When I was still living in Pittsburgh I had the opportunity to collaborate with Prof. Simon Penny on a fun robotics project. The robot was based on a double pendulum. It rolled around on two bicycle wheels, and using the drive motors and lead acid batteries as counter weights it was able to hold up pivot point on which was affixed a second pendulum which had the sensor mast on top, and the computer/logic power supply on bottom. This arrangement gave the robot a comical "road runner esq" motion. It's head would bob back and forth, moving back as it accelerated, and forward as it braked. The two large Drive Steer wheels made it able to turn very quickly. The control scheme was novel because we had no feedback about wheel motion, the only motion input we had was a pot affixed to the pivot point of the sensor mast. Using this as a crude accelerometer we were able to both adjust the pulse width mod to the driver motors, and sense collisions.
The robot has 4 ultra sonic sensors (3 up front, and 1 for backing up) and 3 pyroelectric sensors facing forward. Power was delivered to the wheels by two 12v gear head motors attached via flexible couplings to a chain drive that goes up to a cog attached to the center of the wheel. It was a real pleasure to work on a robot with Simon because he understands the important role that whimsy plays in any robotics project. I miss the fun times we had working on that cantankerous contraption. Ok. So enough gabbing about it. Here's a picture on me crouching behind the robot (31k jpeg), and there's a picture of me doing my best to look like a showroom model showing of the latest in sexy robot designs (36k jpeg).
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