Page 459 - Robot Builder's Bonanza

428 AN OVERVIEW OF ROBOT “BRAINS”

control is an ideal way to learn about how robots operate. Examples include robotic
arms, where you control the movement of various arm joints.
Discrete components: In years past, the typical robot brains used basic electronic compo-
nents like the resistor and transistor (and even before that, tubes!). Now, with inexpen-
sive microcontrollers, these kinds of circuits aren’t seeing as much use, but they’re still
ideal for simple robots with simple jobs to do.
Microcontrollers: A microcontroller is computer- on- a- chip, with a “thinking” processing
unit, memory, and means to connect with the outside world. Microcontrollers are the
ideal form of robot brain because they’re simple, cheap, and easy to use. You program
them from your personal computer.
Onboard computers: Some bots need more computational power than microcontrollers
can provide. Most any computer that doesn’t weigh more than you do and require mas-
sive amounts of power to operate is a candidate for use as a robot brain. Laptops,
netbooks, and computers with compact main boards are among the best choices as
Robo Brainiac.
Remote computers: While the typical amateur bot is self- contained, there’s no technical
reason it can’t be controlled by a computer located someplace else. This is typical of
“teleoperated” robots, like those used by the military or in police bomb disposal. The
computer is connected to the robot via wire, radio waves, or some other means.
Smart phones, tablets, and PDAs: Some consumer gadgets like mobile phones and
personal data assistants can be pressed into service as robot controllers. The ideal
device has a USB or other standard communications interface and an open architecture
to allow you to write programs for it. One possibility: the mobile phones that use the
Android operating system.

Igor, Pull the Switch!

I’m a believer in starting out simple. And it doesn’t get any simpler than using manually oper-
ated switches to control a bot. While this is not a true “robot” in the formal sense of the word,
it’s a useful way to discover how robots work. By manually operating the robot with your own
hands, you learn how it has to be done via fully electronic control.
Adding switches to operate a basic robot is easy. I prefer putting the switches and battery
power in the same handheld remote— fewer wires that way. The basic RBB Bot in the My
First Robot lessons (see the RBB Online Support site) uses a piece of picture frame mat board
to hold two switches and a standard battery holder. You can get fancier and build a control box
out of a real box. There are a number of project boxes just the right size for use as a switch-
operated remote.
In operation, the switches are wired so you can start and stop the motors and control their
direction. By changing the direction of one or both motors, you learn how to maneuver the
robot around a room.

Brains from Discrete Components

In the world of electronics, discrete components are parts like transistors, resistors, and
basic- building- block integrated circuits. These components, used in some clever combination,
can produce a working, thinking brain of a basic robot.

34-chapter-34.indd 428 4/21/11 11:57 AM