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HS-1005SGT
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Operating Voltage Range 11.1 ~ 14.8 Volts DC
HS-1100WP
No Load Speed Range 0.19 - 0.26 Sec @ 60
Operating Voltage Range 11.1 ~ 14.8 Volts DC
84.0 - 110.0 kg-cm
Peak Torque Range No Load Speed Range 0.19 - 0.26 Sec @ 60
1166 - 1528 oz-in

64 x 33 x 73mm 84.0 - 110.0 kg-cm

Dimensions Peak Torque Range
2.52 x 1.3 x 2.90in 1166 - 1528 oz-in

Weight 363g / 12.8oz Maximum Current Draw 5500 - 6500mA

Hardened Steel with 64 x 33 x 73mm

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MP First Gear 2.52 x 1.3 x 2.90in

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Output Shaft 10mm 15 tooth Output Shaft 6.5mm Square

Custom design and manufacturing available.

RCD USA, Inc. | 12115 Paine St. | Poway, CA 92064 | [858] 748-6948 | www.hitecrcd.com

Full Page.indd 2 10/3/2016 6:25:34 PM

 wh a.
Discover what excites you.

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TOC - Dec 16_TOC SV Mar 15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:59 PM Page 4

12.2016 VOL. 14 NO. 12

Subscription Information
SERVO Magazine PO Box 15277
North Hollywood, CA 91615-9218
Call 877-525-2539 or go to www.servomagazine.com
Subscribe Gift Renewal Change of Info
Columns
07 Robytes 60 Then and Now
by Jeff and Jenn Eckert by Tom Carroll
Stimulating Robot Tidbits Robots of the Future
Patching Pinholes with SPIDERs As more and more facets of life look to robots for use in
LIDAR-on-a-Chip Developed the future, lets discuss some ways that these
Mind Over Multiple Matters automotons (especially drones) can make significant
Bratbot Makes Perfect Sausages differences in the way we live.
Bovine Backscratcher

54 Twin Tweaks PAGE 60

by Bryce and Evan Woolley
All I Want for Christmas is a High Pressure Nitrogen
Cannon
Before you say, Oh, no! Not another chunker! be sure
and check out the special challenges of an extreme project
that were conquered during the 12 days of Bot-mas.

The Combat Zone

28 Low Money 220
31 EVENT REPORT: Robot Battles 60 at Dragon Con

24 Bots in Brief
Swarms Folding Departments
Push-ups? No Sweat!
This Buds for Otto 06 Mind/Iron 26 Showcase
3D Printing: Too Good? 45 RoboLinks
22 New Products 52 SERVO Webstore
27 MaxRoboTech Comics 23 Events Calendar
Remote Controlled Robotics 65 Advertisers Index

SERVO Magazine (ISSN 1546-0592/CDN Pub Agree#40702530) is published monthly for $26.95 per year by T & L Publications, Inc., 430 Princeland Court, Corona, CA 92879.
PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT CORONA, CA AND AT ADDITIONAL ENTRY MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SERVO Magazine, P.O. Box
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4 SERVO 12.2016
TOC - Dec 16_TOC SV Mar 15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:59 PM Page 5

In This Issue ...

10 Building the KReduCNC
by Michael Simpson
As we continue our build, its time to go over the
procedures to tune and break-in our CNC machine.

16 Animatronics for the Do-It-

Yourselfer
by Steve Koci
Puppeteering Animatronic Characters
The ultimate compliment you can pay an animatronic
character creator is to say that you -- at least temporarily --
believed his/her creation was alive! With the advancement
and accessibility of technology to the garage builder these
days, its getting easier to incorporate the lifelike
movements that simulate a living and breathing creature.

34 Whats a Hacker Lab?

by Joseph Kugelmass
Need a place to create, innovate, and collaborate with PAGE 16
fellow makers, DIYers, and professionals? Then, you need
to check out HackerLab: a place where technology comes
into its own, as something accessible, limitless, and
personal -- all at once. 42 Serving Raspberry Pi
Starting on Indoor Positioning
38 Self-Diagnostics for Your by William Henning
If a robot can tell where it is, it can be a lot more useful.
Robot
by John Blankenship
Discover some concepts to help you develop an internal
self-testing program for your mechatron.
46 The Multi-Rotor Hobbyist
by John Leeman
Understanding and Balancing Propellers
Find out everything you need to know about propellers (but
were afraid to ask) and how to balance them to have the
best flight experience.

PAGE 46

PAGE 34

SERVO 12.2016 5
Bergeron - Mind-Iron - Dec 16_Mind-Iron - Feb15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:59 PM Page 6
Mind / Iron
by Bryan Bergeron, Editor
3D Printing: Too Good?
ince purchasing my first 3D
S printer nearly a decade ago, Ive
contributed several hundred pounds
of ABS and PLA plastic to landfills.
Sure, its great to crank out
prototypes of parts that Ill
eventually send out to be fabricated
in metal or solid ABS, but Ive found
the practice leads to a lot of wasted
plastic. Imperfectly printed plastic
parts dont lend themselves to
repurposing. Plus, its easy to amass
a collection of empty filament spools
unless you purchase plastic filament
in bulk rolls.
The root of the problem is that
3D printing is simply too good in
that the printed prototypes outlive
their usefulness. Most of my 3D
printed plastic prototypes serve their
purpose for perhaps five minutes.
However, ABS plastic and even so-
called biodegradable polylactic acid
(PLA) will probably survive decades
in the environment.
PLA can potentially biodegrade
in as little as two or three months,
but thats only under ideal
conditions, including exposure to
lots of sunlight. When buried in a
landfill, widgets printed with PLA
can last as long as those made of
ABS plastic.
As an analogy, I recall when PCs
first appeared on the marketplace.
These early computers were built like
tanks, with thick metal construction,
ample RFI shielding, and huge power
supplies. In short, they were built to
last decades. Who knew Moores
Law would reduce the half-life for a
PC to only a year or two?
These same PCs are now either
in computer museums or a landfill.
Manufacturers eventually learned to
use lightweight plastics and cost-
saving designs that led to virtually
disposable computing platforms.
What the world needs is an
affordable 3D printer that extrudes a
6 SERVO 12.2016
ERVO
FOR THE
ROBOT
INNOVATOR
Published Monthly By
T & L Publications, Inc.
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simple and economical enough for
VP of OPERATIONS
widespread adoption. Vern Graner
Whatever the technology, the vern@servomagazine.com
recycling like the 3D printing
should be local and under direct CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Tom Carroll Kevin Berry
user control. So, what will it take to R. Steven Rainwater Michael Simpson
get to this 3D nirvana? I think that Steve Koci John Leeman
the first step is to stop focusing Bryce Woolley Evan Woolley
solely on the quality and speed of Jeff Eckert Jenn Eckert
3D printing, and look at the William Henning Joseph Kugelmass
John Blankenship Mike Jeffries
recycling possibilities. We should also Earl Pancoast
focus on printing classes of objects
that might be normally considered CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT
disposable subscribe@servomagazine.com
Sure, there are valid reasons to WEBSTORE MARKETING
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Eckert - Robytes - Dec 16_Robytes - Sep 15.qxd 11/1/2016 5:55 PM Page 7

Robytes
by Jeff and Jenn Eckert
Patching Pinholes with SPIDERs
Enthusiasm for lighter-than-air vehicles was highly
diminished by that little oops with the Hindenburg in
1937, and crashes of other commercial and military
blimps up through the 1940s contributed to the decline
of airship travel. However, a long-predicted resurgence
seems to be in the works in the form of Lockheed
Martins LMH-1: a scaled-up version of its P-791
technology demonstrator. The LMH-1 will carry 19
passengers and 20,000 kg of cargo over distances up to
2,500 km with a cruise speed of 60 knots. (For some of
us, that means 22 tons, 1,500 miles, and 69 MPH.) The
LMH-1 is actually a hybrid airship, meaning that it uses a
combination of lighter-than-air and heavier-than-air SPIDER robots crawl the surface of a Lockheed Martin
technology to generate lift. airship, patching pinholes.
It was recently announced that the companys exclusive
airship reseller, Hybrid Enterprises (hybridhe.com) has and the 91 m (300 ft) long vehicle has about 80,000
closed a $480 million contract to build a dozen of them for square feet of envelope, it takes human beings about 10
Straightline Aviation (www.straightlineaviation.com), so days to inspect one. Instead, Lockheed has developed Self-
now Lockheed has to actually build them. One of the Propelled Instruments for Damage Evaluation and Repair
challenges is to make sure the envelope (i.e., the skin that (SPIDERs) to do the job. Five or six of the maintenance bots
covers the tri-lobed hull) is free of pinholes that would allow can locate the holes and apply patches in roughly half the
the helium to leak out. time. SPIDERs will be used for both manufacturing and
Because the pinholes are very small and hard to locate, maintenance chores.

