What’s cooking @ e-Gizmo: Episode 3 P-BOT Mobile Robot Kit

P-BOT is a entry level mobile platform designed with budget conscious pinoy hobbyists and students in mind. It is now undergoing its final phase of evaluation, and if everything goes well, first few kits will be available for sale before the end of October this year.

The P-BOT is a fun way to learn programming microcontrollers. By experimenting with it, you will gain understanding how sensors and motor system works. You will then program the microcontroller to read sensors and control actuators (i.e. motors) to make the P-BOT behave in a manner you want.

The aluminum chassis will have a powder coat finish to give it a more pleasant look. Motor drives are those yanked out from dirt cheap toys of the type you could buy from flea markets or street hawkers.

The interface board (mobot shield) contains 3 on-board collision sensors, a 3 channel line sensor amplifier, two channel motor driver, an on board power distribution with a simple battery charger circuit. Sensors and motor drive controls lines are all outfitted with led indicators. You will find this feature extremely useful during program debugging and troubleshooting.

 

The interface board requires an add-on programmable controller board to enable P-BOT do a useful function. A separate controller board gives you freedom (albeit limited) to use a controller of your preference. You simply plug in an AVR based Gizduino (e-Gizmo Arduino Compatible), or a yet unnamed e-Gizmo Pinguino (PIC) compatible, or a Zilog Encore! Board (under development), without the need to solder or wire anything! You can even construct your own controller using a microcontroller of your choice, perhaps with the use of one of our prototyping shield.

 P-BOT with Gizduino board installed as the controller.

The P-BOT has all the necessary components to needed to make it function ( by programming it) as a line following mobot, a wall or maze navigating mobot, or even a sumo fighting mobot. You will come up with more interesting functions as you experiment with it. A few more additional modules and attachment will vastly improve its capability. As an example, adding a wireless shield and module will allow you to remotely control the P-BOT. The possibilities are endless, with your imagination setting the limits.

P-BOT with line sensor assembly in view.