have to dump it somewhere specific that happens to be up a ramp... More details please :)

Eicca
11-15-2007, 08:07 PM
Is this moon dirt like some mud or like chewing gum? Sounds interesting, who'll be coding the software and what materials can you use building the robot?

R0b0t1
11-15-2007, 11:24 PM
Use three beacons if you are allowed to, and place a "map" of the arena inside the robots head. If you can see the ring and adjust the robot, you might be able to change it (But I'm assuming that the program will be flashed to firmware, right?). Or, you could have it have some kind of bounce detector on it to keep it from running into stuff.


But if you just need to shovel moon-dirt into the bucket, etc., then I would just have it look for bowling balls and shovel at the closest place to the receiver and move outward.

syberium
11-18-2007, 07:09 AM
Umm idk if there is a website for it. I dont think the comp has even officially started yet. were "ahead of the curve" and were like 1 of 3 highschools competing. Im in electronics class which for the first semester we learned formulas to compute current,power,resistance etc. we just started building robots and programming them to drive forward bump into things then turn etc.
umm the drafting class is building the actual robot, we are just wiring it and programming it.


Okay here are more details.

The collector will also be placed in a random spot, which is why there are beacons so we know where the collector is. the robot has to be completely programmed and ready before we ever the see the sand box. it has to be completely autonomous. Umm were still not sure on the method of removing the moon dirt and all that is going to be. The moon dirt is just a very strange substance. u can drill a 100ft deep hole into a pit of it, and the dirt woudent fall into the hole. so its kind of like ice in that matter.

Yeah that was are plan with the beacons. we were going to receive the signal, then triangulate our position. im not sure how that works though cuz im not very high in math yet, only geometry :) if somebody could explain how triangulating your position works id appreciate it :)

Freddy1990
11-18-2007, 07:50 PM
Ooh, I want my own moon bot :) Maybe it'd also dig me a bunker to place some mainframes to take over cyberspace with :D ... *keeps on dreaming*

R0b0t1
11-18-2007, 07:59 PM
In that case, try something that moves outward from the beaker, gets a load, and moves back to it.

red eyes 20
11-27-2007, 03:01 PM
[offtopic/] lol freddy your funny! =D [offtopic/]
i don't know any thing about c programming just loidering around,
i got an idea, maybe it's been said but if you moon dirt is "sticky" maybe you could have a censor to see if the wieght of the craft has been increesed
and it would head to the collecter?
ah well that's my 2 cents, good luck and that souds fun =p

mat_de_b
12-03-2007, 11:08 PM
Do it like tile walking. You start you get the position of where the moon dirt must go via the reciever and that is 0. Then work out how much power is needed to move say 10cm? that is 1 Tile, so you move so far away you move so far back...? Pretty simple might work. The digging is surely dependent on the robot?

mark9510
12-03-2007, 11:28 PM
yes but if this wins it will probably be put into space so if it digs on the moon there is literally no way to map it out

Town
12-04-2007, 01:42 AM
I'm pretty sure my school is doing that too, doesn't it start in January?

lordsaturn
12-04-2007, 02:44 AM
Use Scar!


program Robot;

begin
MoveBowlingBallsToCollector;
end.



Don't thank me. :p

GoF
12-05-2007, 02:27 PM
Use Scar!


program Robot;

begin
MoveBowlingBallsToCollector;
end.



Don't thank me. :p

You sir, have failed.