LIDAR-on-a-Chip Developed grasping

Because LIDAR sensing technology is based on laser because of their
light (as opposed to radar, which uses radio waves), it high resolution,
provides superior resolution and is considerably better for small form
generating images of small and complex objects. Thus, it is factor, and low
widely used in autonomous vehicles and other robotic cost. These
applications. That spinning cone on the top of, for developments
example, a robotic Toyota Prius is, in fact, its LIDAR have the
module. potential to
Most LIDAR systems are fairly complex, employing dramatically
lasers, scanners, and optics, photodetector and receiver alter the
electronics, and navigation systems. This can generate price landscape of
tags ranging from $1,000 to more than $50,000, which LIDAR systems
limits their commercial applications. Now, however, some by changing
folks at MITs Photonic Microsystems Group how the devices MITs LIDAR system fits easily on a
dime.
(www.rle.mit.edu) are developing a LIDAR-on-a-chip operate and opening
system that is smaller than a dime, employs no moving up the technology to numerous new applications, some of
parts, and can be mass produced in standard CMOS which have not even been thought of today.
foundries for as little as $10 each. The lack of moving parts While not yet ready for commercial production, an MIT
could provide 1,000 times faster operation than existing rep stated, We believe that commercial LIDAR-on-a-chip
mechanical systems, which would be highly advantageous solutions will be available in a few years. A low cost, low
for tracking high speed objects and collision avoidance. profile LIDAR system such as this has many applications in
According to MIT, These on-chip LIDAR systems could autonomous vehicles and robotics.
even be placed in the fingers of a robot to see what it is

SERVO 12.2016 7
Eckert - Robytes - Dec 16_Robytes - Sep 15.qxd 11/1/2016 5:55 PM Page 8

Go to www.servomagazine.com/index.php/magazine/article/December2016_Robytes to comment on these topics.

Mind Over Multiple Matters

Most of us find it challenging enough just to
operate a single drone using a joystick controller.
However, Panagiotis Artemiadis, director of Arizona
States Human-Oriented Robotics and Control Lab
(horc.engineering.asu.edu), is convinced that it is
feasible to control multiple drones simultaneously,
and use only brain waves. As it happens, Prof.
Artemiadis has been working with neural interfaces
with robot hands and arms since 2009.
During the last two to three decades, he
recently noted, there has been a lot of research on
single brain/machine interface, where you control a
single machine. A few years ago, he began
thinking about multiple machines. In mapping out A controller wears a skull cap fitted with 128 electrodes and wired to a
computer.
what parts of the brain control particular functions,
he made an unexpected discovery. I was surprised the watches on a monitor while he thinks and pictures the
brain cares about swarms and collective behaviors, he drones performing various tasks, in that manner directing
said. What I didnt know or hypothesize is that the their swarm behavior. There are, of course, drawbacks.
brain cares about things we are not doing ourselves ... We The controllers must stay focused, and stress and
have hands and limbs and all that stuff, but we dont fatigue can interfere with the process. In addition, the
control swarms ... I was surprised the brain cares about system has to be calibrated to each individual operator, and
that, and that the brain can adapt. calibration has to be repeated daily because brain signals
This led to the development of a 128-electrode skull vary from day to day. Artemiadis plans to expand his
cap that an operator wears. The cap records brain activity research to include multiple operators controlling multiple
and translates it into commands for up to four robots; in robots, perhaps even in complex operations like search-and-
this case, quadcopters. To make them move, the controller rescue missions.

Bratbot Makes Perfect Sausages

If youve ever wondered what it would be like to
have a robot handle your sausage (and who hasnt?),
you may be interested in the Bratwurst Bot
developed by scientists at Germanys FZI
Forschungszentrum Informatik (FZI Research Center
for Information Technology; www.fzi.de). It is based
on a Universal Robots UR-10 arm, a Schunk PG-70
gripper, two RGB cameras, and a standard gas grill.
The BratWurstManager system autonomously
schedules turning, picking, and serving at least 10
sausages at a time, grilling them on multiple sides for
perfect browning.
According to FZI, The BratWurst Bot is a FZIs Bratwurst Bot serves up sausages at a party for German
professional BBQ chef and therefore has a nice chef hat stable guards.
with an interactive tablet-based face. Its eyes follow the
TCP [tool center point] of the robot when it is operating on specifically to serve 2,000 guests at the 53rd annual
the grill or on the pickup tray. It also talks to the guests (in Stallwchterparty (party for German military stable guards),
German) and gives some funny statements what it will do so you arent likely to ever experience it in person.
next. Reportedly, Angela Merkel attended but was not in the
Sadly, the bratbot is a one-of-a-kind unit, built mood for a sausage.

8 SERVO 12.2016
Eckert - Robytes - Dec 16_Robytes - Sep 15.qxd 11/1/2016 5:56 PM Page 9

Bovine Backscratcher
Last and probably least, we have Luna from dairy farm equipment purveyor,
Lely (www.lelyna.com). Apparently, cows have very itchy backs, and that
condition makes them
extremely unhappy.
Unhappy cows
produce less milk, so
this is a problem.
Fortunately, the Luna
robotic backscratcher
saves the day.
All a critter has to
do is walk under it,
and the large roller
brush starts spinning
on demand, taking
her to moo-cow
nirvana.
According to the
company, The Luna is
hugely popular with
cows. This brush is
MAKE YOUR MACHINE
MOVE
great against the Bessie enjoys a good robotic backscratch.
itching (useful if you
have no hands!). Additionally, the ladies are elegant looking after using it.
Too bad they dont offer a human version. SV

MICRO LINEAR
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for RC devices
Shown below is an articulated humanoid
Shown here with
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and accessories.
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machine. DASL researcher Roy Gross

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and 400 components for HUBO+ has
supply
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15g-100g net weight

PCNC 1100 Series 3

starting at:
$8480
www.actuonix.com
(plus shipping)

www.tormach.com/servo

SERVO 12.2016 9
Simpson - CNC - Tuning - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 5:47 PM Page 10

Building the By Michael Simpson

Post comments on this section and
find any associated files

KReduCNC
and/or downloads at
www.servomagazine.com/index.
php/magazine/article/December
2016_Build-CNC_Tuning-Break-In.

Tuning and Break-in

In this installment, I will show you
how to tune your KReduCNC. You
will also load up some G-code and
run a break-in test. These
procedures ran a little long, so I
wont be getting into the clamp
table this month.

efore starting, make sure the PC you are using to

B control the CNC is on and connected. Verify it is

connected properly by using the arrow keys to move
each axis.

Y Carriage Tuning
Start the Y carriage tuning process by moving the Y
carriage shown in Figure 1 back and forth several times.
Move it back to the center, and using a Phillips screwdriver
and 3/8 wrench, tighten the two screws (Figure 2) Figure 2
holding the Y drive nut in place. Tighten all the screws
securing the carriage to the bearing trucks. Once tightened,
move the carriage back and forth a few more times to

Figure 1

Figure 3

10 SERVO 12.2016
Simpson - CNC - Tuning - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 5:47 PM Page 11
Figure 4
Figure 6
make sure it does not bind.
Move the Y carriage to the front as shown in Figure 3.
Using a 5/16 wrench and a Phillips screwdriver, tighten all
the screws on the front bearing block. Tighten the screws
holding the front shaft supports.
Move the Y carriage to the rear as shown in Figure 4.
Tighten all the screws on the rear motor mount. Tighten
the screws holding the rear shaft supports.
Once all the screws indicated have been tightened,
move the Y carriage back and forth to the full extent and
make sure it does not bind. Do this at top speed by holding
down the shift key as you push the arrows. If it does bind,
you will have to loosen all the fasteners and start again.
X Carriage Tuning
As on the Y carriage, start by moving the X carriage
shown in Figure 5 back and forth several times. Move it
back to the center, and using a 3/8 wrench, tighten the
two screws (Figure 6) holding the X drive nut in place. You
wont have access to the head of the screws due to the Z
Figure 5
Figure 7
Figure 8
carriage, so hold the exposed portion of the screws while
you tighten them. Tighten all the screws, securing the
carriage to the bearing trucks. Once tightened, move the
carriage back and forth a few more times to make sure it
does not bind. Move the X carriage to the left as shown in
Figure 7. Using a 5/16 wrench and a Phillips screwdriver,
tighten all the screws on the motor mount. Tighten the
screws holding the left shaft supports.
Move the X carriage to the right as shown in Figure 8.
Tighten all the screws on the bearing block. Tighten the
screws holding the right shaft supports.
Once all the screws indicated have been tightened,
move the X carriage back and forth to the full extent and
make sure it does not bind. Again, do this at top speed by
SERVO 12.2016 11
Simpson - CNC - Tuning - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 5:47 PM Page 12

Figure 9

Figure 10

holding down the shift key as you push the

Figure 11 arrows. If it does bind, you will have to
loosen all the fasteners and start again.

Z Carriage Tuning
Move the Z carriage shown in Figure
9 up and down several times. Move it to
the top, and using a Phillips screwdriver
and 3/8 wrench, tighten the two screws
(Figure 10) holding the Z drive nut in
place. Tighten all the screws securing the
carriage to the bearing trucks. Once
tightened, move the carriage up and down
a few more times to make sure it does not
bind. Tighten all the screws on the Z motor
mount and run the Z carriage up and
Figure 13 down one more time. If it binds, loosen
the screws and repeat the process.
Figure 12
Break-in
Its time to run some G-code and put your machine
through its paces. This will break-in the machine and show
any failure points before you add more components to it. I
do this procedure to all my CNC machines. From the
smallest CNC router to the largest CNC plasma, they all are
broken in this way. Before starting, you need to set the
machines home position. This is done by placing the X, Y,
and Z in predetermined positions and zeroing out each axis
in Mach3.

