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Calling all Shield-Bots – help hunt for typos and bugs!

Now that all eight chapters of Robotics with the Board of Education Shield for Arduino have been posted online, it’s time for me to prep the manuscript for a bound book. I’m hoping all the BOE Shield-Bots out there will join me in a hunt for typos and bugs, so I can fix them before they become paper-permanent and replicated. If (okay, when!) you find any errors, email me (editor@parallax.com) and I’ll be most grateful.

Okay, so the BOE Shield-Bot’s hermit-crab-like “eyes” can’t really operate as OCRs, even with this magnifying glass. But, these infrared emitter/receiver pairs can let it avoid objects or drop-offs, and gauge close-range distance well enough to follow another ‘bot. And, with a Sony-programmable remote, you can have an IR Remote Controlled Shield-Bot (a bonus mini-project with code and video posted).

Thanks in advance for your bug-hunting help!

-Steph Lindsay

Here’s a video of the Parallax BOEBot in action! We also took this one minute exposure of the bot zooming around the table. Video on YouTube and Vimeo.

Parallax BOEBot Robot for Arduino Kit (Board of Education). We are very excited about this one! This kit brings the excellent design and tutorials of Parallax to the Arduino world. Make your Arduino the onboard brain of a mobile robot and learn robotics, electronics, and programming with this versatile kit and its accompanying step-by-step lessons. The Board of Education Shield plugs into your own Arduino (not included) and mounts on the popular Boe-Bot robot chassis.

Shieldequation

With this kit and your own Arduino module, you can follow the Robotics with the Board of Education Shield for Arduino lessons with over 40 hands-on activities.

Learning to program your robot’s Arduino Brain
Calibrating the robot’s continuous rotation servo motors
Using lights and speakers for status indicators
Assembling the robot
Preprogrammed navigation
Using touch-switches to navigate by contact with objects
Using phototransistors to navigate by light
Using non-contact infrared sensors to measure distance and avoid or follow objects

The original Robotics with the Boe-Bot text for the BASIC Stamp microcontroller has enjoyed worldwide popularity with teachers and hobbyists, and has been translated into seven languages. Author Andy Lindsay revised his work for the Arduino community, and Parallax Inc. is making it available as a free, online tutorial at http://learn.parallax.com/ShieldRobot.

Kit Contents:

Board of Education Shield PCB
High-quality aluminum robot chassis, continuous rotation servos, and wheels
Boe-Boost Module
All the electronic components and sensors needed for the Robotics activities
All the assembly hardware needed (nuts, screws standoffs)
Parallax Screwdriver

Please note: Arduino + USB cable not included! We suggest picking up an Uno + USB cable to complete the kit if you don’t have one at home already.

Adafruit tested and approved!

In stock and shipping now!

Filed under: arduino,robotics — Tags: arduino, BOE Shield, Infrared navigation, Parallax, Shield-Bot — by Parallax, posted May 31, 2012 at 7:36 am

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BOE Shield-Bot Sets Out for Maker Faire Bay Area

The BOE Shield-Bot is setting out to Maker Faire Bay Area 2012 to spend some time in the Maker Shed, sporting a Ping))) Ultransonic Distance Sensor and Mounting Bracket Kit to look both ways before crossing the street.

BOE Shield-Bot heading to Maker Faire, with a Ping))) Sensor for safe traveling

What’s Needed

(1) Fully assembled and tested BOE Shield-Bot:

(1) Ping))) Ultrasonic Distance Sensor, #28015 in the Parallax store

(1) Ping))) Mounting Bracket Kit, #570-28015 in the Parallax store

(1) Optional parts from Parallax for the traveling staff and bundle holder (good fit for a bamboo skewer, perfect for carrying a bundle of extra tires):

L brackets make a travel staff holder on the BOE Shield-Bot

L brackets make a handy travel staff holder on the BOE Shield-Bot

Instructions and Arduino code download are posted to the Roaming Ping))) Shield-Bot Page at learn.parallax.com. Hope to see you at the Faire!

Filed under: arduino,robotics — Tags: BOE Shield, Boe-Bot, Maker Faire, Parallax, Ping, Shield-Bot — by Parallax, posted May 18, 2012 at 1:35 am

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BOE Shield-Bot Navigating with Infrared Headlights

Hello from Stephanie Lindsay, the lucky editor at Parallax Inc. I’ve just posted Chapter 7 of Robotics with the BOE Shield for Arduino. With IR LED/receiver pairs, the BOE Shield-Bot can detect obstacles and navigate around them. In this video clip the strategy is reversed – avoid open space instead of obstacles – so the Shield-Bot can drive around on a tabletop without falling off.

I’m having SO much fun learning about the Arduino as I test-drive and edit this book. The last chapter, Robot Control with Distance Detection, is coming up next week. Almost done!

Hold BOE Shield-Bot with infrared sensors up to fluorescent lights to test for IR interference

Stephanie Lindsay’s BOE Shield-Bot sniffs for infrared interference in her office at Parallax Inc. headquarters.

Filed under: arduino,robotics — Tags: BOE Shield, Boe-Bot, Infrared navigation, IR, IR Navigation, Parallax, robotics, Shield-Bot — by Parallax, posted May 7, 2012 at 1:28 pm

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Parallax Expo Opens Its Doors and Heads to the Capitol

Kevin Cook and Rick Galinson at Parallax Expo 2012 (Photo Courtesy: (R) Rich Harman)

To close out National Robotics Week with a bang, Parallax opened its doors to hobbyists, engineers, Boy Scouts and its community at the first annual Parallax Robotics and Microcontrollers Expo on April 13-14, 2012. Over 2,000 attendees showed up to celebrate all things robotic by learning to solder and breadboard, touring the manufacturing facility, battling Sumo Bots and taking in some fun and technical talks, as well as the highlight of the show the flying ELEV-8 Quadcopter contests. Parallax friend Rick Galinson stopped by and attempted to shoot down the ELEV-8 with his Gatling gun (which incorporates the Parallax Propeller chip) that shoots over 3000 paintballs per minute. The ELEV-8 survived the attack but ended up a little painted in the process.

Check out the videos of the Gatling Gun vs. ELEV-8 Quadcopter:

The Action From the Ground

What the ELEV-8 Quadcopter Saw From the Air

Parallax Heads to Washington, D.C.

Come visit Parallax at the USA Science and Engineering Festival at the Walter E. Convention Center in Washington, D.C. April 28-29, 2012. This event is free to the public and will have exhibits and stage shows to entertain children of all ages. Stop by our booth (#2145) in the Robot Fest area to learn how or perfect your soldering skills on your very own Scribbler 2 LED badge or come battle it out with our wireless Sumo-bots or learn about different sensor types with our Boe-Bots. Visit http://www.usasciencefestival.org for more information on the event.