Skiwalker

strange locomotion, picaxe

Robot

By fritsl
@ February 7, 2008

Pushes itself around, freeweelin'

Time to build:

15 hours

Actuators / output devices: 4 servos
Control method: Radio control while developing
CPU: Picaxe
Operating system: Picaxe
Power source: 4 AA calls
Programming language: Picaxe basic
Target environment: indoor

This was in a series of robots I made when I was really fond of the idea that instead of giving a robot wheels with traction, it should just be "something" that could push itself around on free roling wheels.

Hard to explain, but take a look at this:

It is tha base of an old Nielfisk Vaakum Cleaner.

Wouldn't it be fun to have a robot placed on top, with arms that it could push itself around with? (whatch video to catch my drift)

I want to do more of that kind some day soon ;)

I mainly show you this because of the video; I hung up a camera behind my head, and a remote in my hand to start it every now and then - just as an experiment, I would love to see other peoples ways of building, filmed that way :) (I know I am a mess, btw)

By ROVguy
@ Fri, 2010-06-04 02:27

I love watching your

I love watching your videos!

By mickeyboy
@ Sat, 2010-05-22 07:54

Cutter Thingy

What is that Cutter Thingy called in the video I want one but then I realized I don't even know the name of it.

By fritsl
@ Mon, 2010-05-24 21:31

Wll, I live in Denmark. And

Wll, I live in Denmark. And in danish it's called "En fukings stor tang!"

Your profile do not tell where you are from, so I do not know what to translate to. I do not know what it is in English though. Anyone?

By mickeyboy
@ Thu, 2010-06-03 09:04

United States

Yeah, I live in California, United States and I speak English. If anyone know the name in english it would be very helpful.

By AndyGadget
@ Thu, 2010-06-03 18:02

I love Google translator.

If you mean the big red cutty thing cutting the piano wire, they're bolt cutters.

I've never seen the cutters Frits uses to cut the wooden strips before - strange looking things.

Google translator translates your name for them into "A fukings large seaweed". However . . . if you treat it as Norwegian it translates as "Fucking big pliers" which makes much more sense.

Andy.

By fritsl
@ Thu, 2010-06-03 20:03

Oh yes, that would be the

Oh yes, that would be the thing! Thanks :D

By badboy5948
@ Thu, 2010-02-11 01:27

so cool tell us about the

so cool tell us about the wiring

By fritsl
@ Tue, 2010-02-16 18:40

You will have to look in the

You will have to look in the manual for the board. It is hooked up stright after that :)

By Prettybird
@ Fri, 2009-11-06 04:17

Love it

Very creative. Sort of like a grasshopper. Nice video but not much on wood. My next solar bot will have to be wood for sure so I learned some. Very nice video.

By sameer
@ Thu, 2009-11-05 09:14

what a creation

Very nice and I am inspired

By morris4019
@ Mon, 2009-07-20 00:03

Awesome creation, very

Awesome creation, very inspiring. I will definately have to try something like this in the future.

By nahua
@ Sun, 2009-07-19 21:21

WOW

love that robot and how u make it move! maybe some day ill give it a try :)

By Xelha
@ Sun, 2009-03-15 02:12

Awesome

This is an awesome robot! A good way of navigating instead of having the normal servos just on the wheels. :) And after I program my robots I want them to be controlled by R/C too... where could I get that Magic Black Box?

By fritsl
@ Wed, 2009-03-18 10:43

The magic black box is

The magic black box is homemade :)

OddBot has made instructions somewhere on the site on how to make your own controller.

By maxturbo211
@ Fri, 2008-12-05 11:21

I think it'd put a smile on

I think it'd put a smile on my face daily to see that thing gimping around my house all day... which is the only word I can use to describe the way it moves, aside from double pole, cross country skiing on wheels.

By Samos
@ Wed, 2008-07-30 04:20

new

different kind of power?!!

By fritsl
@ Wed, 2008-06-18 09:15

What is going on here? Is

What is going on here? Is this page / video featured somewhere?

(Glad you all got inspired :)

By jiwonman
@ Tue, 2008-06-17 19:23

hello there

you actually gave me a hope about making robots.

and wow.. you are genius!!!!

Kenny from U.S

By fritsl
@ Tue, 2008-06-17 23:54

Oh yeah, keep em comming :D

Oh yeah, keep em comming :D lol - thanks a lot, I am sure you are as well! :)

By GroG
@ Thu, 2008-04-17 09:30

Hello Fritsl

Great video, wonderful style.

I laughed. "Measuring Thingy", I always wondered what it was called. You hate wheels, I hate wire connections, we (and Martha Stuart) love hot glue :)

I was wondering if you could tell me what you used to do the video editing - specifically the captions.

Best Regards,

GroG

By fritsl
@ Thu, 2008-04-17 09:49

Funny I often get asked

Funny I often get asked what I use for video-software.. But my answer is SO boring; I just use what comes with the OS, Mac and PC - just the free stuff from the most boring platforms :)

Guess it is like little chips; cannot do much - buuut with a litle patience and tweaking you can actually get something out of it ;)

(Mac is far better though, this one was made on a Mac - I hate PC/MS, actually - but I use what is near; YDM was made on PC)

/ Fritsl

By mlandergan
@ Thu, 2010-07-15 16:17

Do you program with a mac?

Do you program with a mac? or do you just use your mac for video software? I would love to know because I have a macbook pro and I was looking around to see if it is possible to program on a mac.

Thanks,

Mark

By fritsl
@ Thu, 2010-07-15 23:45

Yes, I (also) program on

Yes, I (also) program on mac. All platforms, I have many computers :D

By mlandergan
@ Fri, 2010-07-16 01:26

What specific software do

What specific software do you use?

Thanks

Mark

By fritsl
@ Wed, 2010-07-28 22:35

Depending on the

Depending on the platform.

http://www.rev-ed.co.uk/picaxe/

AXEpad for Linux/Mac
Programming Editor for MS platforms

By Edgy
@ Thu, 2008-04-03 23:07

Awesome !

Great video, I want to learn to make robots already !
(Thanks for the explanations too, they are pretty useful.)

By Bryan47
@ Mon, 2008-03-31 22:48

excellent video!

By fritsl
@ Fri, 2008-02-08 13:44

Thank you AGAIN, my only

Thank you AGAIN, my only friend in this so far lonely universe :)

Should anyone else ever drop by, they will think that we are the same person, just me shoulder-padding myself :D

Well - untill you come up with some of your stuff, that will show that we are NOT the same person, your soldering is so cleeean, and your tchnics of coding are so advaaanced, Get some material up here, i'll shoulder-pad you the same second!

Oh - BTW; the differential steering-issue: That was the main reason why this robot did not work very well at all, front-wheels just skidding..

We'll try to get the videos larger, and also add own upload, so we aren't forced to use Google.

/ Frits

By dent
@ Wed, 2009-03-25 04:15