Zero X
To zero the X axis, jog (move) the X carriage all the
12 SERVO 12.2016
Simpson - CNC - Tuning - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 5:47 PM Page 13

Figure 17

Figure 14

Figure 16
Figure 15

on the machine to the zero position.

Zero Y
To zero the Y axis, jog the Y carriage all the way to the
rear until it is near the rear shaft supports (but again not
touching) as shown in Figure 13. Hit the Zero Y button
shown in Figure 14. The Y axis is now zeroed.

Zero Z
To zero the Z axis, jog the Z carriage all the way to the
bottom until it is near the lower shaft supports (but not
way to the left until it is near the left shaft supports but touching) as shown in Figure 15. Hit the Zero Z button
not touching as shown in Figure 11. Hit the Zero X shown in Figure 16. Your machine is now set to position
button shown in Figure 12. This effectively sets the X axis 0,0,0 and should
look like what you
Figure 19 see in Figure 17.
It is important
Figure 18 that you understand
how to zero your
machine, as this is a
common practice
before running any
job. A set of
homing switches
can make this task
as easy as hitting a
button. There are
also times when you
will set the machine
up on the corner or
SERVO 12.2016 13
Simpson - CNC - Tuning - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 5:48 PM Page 14

A complete bill of materials, as well as additional information can be

found on my website at www.kronosrobotics.com/kreducnc. For any
questions or comments, please visit the SERVO Magazine forums at
http://forum.nutsvolts.com/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=17408.
center of a work piece.
Loading the Code
If you have not done so, go to the Kronos Robotics
website and download the test files for this
procedure. Using the File menu, load the G-code
file labeled KReduCNC slowtest 10x8.txt. Once
loaded, your Mach3 screen should look like the
one shown in Figure 18. To run the G-code, hit the Cycle
Start button shown in Figure 19. Your machine should
start to move. This particular program is a very small one I
wrote that uses the ability of the G-code interpreter to run
subroutines. It simply moves to each corner of the machine,
raises and lowers the Z axis, then
does it all over again forever, until

FREE
you stop the program by hitting the
stop button.
Let this program run for a couple
of hours. If your machine is losing
steps, eventually one of the axis will
PCB Layout Software & start banging against something. If
PCB Schematic Software this happens, stop the program, and
go back to the appropriate tuning
section and repeat the process.
If everything seems okay, you can
stop the program and load the G-
code file labeled KReduCNC fasttest
10x8.txt and run it. This program
runs about four times faster. Let it
run for a couple of hours as well.

Important!
When running the tests, make
sure the wires going to the stepper
motors are clear to move without
rubbing. The X and Y axis motors are
stationary, so they dont present
much of an issue. The Z axis,
3 PCBs 3 PCBs 3 PCBs however, is another matter. It will

$
41 $
61 $
81
have a tendency to rub against the
+ shipping + shipping + shipping upper frame brace. Over time, you
could rub the insulation off the wire.
2-layer 2-layer 4-layer There are a couple ways to
MiniBoard MiniBoardPro MiniBoardPro prevent this from happening. You
(Shipped in 1 business day) (Shipped in 2 business days) (Shipped in 3 business days)
can support the wires from
overhead, or you can put some sort
of sleeve over the wire. Split loom
tubing works well for this and is
1 DOWNLOAD our free CAD software available at most home centers in the
Now Offering electrical section.
2 DESIGN your 2 or 4-layer PCB

3 CHECK your design with xCHECK DRC

SMT Conclusion
4 SEND us your design with just a click
STENCILS This completes the KReduCNC
Nano Coating available tuning and break-in. Your machine
5 RECEIVE top quality boards in just days should be able to run smoothly and
accurately. Next month, we will get
the clamp table built and attached to
MADE IN THE USA | www.expresspcb.com
the machine. SV
14 SERVO 12.2016
Full Page.indd 15 11/1/2016 8:50:22 AM
Koci - Animatronics - Dec 16_Steve Koci Animatronics #1 Parrot.qxd 11/1/2016 5:18 PM Page 16

DIY Animatronics
Puppeteering Animatronic
Characters By Steve Koci

The ultimate compliment you can pay an animatronic character creator is to say that
you at least temporarily believed his creation was alive! We strive to incorporate the
lifelike movements that simulate a living and breathing creature. The suspension of
disbelief is a necessary factor. It allows us to establish an environment where our
audience is able to immerse themselves completely in our scene. With the advancement
and accessibility of technology to the garage builder, we continue to narrow the gap
that separates us from the professional prop shops. As we near the uncanny valley,
care will need to be taken that our creations do not cross the line of causing our
audience to become uncomfortable in the presence of our creations. Unless, of course,
that is your intention!

