Page 294 - Amphibionics : Build Your Own Biologically Inspired Robot

Amphibionics 07 3/24/03 9:13 AM Page 273
Chapter 7 / Turtletron: Build Your Own Robotic Turtle
FIGURE 7.2
Turtletron with remote
control.

it has traveled and to create maps of its surroundings. To save time
and money on construction, this robot will use the same main con-
troller circuit board and transmitter device that we built during the
last crocodile robot project. The only difference with the main con-
troller board will be with the software of the PIC 16F84. The robot
will also adopt the wireless data link that was utilized in the last
chapter. The robot with the remote control is shown in Figure 7.2.

The History of Robotic Turtles

William Grey Walter built the first robotic turtles in the late 1940s.
His work in robotics was an extension of his research in neuro-
physiology. Walter’s studies of the brain and its neural networks
led him to wonder about what type of behavior could be created
using just a few neurons. To experiment with this concept, in
1948, Walter built a three-wheeled turtle-like mobile robot that

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