The design of the hardware was divided into three main
sections; the chassis, the arms and the sensor array.
The chassis was designed first since it would form the
basis of the robot, although care was taken to ensure
that the other parts could be added easily. Next, the
arms were designed since these would require substantial
space for the mechanical workings, and finally, the design
was completed with plans on how to incorporate the IR
and LDR sensors.
Chassis
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Large wheels were chosen to be the driving wheels
to ensure the robot had enough torque
Small wheels were chosen for the rear wheels to
reduce friction
The chassis was designed to be short to allow the
robot to turn in tight spaces, and also to reduce
the amount of friction from the rear wheels that
the drive wheels would have to overcome whilst turning.
Gearing was added to ensure that the speed of the
robot was not too fast for the sensors, and also
to increase the torque.
Wide enough to allow the handyboard to fit on top
|
Arms
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The arms were designed to be driven by a single
servo. They were directly connected by cogs which
would ensure that they work in unison
|
Sensors
 |
Two IR sensors were designed to be fitted to a long axle, which
would be mounted vertically. Somewhere along its
length it would have a cog which would allow it
to be rotated by a servo.
The axle would have to be at least 25cm long
to ensure that the top IR sensor was higher than
the Fanta bottles
|
Colour Sensors
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It was decided to mount two LDRs into a Lego block. A second
block would be placed on top in which would be mounted
two LEDs to ensure that there was enough light for
the LDRs to work properly |
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