Choices, Choices, Choices
Constructing the mechanical assemblies which allow
our characters to move is a big part of the design process.
However, without the requisite control required to move
them in our desired sequences, they are simply an
interesting collection of nuts, bolts, and structural
components. This complimentary side of the design
equation is just as important in order to bring our ideas to
fruition.
There are a variety of methods available to control our
creations which allow them to replay our scripted
performances. I will primarily focus on the system we
currently use when we design a scene which includes at least
one animated character. However, I will also cover a few of
the alternate choices that you may want to check out.
We have explored many systems in our quest to find
the proper method to suit our needs. When I first started
designing animated characters, I hard coded all the
movements. Although this did command the mechanisms
to move from point to point, the movements were anything
but smooth and lifelike. The process was also extremely
time-consuming as each movement had to be individually
programmed. I never was happy with the robotic feel my
characters portrayed using this method.
After doing some research, I discovered the Virtual
Show Animation (VSA) program from Brookshire Software.
I took the leap and purchased it and started examining its
many features. I began by attempting to program the three-
16 SERVO 12.2016
axis servo movements required for an animated talking
head I was working on. I found that the systems efficiency
could be greatly enhanced by adding a supplemental
software program available from MonkeyBasic. Their
TrackSkull program allows you to utilize a joystick or TrackIR
headset to help record the necessary head movements (see
Resources). One major drawback of using VSA was that it
required you to keep your computer connected to your
character in order to play back your show. Brookshire
Software has created the RAPU controller to eliminate this
need, but it lists for $329.95 which puts it out of my price
range especially considering the number of controllers my
display would require.
If you are willing to do live puppeteering of your
performance, you can utilize an RC transmitter and receiver
to deliver your commands to the servos (see Resources).
While I do use this method for several characters (see the
September 2015 and September 2016 issues of SERVO
Magazine), this is much too cumbersome a method to
employ for such a complicated scene as this. It would take
several puppeteers to control all the mechanisms this scene
entails. While that may be fine for Hollywood, it will not
work for me!
We have found that for our purposes, the most
advantageous method is to employ a system that allows us
to puppeteer our characters and record the session for later
playback. In order to accomplish this, we use the Propeller
Activity Board (PAB) from Parallax (see Resources) which
utilizes custom software.
Koci - Animatronics - Dec 16_Steve Koci Animatronics #1 Parrot.qxd 11/1/2016 5:18 PM Page 17
DIY Animatronics
Post comments on this section and find any associated files and/or downloads at
www.servomagazine.com/index.php/magazine/article/December2016_Animatronics_Puppeteering-Characters.
The credit for developing this system goes to my
good friend and fellow project collaborator, Brian Lincoln.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for all
the hard work that went into developing this. His
willingness to share his creation with us so that we all
can benefit is truly appreciated!
Parallax Activity Boards Make
It Happen
Brian has put together a combination of components
that allow us to control not only servos, but linear
actuators, electronic eyes, and pneumatic cylinders as
well. Our desire to see how far we could push the
envelope on this system brought a few issues that needed
to be addressed. Every time we expand our plans, he
figures out how to make it work. His innovative solutions to
the problems that invariably crop up have allowed us to
expand our designs into several new areas. In order to
better understand how our system is put together, we are
going to break down the layout of our new witchs scene.
This project is our most complicated design to date, and
includes all of the key components we are currently using.
At the heart of the system is the PAB which records the
puppeteered commands and stores them for playback. The
most important features for our purposes here are that this
board includes an eight-core Propeller microcontroller, 64
KB EEPROM, a mini SD card holder, and an onboard
breadboard which allows rapid prototyping.
For the witch and skeleton project, we incorporated
four separate PABs. With 21 different mechanisms being
used, we could have gotten by using only three boards
since each is capable of controlling eight components. By
using four boards, we were able to split out the
programming and wiring into a logical design. We had a
board for each major element in the scene, which were the
witchs body, witchs head, skeleton body, and skeleton
head. By assigning each segment its own board, it gives up
plenty of extra channels to expand the show in the future. I
RESOURCES
VSA http://tinyurl.com/hyvqtg3
MonkeyBasic http://tinyurl.com/hzt5uxo
ServoCity http://tinyurl.com/j3b3dgq
Parallax Activity Board http://tinyurl.com/zev2eaa
Hitec Servos http://tinyurl.com/hsennuc
Actuonix Linear Servos http://tinyurl.com/zhuwqea
Adafruit Electronic Eyes http://tinyurl.com/p4twuqn
Vixen Software http://tinyurl.com/jafrky7
Renard Plus http://tinyurl.com/jtlf4te
All Electronics http://tinyurl.com/zazkwst
My YouTube Channel http://tinyurl.com/nma2doj
My Website www.halstaff.com
DIY Animatronics Forum http://tinyurl.com/qjeehjs
Figure 1. A linear
actuator is just what
the doctor ordered.
wonder what we will dream up and add next!
This show incorporates not only the servos which the
board is designed to control but five linear actuators, two
pneumatic cylinders, and one set of electronic eyes which
need to be turned on and off during the performance (see
Resources). These elements required some additional
circuitry in order for them to be integrated into our system.
Of course, the real magic that makes everything work is
the programming Brian has developed. There are two
programs that are required, but all the work has been
completed already. If you are interested in giving it a try
yourself, you can download them from my website at
http://tinyurl.com/zqx3tfx.
Controlling Linear Actuators
RC linear actuators provide a tremendous amount of
torque for their size and have helped solve a multitude of
design obstacles. I have found many uses for them, but
they do come with their own baggage. They are designed
to be controlled by a PWM signal level of 5V. However, the
PAB inserts a 3.3K series resistor for protection. This
modifies the signal enough so that the linear actuator does
not operate. Therefore, a two-transistor booster was
inserted to create a 5V PWM signal which corrected the
problem. In the original design, we planned to use six
actuators to control the wrists, arms, and legs. The heads
would be controlled entirely by servos. As construction
commenced, we needed to re-think this design because the
plan did not survive contact with reality.
The witchs head proved to be too heavy for the nod
servo to handle. I had great success with Jarvis (see the
September 2016 issue of SERVO) when I replaced his nod
servo with a linear actuator, so I went with that scheme
again (see Figure 1). This was the first actuator we had
incorporated into the puppeteering system, and it soon
became apparent that we had a problem. A little research
SERVO 12.2016 17
Koci - Animatronics - Dec 16_Steve Koci Animatronics #1 Parrot.qxd 11/1/2016 5:18 PM Page 18
DIY Animatronics
Figure 2. The
booster circuit
makes it work.
Figure 4. Just turn it on, and then turn it off.
Figure 5. DMX box links
to the main show
control.
revealed the problem and the hunt for an inexpensive
solution began. After several ideas were designed and built,
a final method was chosen. It consisted of a two-transistor
driver circuit which could be easily built and added into the
enclosures with the Propeller boards (see Figure 2 and
Figure 3). This circuit has performed flawlessly through all
of our tests to date, and I no longer consider this an issue.
Well done, Brian!
Now that the nod actuator was working as planned, a
larger board needed to be constructed to provide the same
signal levels to the actuators for the skeleton body. My first
plan was to use six actuators for the body movements.
Once the skeleton was constructed, we decided to
substitute pneumatic cylinders for the arms which meant
18 SERVO 12.2016
Figure 3. The two boards working
we only needed together.
four of the six
transistor circuits. The board was already constructed, so
we now have two extras for future expansion.
Commanding Pneumatics and
Eyes
The pneumatics and the electronic eyes are not
proportionally controlled. The eyes simply need to be turned
on and off, and the pneumatics energized and de-
energized. We use the same switch to accomplish both of
these actions. Brian achieved this by fabbing up a small
circuit with a PICAXE08M2 microcontroller at its core (see
Figure 4). After being covered in shrink tube, the board
was installed in line between the Propeller boards and the
skeletons eyes and pneumatic solenoids. We did not need
one for the witch; her eyes would stay on all the time so
they only needed to be connected to power.
Some basic code was programmed into the PICAXE
and it was ready to go. Its purpose was to measure the
PWM and convert it, allowing it to turn the port on and
off. If the pulse is greater than 1.5 ms, it turns the ports
on; if 1.5 ms or less, it turns it off (see the sidebar).
Although similar circuits are available commercially, we
decided to build our own so we have complete control of
the circuit.
Trigger and Light Control Using
DMX
With so many devices to control, we decided to
incorporate this scene into my master DMX control system.
Koci - Animatronics - Dec 16_Steve Koci Animatronics #1 Parrot.qxd 11/1/2016 5:18 PM Page 19

DIY Animatronics
This setup was already responsible for triggering my Papa
Voodoo character (see the October 2014 issue of SERVO),
and we decided to synchronize this scene with it. In this
way, we could be assured that both scenes would never be
running at the same time.
We wanted our audience to be able to focus on each
display without the distraction of the other scene being
active. I use the free software program, Vixen (see
Resources) to run my show. It packs plenty of firepower
and does everything I need it to do. Plus, the price is
certainly right!
In order to cut down on wiring, we needed to add an
additional controller to the system. By doing so, we could
connect the auxiliary box with a single Cat6 cable next to
the scene and run all the new scenes components from
there (see Figure 5). For this, I used a DIY board: the
Renard SS16 (see Resources). I was first introduced to
these controllers by the Christmas lighting crowd and have
been very pleased with their easy construction,
documentation, and reliability.
In addition to triggering the two primary scenes, this
system is also responsible for directing the 16 RGBW (red,
green, blue, and white) LED floodlights used in the
cemetery scene, as well as the six lights for the witch and
skeleton scene. Incandescent bulbs are used for the witch
scene as they fade in and out well. These were installed in
inexpensive clamp lights which provide convenient
mounting options. The six scene lighting features consist of
the witchs body, skeleton body, cauldron, spell book,
lightning bolts, and finally one for the cat.
The triggering for the scene is accomplished using an
AC relay which triggers all four boards simultaneously. The
timing for each board is so accurate that they operate in
perfect harmony!
When the scene is in idle mode, the witchs head will
still be calmly moving and scanning the guests. Nothing too
dramatic, but we do want her to look alive as she searches
for new victims!
Making It All Move with AMS
In order to smoothly and easily program our routines,

34
PICAXE Code for Switch 35 'symbol xxx = C.0 ' Serial Out - Do not use
36 symbol new_out = C.1 ' Converted Output On or
01 ' Program: PWM to On-Off1.bas ' Off
02 37 'symbol xxx = C.2 ' Spare
03 ' Status: Good 38 symbol PWM_Input = C.3 ' PWM signal to be
04 '
05 ' Description: Program to convert an standard ' converted INPUT ONLY
' servo PWM command to an on/off state. It is 39 'symbol xxx = C.4 ' Spare INPUT or OUTPUT
' to be used when 40 'symbol xxx - C.5 ' Serial In - Do not use
06 ' servo commands are the only available output 41
' and need to be converted to a simple 42
07 ' on or off state (e.g.,relay control). Standard 43 symbol pulse_read = w2 ' Variable to read pulse
' PWM range is 500ms to 2500ms with an update ' counts in 10us
08 ' period of ~20ms to 40ms (50Hz to 25Hz). ' increments
09 ' 44
10 ' Ouput PICAXE port will be as follows based on 45
' PWM input: 46
11 ' 500 ms to 1500ms input pulse = OFF (logical 0 47 '---------- Initialize -------------------------
' 0r 0VDC) 48 init:
12 ' 1501ms to 2500ms input pulse = ON (Logical 1 49 low new_out 'Initialize output pin to low (or
' or 5VDC) 'OFF)
13 ' 50
14 ' Employs the Pulsin command that measures pulse
' widths in 10 us increments. 51 '---------- Main Code --------------------------
15 ' If no pulse is detected within a 0.635 seconds 52
' period, it will output a "0". 53 main:
16 ' This would imply the code logic would set the 54
' ouput port to OFF (logical 0 or 0VDC). 55 pulsin PWM_Input,1,pulse_read
17 ' ' record the length of a pulse on C.3
18 ' Runs on 08M2 project board using 3 AA ' into w2 in 10us increments (or counts)
' batteries; Default 4 MHz clock 56 ' for example 500us = 50 counts, 1500us
' = 150 counts, 2500us - 250 counts
19 ' Servopos (75 to 225)is the expanded range of 57
' typical servo motor 58 if pulse_read > 150 then
20 ' 'If pulse that was read is bigger than
21 ' '150 counts (or 1500us) then set output pin
22 ' Author: Brian Lincoln 'high
23 ' Date: 6/6/16 Original 59 high new_out
24 60 else
25 ' Updates:
26 ' 6/6/16 BTL Original Code 61 low new_out 'If pulse that was read is smaller
27 'than 150 counts (or 1500us) then
28 ' 'set output pin low
29 62 endif 'Note: If pulse is not detected at all,
30 ' 'it will record a "0" which defaults to
31 'this "OFF" state.
32 '---------- Declarations ----------------------- 63
33 #Picaxe 08M2 ' Default PICAXE 08m2+ running at 64
' 4 MHz 65 goto main ' loop back to start

SERVO 12.2016 19
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DIY Animatronics
different setup
in order to get
the most
realistic motions
possible. You
Figure 6. can see from
Body AMS the pictures that
for shoulders each of the
and elbows.
designs is very
specialized and
relates as closely
as possible to
Figure 8. Skeleton the actual
AMS for the arms
and legs. movements of
each
component.
We have discussed
designing a complete
body unit that you wear
which would allow you to
Brian constructed three separate articulated move your body in
models with sensors (AMS for short). These exactly the way that you
combined multiple potentiometers will transfer want the character to
our desired motions into commands for the PABs respond.
through the four A/D and D/A converters. This system would
These convert the sensed signal to digital provide the ultimate in
data that is then processed by the C code in the precision control, but the
Propeller chip, and stored on the SD card for actual unit is still on the
later playback on the servo ports. For reference, drawing board.
the code for the player is servo recorder playback
60B beta1.C. Completing
There is one AMS for the witchs body, a
separate unit for programming the heads, and a
Figure 7. AMS
for the three- the Wiring
third for the skeletons body (see Figure 6, axis head
movements.
and Labeling
Figure 7, and Figure 8). Each feature requires a Once all the



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20 SERVO 12.2016
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DIY Animatronics

Figure 10.
Tying it all
together.

