Page 298 - Robots Androids and Animatrons : 12 Incredible Projects You Can Build

14.3 Lightweight CCD camera for telepresence system

on one of the standard TV channels. The TV’s tuner picks up the
signal and displays it. These transmitters have a limited range of a
few hundred feet.
The second type is more expensive. This type transmits well above
TV frequencies into the 900-megahertz (MHz) range, and the TV 277
requires a down converter to display the video. The down converter
receives the 900-MHz signal and down converts it to a standard TV
frequency. These units have a much greater range and better fidelity.
The unit used in this prototype transmits directly to a TV set on its
VHF (Channel 14) channels (see Fig. 14.4).
Radio-control system

The radio-control (R/C) system is specially designed for blimps
(see Fig. 14.5). It is extremely lightweight. The propulsion unit is a
twin turbo fan that attaches to the underside of the blimp. Each
turbo fan is bidirectional, and each is controlled by its own channel
on the two-channel transmitter.

This helps the maneuverability of the blimp. While one turbo fan
pushes forward, the other pushes backward, helping turn the
blimp quickly. The pillow blimp ready for the telepresence system
is shown in Fig. 14.6. A close-up of the turbo fan, miniature CCD
camera, and TV transmitter is shown in Fig. 14.7.
Going further
The blimp as it stands is a telepresence system. By placing au-
tonomous navigation in it, we can convert the blimp into a flying robot.
Team LRN Aerobots