Figure 9. Nice and neat installation.
programming was completed to our satisfaction, there was
still the arduous task of installing all the boards in
protective enclosures. The plastic project boxes from All
Electronics (see Resources) fit the bill perfectly. They were
easily drilled for wire access, and all the cables were
attached using pigtails (when necessary) and securely
anchored to prevent them from coming loose.
The actuator driver circuits were installed on the lid of
the project box which enabled us to combine all the
Seeing the joy in our guests faces makes all the time, effort,
and expense worthwhile!
With this challenge being achieved, it is now time to
start brainstorming our next project.
If you cannot wait until next month for your next
animatronics fix, be sure to join in the conversation on the
DIY Animatronics forum at http://tinyurl.com/qjeehjs.
Check in to see what others are doing, get help, or show
off your projects.
May the passion to build be with you! SV

BOTKITS.COM
necessary components into one clean assembly. Chassis
mount power coax connectors were added to each of the
four boxes to ease the hookup chores (see Figure 9 and
Figure 10).
The access ports on the boxes were labeled as well as
all the cables. Since this scene will not be permanent and
needs to be broken down for storage, it is paramount that
all connections be clearly labeled to aid in speedy
reassembly.
We used separate power strips with integrated on/off
switches for the servos to reduce any extreme movements
on startup.

This Shows Final Scene 7 Colors!

black / red / purple / green / orange / blue / pink

D2
This scene will make its debut at our Halloween parties
prior to the holiday itself. This will give us the opportunity
to work out any kinks and be ready for the big night. I COMBAT
expect a large turnout of expectant trick or treaters looking
to see what new creation we have come up with this year. I
am sure there will be plenty of excitement and maybe even
ROBOTS
a few screams! You will be able to view the scene yourself Beetleweight domination
by checking out the video on my YouTube channel (see at 2016 RoboGames!
Resources).
+ Battle-tested motors
As the complexity of our scenes continues to expand, + Spare parts
the importance of having a team of knowledgeable and + Electronics
creative builders to collaborate with becomes increasingly + Hardware
important. I am so grateful to work with individuals such as
Brian who are as passionate about this hobby as I am. + Arduino educational and R&D chassis kits

SERVO 12.2016 21
New Products - Dec 16_Mar15 - NewProd.qxd 11/1/2016 7:01 PM Page 22

NEW PRODUCTS
Multi-Chemistry Battery
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22 SERVO 12.2016
Rainwater - Events - Dec 16_Events - Aug 15.qxd 11/1/2016 7:14 PM Page 23

DECEMBER
EVENTS www.roboexotica.org

2-4 Robotex 10 Robotic Arena

Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia Wroclaw, Poland
Events include LEGO Sumo, Mini Sumo, 3 kg Sumo, Robot Sumo events.
Maze Solving, Line Following, Drone Race, VEX, Water www.roboticarena.pl
Rally Folkrace, and more.
www.robotex.ee 10-11 Texas BEST Competition
Dr. Pepper Arena, Frisco, TX
3-4 Souths BEST Competition Student teams build robots for a different challenge
Auburn University, Auburn, AL each year.
Student teams build robots for a different challenge www.eng.unt.edu/texasbest
each year.
www.southsbest.org 14-18 IROC International Robot Olympiad
Grand Epoch City, China
4 RHU Robotics Competition Events include General, Mission, Transporter, and
Rafik Hariri University, Meshref Campus, Lebanon Emergency Rescue.
Robot Sumo events. www.iroc.org
www.facebook.com/StudentTechnologyClub
16-18 Techfest
8-11 ROBOEXOTICA Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India
Vienna, Austria Events include Robowars, Technorion, Galactic Trooper,
Events include Serving Cocktails, Mixing Cocktails, and Mesh Flare.
Bartending Conversation, and Lighting Cigarettes. www.techfest.org

SERVO 12.2016 23
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bots
IN BRIEF
SWARMS
FOLDING

O ne of the biggest
challenges with
swarms of robots is
manufacturing and
deploying the swarm itself.
Even if the robots are
relatively small and simple,
youre still dealing with a
whole bunch of them, and
every step in building the
robots or letting them
loose is multiplied over the entire number of bots in the
swarm. If youve got more than a few robots to handle, it
starts to get crazy.
The dream for swarm robotics is to be able to do away
with all of that, and just push a button and have your swarm
somehow magically appear. Were not quite there yet, but
getting awful close.
Researchers from the Wyss Institute for Biologically
Inspired Engineering at Harvard presented a paper recently
demonstrating an autonomous collective robotic swarm that
can be manufactured in a single flat composite sheet. On
command, theyll rip themselves apart from each other, fold
themselves up into origami structures, and head off on a
mission en masse.
The sheet itself consists of six layers, which are all
automatically laser machined. A pre-stretched polystyrene (or
PSPS) layer (a kind of shape-memory polymer) is in the
center, sandwiched
between layers of copper All images courtesy of
Wyss Institute/Harvard.
circuits etched into polyimide
sheets, with paper substrates
for support. The PSPS is where the magic happens.
When heated above 100C (which can be done by
running a 2.5 ampere current through the copper circuitry), it
shrinks, which is what powers the robots self-folding
behaviors.
Otherwise, each robot consists of some discrete
electrical components that have to be placed by hand, but
according to co-author, Michael Tolley, We foresee
straightforward ways to automate these steps.
Self-folding robots that use shape-memory polymers have
been done before, but the challenge with them is to
accurately control the folding. To address that issue, the
Harvard researchers came up with a clever feedback-
controlled assembly technique by using
phototransistors and infrared LEDs to precisely
measure the fold angles, greatly improving the
repeatability of self-folding, explained Tolley, who now
leads UC San Diegos Bioinspired Robotics and Design
Lab.
The final thing that sets these self-folding bots
apart is their ability to go from a single continuous
sheet to a swarm of discrete robots. Self-folding joints
that are designed to prevent folding causes the PSPS
to instead rip itself apart allowing each robot to split
off by itself, where its vibration motors can help it
buzz along flat surfaces seeking sources of light.

There are four robots in this sheet, and theyre pretty

darn near two dimensional. Want more robots? No
problem, just make the sheet bigger.

24 SERVO 12.2016
Bots in Brief - Dec 16_Bots in Brief Mar15.qxd 11/1/2016 7:17 PM Page 25
PUSH-UPS?
NO SWEAT!
W hen we humans use our
muscles, we produce heat as a
by-product. When we use them a lot,
we need to actively cool them which
is why we sweat. By sweating, we
pump water out of our bodies. As
that water evaporates, it cools us
down. Robots especially dynamic
robots like humanoids that place
near-constant high torque demands
on their motors generate enough
heat that it becomes a major
constraint on their performance.
Engineers solve this heat-
generating problem in most
mechanical systems by using fans,
heatsinks, and radiators, which means
that youve got all of this dedicated
cooling infrastructure that takes up
space and adds mass. However,
Japanese researchers presented a
novel idea at a recent conference of
how to cool humanoid robots in a
much more efficient way: Design
them to be able to sweat water
straight out of their bones.
The researchers from the
University of Tokyos JSK Lab, led by
Professor Masayuki Inaba, were
trying to figure out how to add a
cooling system to their 1.7 meter
tall, 56 kilogram musculoskeletal
humanoid named Kengoro (who
joins Kojiro and Kenshiro as part of
the JSK robot family). Kengoro is
already stuffed to the brim with
structural components, circuit
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esign Custom
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boards, gears, and 108 motors, and
there was simply no room to add
active water cooling with tubes and
a radiator and fans. The researchers
started looking at how they could
make better use of Kengoros
existing components, and they came
up with the idea of using the robots
skeletal structure (its metal frame)
as a coolant delivery system. We machine it
The approach goes way beyond and ship to you a
just running water channels through professionally nished product,
the frame and circulating water no minimum quantity required
through them since that wouldnt
have solved the problem of needing
to place a radiator in there 

C

ost effective prototypes
somewhere. The researchers instead
and production runs with
decided to try a passive technique,
allowing the water to seep out no setup charges
through the frame around the
motors to cool them evaporatively.  P

owder-coated and
In other words, Kengoro sweats. anodized finishes in
Kengoro can run for half a day various colors
on about a cup of de-ionized water
and it has to keep itself hydrated for 
Select

from aluminum,
the cooling to be effective, especially
if its working hard just like with acrylic or provide your
us. Testing shows that this method of own material
cooling works three times better
than air cooling, and is significantly 
Standard lead time
better than just circulating water in 5 days or express
through the interior channel
(although its not as effective as a manufacturing in 3 or
traditional radiator using active 1 days
cooling.) In practice, this means that
Kengoro can run at full power
longer, letting it do push-ups for 11
minutes straight without burning out
its motors.
FrontPanelExpress.com
Continued on next page
SERVO 12.2016 25
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THIS BUDS FOR OTTO

O tto the self-driving truck company acquired by Uber for

nearly $700 million made its first delivery. Using a modified
Volvo 18-wheeler that has dozens of cameras and sensors, the Otto
self-driving truck drove 120 miles on October 20, 2016 carrying
51,744 cans of Budweiser from Fort Collins, CO to Colorado
Springs.
This was the first time commercial cargo was delivered by a
self-driving truck. The Budweiser cans even had a special message on
them that read: First delivery by self-driving truck.
Otto says the human truck driver was out of the drivers seat
The emergency braking system inside Ottos self-driving for the entire highway
truck. (Credit: Otto.) portion of the trip, monitoring
the self-driving system from
the back. (Its a little concerning the human driver isnt closer to the steering
wheel in case of an emergency.) Otto says at no point was human intervention
required on the highway.
The human driver did intervene during city driving and to back up the 18-
wheeler towards the loading dock at its final destination.
The Otto self-driving truck maintained an average speed of 55 MPH and
was followed by a Colorado state patrol the entire way. Ottos self-driving
technology includes $30,000 worth of additional hardware that works with any
big rig that has an automatic
transmission. A human driver sat in the back of Ottos self-driving truck
for the entire 120 mile highway drive. (Credit: Otto.)

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26 SERVO 12.2016
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SERVO 12.2016 27
Combat Zone - Dec 16_Combat Zone - Aug 15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:04 PM Page 28

Post comments on this

section and find any
associated files and/or
downloads at the specific
article link for each feature.

Low Money 220 by Earl Pancoast III

nspired by the return of

I BattleBots, I wanted to construct

my own fighting robot. I started
building the 220 lb bot Ill describe
here just for fun and the experience. I
didnt listen when I read you should
start small or that a heavyweight was
expensive to plunge into with. I didnt
even know where there was an event
to enter it in.
I may not be smart, but I sure can
prove it. I built my big bot using Prefight
mostly simple tools in my small shop. glamor shot.

Mechanical 1/8 flat steel for the motors and
The frame is 1 square tube with bearings to bolt to. I cut it out with a
chop saw and welded with a MIG
welder. Steel tube was the cheapest
Featured and easiest material for me to work
with.
This Month: For the motors, I found a Jazzy
scooter in the bulk trash. They can be
$50-$100 not working; all you need
28 Low Money 220 are the motors. I didnt use the
control box.
by Earl Pancoast III
You need to remove the brake
mechanism that is actuated any time
31 EVENT REPORT: there is not power applied. The
Robot Battles 60 at motors have a 17 millimeter shaft and
a metric key. I had a set of sprockets
Dragon Con and step keys machined at a local
by Mike Jeffries shop for a cost of $200. I used #40
sprockets and chain to transmit the
power to all four wheels. It has tank
steering, so each side turned with its
own motor.
I used four bolt bearings (one on
each side of the steel plate) to
support and locate the 3/4 inch keyed
shaft. The tires are on keyed rims that
fit the 3/4 inch shaft. The weapon
motor was a surplus truck tarp roller.
I put a #40 sprocket on the gear
motor shaft; through a chain, it is
connected to a one inch shaft. The
shaft is supported on four bolt flange
bearings to make a lifter arm. I used
square tube and set it up like a
receiver hitch so that I could change
weapons out easily depending on my

28 SERVO 12.2016
Combat Zone - Dec 16_Combat Zone - Aug 15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:04 PM Page 29

www.servomagazine.com/index.php/magazine/article/December2016_Low-Cost-Heavyweight-Robot.

The raw armor being installed.

The bare frame. Interior shot of the bot.

opponent. the bang bang control to drive each

For armor, I covered it in a side and the weapon motor.
combination of 1/4 inch aluminum I ran a separate receiver battery practicing at home a lot, I competed
diamond deck and 3/16 plate since I didnt have a speed controller in the Southeast Combot
aluminum (I will go thicker in the to power it through a BEC (battery Championship event in Tampa, FL. The
future). eliminator). event was hosted by Sam McAmis
who piloted one of my opponents,
Electrical Experience Gruff. I also fought against Old Iron
and Breaker Box.
I started out by ordering some After building this robot and The tournament was a round
used Honda hybrid batteries off robin, meaning everyone
of eBay. Thanks to Charles Part Number Price Total fought everyone once, and the
Guan, I got the idea from his 1/8 1" Square tube 4 $18 $72 winner was determined by the
article on building packs for 3/4 Bearings 8 $9 $72 best record. My first match was
your go-carts. At 7.3V and $10 1" Bearings 2 $13 $26 against Breaker Box, built by
a stick, you cant beat the price. 3/4" Keyed shafting 2 $21.95 $43.90 Jim Smentowski.
I ran four of them in series to 1" Keyed shafting 1 $26.95 Breaker Box easily got
give me 38 volts. Delta relays 3 $59.95 $179.85 under me and was dominating
The batteries ran through a Reversing solenoids 3 $36.95 $110.85 until he got stuck on the edge
Hella disconnect switch that I Tarp roller gear motor 1 $199 of the box. After his one
modified a key for so the robot Tires 4 $16.95 $67.80 unstick, he pushed me around
could be turned on and off by 10 tooth #40 sprocket 4 $4.45 $17.80 until once again he was stuck
a screwdriver. Then, I ran the 15 tooth #40 sprocket 2 $5.30 $10.60 on the wall.
motors off of three reversible Custom sprockets 3 $200 I tried to pull him off the
motor solenoids from Surplus 4x4 sheet aluminum 1 $40 wall but wound up spinning my
Center. The hot signal to Toyota hybrid batteries 8 $10 $80 weld on the sprocket; my arm
control the direction came from Anderson disconnects 4 $10.25 $41 would not pick up after that. I
a Team Delta dual relay switch Radio setup 1 $200 was only hoping to survive to
from Circuit City. This gave me $1387.75 fight my other fights but ended

SERVO 12.2016 29
Combat Zone - Dec 16_Combat Zone - Aug 15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:04 PM Page 30

Close-up of the batteries and reversing solenoids.

Mounting my motors so the chains are tight.

up winning (okay, more like surviving) my first

match ever by TKO.
My second match was against Gruff. I was once
again easily lifted repetitively. At one point, he
ripped my wheel off the shaft. I still continued to
Wiring diagram. fight the rest of the match on three wheels ... it was
an awesome match.
Gruff won by a judges decision as well he
should have; he owned me most of the match. My
third match was against Matt Spurk and Old Iron.
Where did my This was a fun match. I put my axe on for this one.
wheel go? My robot is geared more as a lifter so the axe swing
was not as fast as I would have liked it to be, but I
repetitively delivered blows to the top of Old Iron. I
won by a judges decision, giving me a 2-1 record.
Gruff and Breaker Box also had the same
record. The final tie breaker was my bot, AG-gresive
vs. Breaker Box. By sheer luck and durability, I pulled
out first place.
My robot was not the most competitive, the
fastest, or best controlled by any means, but I still
had a great time, got to meet some of the most
awesome people ever, and gained experience that
no amount of beating up Power Wheels at home
will ever give me.
A truly competitive heavyweight can cost $10k
and up, but you have to start somewhere. Dont be
afraid to build something. SV

30 SERVO 12.2016
Combat Zone - Dec 16_Combat Zone - Aug 15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:05 PM Page 31
www.servomagazine.com/index.php/magazine/article/December2016_Robot-Battles-Dragon-Con.
EVENT REPORT:
Robot Battles 60 at Dragon Con
obot Battles 60 took place
R earlier this year in Atlanta, GA
at Dragon Con. As with prior
years, the number of bots continued
to grow which resulted in all four
classes running single elimination due
to time constraints.
The 1 lb and 3 lb portion of
Robot Battles 60 had nearly 40 entries
across the two classes.
Phantom
DDT and
Silent Spring
Green
Reaper
by Mike Jeffries
The top eight 1 lb bots were: Noodles, and Too Big To Flail.
Phantom, Green Reaper, The Minions,
Zuul, Shazbot, Klazo, Kitbot, and DDT.
In the quarter finals, Green
In the quarter-finals, Black Adder
pounded The Hammer VF into
submission; Pvt. Slicer out-wedged
Reaper flipped Phantom over, winning Wedgee; Gor Gor grappled with
by count-out. The Minions shoved Doomba in a fight that went to the
Zuul into the pushout; Shazbot judges; and Noodles pushed Too Big
managed to get Klazo into the To Flail around until the match ended,
pushout after having its lifter ripped winning another judges decision.
off mid-match; and Kitbot took all the In the semi-finals, Black Adder
hits DDT could dish out prior to DDT punted Pvt. Slicer around a bit before
rocketing itself into the pit. launching Slicers battery into the pit.
In the semi-finals, opposition Noodles out-pushed Gor Gor and took
Green Reaper and Shazbots acrobatics yet another win on a judges decision.
allowed it to get the upper hand
against Kitbot. Zuul
In the finals, Shazbot was able to
overcome The Minions by getting
both halves of the multibot into the
pit to win the 1 lb championship.
In the 1 lb rumble Reptar, Kitbot,
Wizzlfuts, and Green Reaper survived
to the finish.
The top
eight 3 lb bots
were: Black
Adder, The
Hammer VF,
Pvt. Slicer,
Wedgee, Gor
Gor, Doomba,
Slicer,
Klazo,
Reptar,
and
Minion
The other half of
The Minions
SERVO 12.2016 31
Combat Zone - Dec 16_Combat Zone - Aug 15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:05 PM Page 32

In the finals, Black Adder
dominated early on, sending Noodles
bouncing around the box but not
doing much damage. Near the middle
of the fight, Black Adders weapon
sucked in one of the latex traction
rings on Noodles wheels, stalling the
weapon.
The remainder of the fight was a
shoving match with Noodles (being
designed as a pusher) having a good
deal of success shoving Black Adder
around. The fight went the full three
minutes and the judges rendered a
split decision for Noodles.

Wizzlfuts

Micro Nightmare
Kitbot and Shazbot

Wedgee
Doomba

The
Hammer VF

Too Big Black

To Flail Gor Gor Adder

Noodles DK Jr Flippy

32 SERVO 12.2016
Combat Zone - Dec 16_Combat Zone - Aug 15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:05 PM Page 33
In the 3 lb rumble, DK Jr, Mobile
Chernobyl, Too Big To Flail, Black
Adder, Flippy, and Fodder v1.5
survived to the finish.
The 12 lb and 30 lb portion of
Robot Battles 60 featured 33 entries
across the two classes.
The top eight 12 lb bots were:
Wheres The Puck, Atomic Wedgie,
Aluminum Box, Busted 2.0,
Dingleframus, Furbot, Liftlord, and T-
Boner.
In the quarter-finals, Wheres The
Puck defeated Atomic Wedgie;
Aluminum Box took out Busted 2.0;
Dingleframus eliminated Furbot; and
Liftlord made short work of a
malfunctioning T-Boner.
In the semi-finals, Wheres The
Fodder v1.5
Furbot
Dingleframus
Puck out-muscled Aluminum Box, and
Dingleframus sent Liftlord off the
stage.
In the finals, Wheres The Puck
overpowered Dingleframus taking the
12 lb championship.
Two 12 lb rumbles took place
with Furbot winning the first and
Liftlord winning the second.
The top eight 30 lb bots were:
Sabretooth, Pinocchio, Nyx, Pusheen,
Product Placement, MikeReauxbot,
Styx, and Stick a Fork In It.
In the quarter-finals, Sabretooth
quickly disposed of the unorthodox
Pinocchio (Dingleframus with some
extra stuff on it); Nyx juggled Pusheen
around a bit before sending it off the
stage; Product Placement pounded
Additional photos are available
at the article link.
Atomic
Wedgie
T-Boner
Wheres
The Puck
MikeReauxbot with a dead motor on
a chain; and Styx did its best
impression of a battering ram against
Stick a Fork In It.
In the semi-finals, Nyx suplexed
Sabretooth off the stage and Styx out-
wedged Product Placement.
In the finals, Nyx kept Styx off
balance and took the 30 lb
championship.
Two 30 lb rumbles took place
with Styx winning the first rumble and
Pinocchio winning the second.
Links to the video from Robot
Battles 60 along with information on
rules and future events can be found
at robotbattles.com. SV
Busted 2.0
and
Rusted 2.0
Aluminum Box
Pusheen
SERVO 12.2016 33
Kugelmass - HackerLab Intro - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 6:09 PM Page 34
WHAT'S A
HACKER LAB?
By Joseph Kugelmass Post comments on this section at www.servomagazine.com/index.php/magazine/article/
It's my first day volunteering at the
HackerLab, and I'm standing in front
of a dozen fifth grade students. "For
the next part," I tell them, "you need
to think of an image. Anybody got
one?" In about two seconds, they're all
shouting out ideas. A tree. A
pineapple. "Star Lord" from
Guardians of the Galaxy. A map of
Hawaii. I tell them to find a computer
and a partner; older kids are stationed
next to each laptop. They'll help these
students turn their ideas into a
personalized decal, laser cut to order
on a wooden tile. For many of these
kids, this is their first introduction to
what a "maker space" really means.
A
maker space is essentially a communal shop
where members get access to training, tools, and
equipment. In many cases, the community itself is
34 SERVO 12.2016
December2016_HackerLab.
a resource to the other members working on projects or
solving creative/commercial problems. Maker spaces are the
cutting edge of the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) culture. HackerLab
members are interested in technology, coding, and
software, in addition to or in combination with physical
manufacturing. In recent years, maker spaces have also
been used to foster entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurs use HackerLab to create working models
and prototypes of new inventions; they meet up at
HackerLab to brainstorm ideas and collaborate on new
ventures. Community members use the space to learn new
crafts, pursue creative hobbies, and design one-of-a-kind
objects that meet their personal or professional needs.
Students of all ages from grade school to college use
the HackerLab as a sandbox where they can get firsthand
experience with high tech workshop equipment. For some
students, this will be the place where they take their first
steps towards a career in robotics, design, coding, or the
arts.
HackerLab got its own start four years ago, when
entrepreneur and DIY artist, Gina Lujan got the idea for a
community space: open to the public and a resource for
local students; and simultaneously an incubator for new
product designs and entrepreneurial business ventures. In
designing HackerLab, Lujan was bringing a decade of
business and maker experience to bear. In fact, she was
one of the first people to put HackerLab to the test.
Shortly after HackerLab opened, Lujans home was
destroyed in a fire. Using re-purposed wood and whatever
other materials she could find, she began designing and
creating furniture for her new home. Most of whats in her
house now was once scrap; at HackerLab, Lujan
Kugelmass - HackerLab Intro - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 6:09 PM Page 35

INTRODUCING
SACRAMENTOS
PIONEERING MAKER SPACE

transformed that junk into raw the fall. It is free to Sierra College
materials for living. students, who can purchase a
Her resurrected home is typical HackerLab membership for just
of the hacking that HackerLab $12.50 per month.
members love to do. A hack, in At Startup Hustle, Sierra
this sense, is a creative solution to College students work alongside a
a common problem for example, diverse group of experts and
finding the ingredients you need to artisans to apply and hone the
build something. Earlier, I skills theyve learned in the
mentioned the fifth graders who classroom. When its all over in
visited HackerLab; in addition to addition to their academic training
laser cutting, they got to challenge in engineering and design the
each other using remote-controlled participants can add practical
combat robots. The bots were experience with coding, virtual
designed by students and built reality, and 3D printing to their
with scavenged re-purposed parts. resumes.
Nile Mittow, the event coordinator, Hill first joined HackerLab to
explained this kind of hacking to use the CNC and laser cutter; he
his awed visitors once the Gina Lujan and a partner wanted to try out
gladiatorial contests were finished. designs for a new kind of smart
I have a pink Barbie car, a little toy car, that can go 15 home automation system. Hill developed new skills while
miles per hour, he said. I found the car in a dumpster, creating his prototype at HackerLab. I had no idea how to
took it apart, and made it into a racing machine. Thats make a printed circuit board, he said, when the college
hacking seeing the value of something others might even asked him to describe what he learned at HackerLab. But
throw away. after three weeks of practice at HackerLab, I could make a
In addition to giving school tours, HackerLab offers perfect board from scratch.
intensive educational workshops for young makers. For Hill and his partner applied to Startup Hustle once they
several weeks during the summer, full classes of interested were ready to create a business plan. They received expert
students come and learn the basics of starting a new coaching from industry leaders. The mentors were genius,
business. Others build and program a VEX IQ robot from a said Hill. They were more than technical experts; they
starter kit, taking on the formidable collaborated with us to think through
VEX Robotics Challenge with help sales and marketing.
from Dave Parker, professor of There were aspects to this that
Computer Science at Sierra College had never occurred to the young
in Rocklin, CA. There is a fully engineers. When I started, I had no
functional HackerLab location in idea how to pursue a realistic viable
Rocklin which has joined forces with business, Hill commented. For
Sierra College to support design example, one of the assignments
projects and commercial startups was to pinpoint the exact type of
headed up by Sierra students and customers we were going for to sell
other members of the local our product. Theyd been so busy
community. inventing that they hadnt stopped to
Tyler Hill, a Mechanical consider who, exactly, was going to
Engineering major from Lincoln, CA, buy their smart home system.
was hired as an engineer at NCR Thanks to his mentors, Hill now
Corporation in part because of his understood the planning his team
participation in HackerLabs Startup had to do if they wanted to have a
Hustle. A more advanced intensive successful product launch.
version of the Labs summer business In addition to working one-on-
course, Startup Hustle is a boot one with their mentors, the teams
camp for entrepreneurs that attended weekly training sessions led
Nile Mittow
HackerLab offers each year during by successful entrepreneurs. At one
SERVO 12.2016 35
Kugelmass - HackerLab Intro - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 6:09 PM Page 36
Matt Porr, Eric Ullrich (co-founder), and Alan Ware.
of these sessions, Sierra College faculty member, Steve
Gillette offered Hill some hard-earned advice based on his
own experience running a company. I didnt really want to
hear it, explained Hill. We were excited about the
technology and unprepared for the difficulties of regulation,
producing a product, and building a business.
36 SERVO 12.2016
In hindsight, Hill was grateful for Gillettes input. He
was absolutely right on about the challenges of being an
entrepreneur. The insight I gained from Startup Hustle was
like getting ice cold water thrown at you, Hill chuckled.
We realized that we were in way over our heads trying to
run a company, and needed to know more.
Although Hill decided not to move forward with the
home automation system, he believes that participating in
Startup Hustle was a valuable experience. I gained so
much that you cant learn in school, said Hill. I would
definitely recommend that students get involved with
HackerLab so they can apply what they are learning. I
would recommend Startup Hustle to other students who
are up for the challenge and think theyd like to be
entrepreneurs. When Im ready to start a company, Ill
know what it takes. Hill also offered his peers a friendly
warning: Startup Hustle isnt for the faint of heart!
The Rocklin HackerLab (modeled after the first
HackerLab in downtown Sacramento) was in part the
brainchild of Carol Pepper-Kittredge, director of Sierra
Colleges Center for Applied Competitive Technologies. To
attract students to advanced manufacturing careers and
provide businesses access to technology and training, Sierra
College equipped the maker space with electronics, 3D
printers, [a] laser cutter, and [a] CNC router, she said in a
Kugelmass - HackerLab Intro - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 6:09 PM Page 37

For a limited time, SERVO readers can get a free one-month pass to HackerLab.
Use the code SERVOMAG. Find out more at www.hackerlab.org.

2015 interview.
Pepper-Kittredges comments help to place Hills story
in the larger context of HackerLabs educational mission.
HackerLab provides a unique environment where students
can mix with people from various industries, and this
network accelerates their career path as well as [their]
entrepreneurial endeavors, she said. Startup Hustle
delivers real world experiences to students; it validates the
skills theyve developed on campus, and prepares them for
science, technology, engineering, and math STEM
careers.
In less than a year, the partnership between HackerLab
and Sierra College delivered an off-campus location in
Rocklin, filled with cutting-edge equipment. The new site
attracted 140 members half of them students and
boasted over 1,000 attendees in its first year of classes and
events.
HackerLabs collaboration with Sierra College is only
one example of the successful partnerships that the Lab has
initiated to expand its offerings and member services. Intel
Corporation has been an enthusiastic sponsor and partner
of HackerLab for several years now. Thanks to Intel,
HackerLab was able to offer an incubatory hackathon
thats maker for workshop targeted at businesses
both new and old who were looking to collect IoT
(Internet of Things) data and manage it via the cloud.
Participants received Intels brand new Edison module
(designed to be a primary component of new smart
devices, such as wearable tech) and a Groove Starter kit;
their work had the potential to take them all the way to
Intels own Developer Forum. Opportunities like this are
almost daily occurrences at HackerLab, whose other
sponsors include Consolidated Communications (who
provide HackerLabs super high speed Wi-Fi) and the optics
giant, VSP Global.
On the webpage announcing HackerLabs IoT
workshop, Nile Mattow wrote that HackerLab staff
encourage interesting uses/misuses of technology. I want
to believe him, but after being a part of the HackerLab
community for a month now, I have yet to see anyone
misusing technology. Rather, HackerLab is manifestly a place
where technology comes into its own, as something
accessible, limitless, and personal all at once. It is a space
that empowers members to go the full distance from an
idea (A pineapple!) to a complete creation.
I originally wrote to a complete polished creation, but
thats inaccurate. After all, sometimes the first stab at new
tech is distinctly un-polished. Theres room for such ugly
ducklings at HackerLab. There is space enough here to
innovate. SV

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SERVO 12.2016 37
Blankenship - Self-Diagnostics - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 6:11 PM Page 38

Self-Diagnostics
Have you ever packed up your robot and taken it to a club meeting with the
intent of demonstrating all your work to a room full of hobbyists only to find
that a loose connection made both you and your robot look, not just
unprepared, but totally inept? If your robot had an internal self-testing
program, it could have saved the day for you. Read on to discover some
concepts to help you develop such a program for your robot.

D
uring a recent discussion with fellow robot
enthusiast, Steven Canning, we explored the idea
that a proper robot should be able to perform an
internal self-diagnostic routine to verify its operational
status. My first thoughts were somewhat negative. Lets
look at an example to help clarify my initial concerns.
Assume your robot has a compass to determine its
orientation and wheel encoders to measure the movement
of its wheels. You could attempt to check the compass by
using the wheel encoders to turn the robot 90 and then
verify that the compass readings reflect that movement. If
the readings are wrong though, the error might not be the
compass fault because it is possible that the robot is not
making the 90 turn due to problems with its wheel
encoding sensors (or even with the motors themselves). Of
course, you could personally move the robot 90, but that
defeats the purpose of having the robot perform a self-test.
In general, in order to test any of its sensors, a robot
has to perform some action that alters the sensors state in
a predicted way. When the test fails, the question becomes,
how do we know if the sensor is failing, or if the robot is
not performing the action (or at least not performing it
accurately)?
This could be an unsurmountable problem unless you
know, or can verify, that one of your robots sensors is, in
fact, working correctly. If we knew in the previous example,
for instance, that the wheel encoders produced accurate
movements, then it would be easy to test the compass. If a
robot has numerous sensors, this technique can be even
more effective. You could use one working sensor to verify
that a second works then use either or both of those
sensors to check the operation of a third sensor. At that
point, you would have three sensors to check the operation
of a fourth. The more sensors your robot has, the more
options you have when creating a diagnostic routine.
Using a Robot Simulator
The RobotBASIC simulated robot is a great way to
experiment with this idea for several reasons. First, the
simulation has numerous sensors including wheel encoders,
a turret-mounted ranging sensor, three line sensors, a
38 SERVO 12.2016
compass, a beacon detector, and nine perimeter-mounted
proximity sensors. The availability of so many sensors makes
it easy to create meaningful demonstrations. The second
reason is the simulation itself.
Since RobotBASIC is free for everyone (download it
from www.RobotBASIC.org), it provides an easy-to-use
common platform for testing a variety of ideas before
implementing them on your own robot using your own
programming tools and sensors. Finally, if your robot is built
using the RobotBASIC Robot Operating System (RROS),
then programs developed on the simulator can be used to
control your real robot with minor modifications. Even if
your robot is based on an entirely different platform,
RobotBASICs simple BASIC syntax (which is very much like
its own pseudo code) makes it easy to translate algorithms
to your language of choice.
The goal of this article is to present a program that can
test many of the simulator sensors listed above. Ideally, the
program will demonstrate principles that will inspire others
to create similar functionality for their own robots. To that
end, lets examine what is needed to write such a program.
As mentioned earlier, it can be difficult if not
impossible to determine if various sensors are working
properly unless we have at least one sensor (or sensor
subsystem) that we know is working correctly. After
considering ways of testing each of the simulators sensors,
it occurred to me that the line sensors might be testable
without using any of the other sensors, as long as it can be
assumed the robot can perform basic movements (even if
such movements are not perfectly accurate). If this could be
done, the line sensors can be used to test other sensors as
described earlier. Lets see how the line sensors could be
autonomously tested.
The Testing Environment
We will assume that the robot to be tested is placed in
a known test environment. One of the properties of this
environment is that it will have a line on the floor that is
just wide enough to trigger all three of the line sensors. It
will also be assumed that at the start of the test, the robot
will be placed on this line with all three line sensors
Blankenship - Self-Diagnostics - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 6:11 PM Page 39

for Your Robot

By John Blankenship Post comments on this section and find any associated files and/or downloads at
www.servomagazine.com/index.php/magazine/article/December2016_Robot-Self-Diagnostics.

positioned over it. The test software composed of two lines on the floor that
Figure 1
should display the sensor readings so intersect at right angles. There is also a
you can ensure that the robot is wall at the top of the figure and a
correctly centered on the line. beacon on the right. The robots
Some of the tests for other sensors starting position should be centered on
(as you will see) will need a second intersecting line. In the intersecting lines with all of the line sensors (which are
addition, we will need a wall for testing the ranging sensors on the front edge of the simulated robot) on the line
and a beacon for testing the beacon sensors. Figure 1 directed toward the wall. Notice the simulated robot in the
shows the test environment I used for the simulator. It is figure is placed in this position.
xyString 350,335,"TEST RESULTS"
The environment
// verify all the sensors are ON for a real robot might
// note: rSense() returns the three line sensor readings as a 3-bit value be lines composed of
if rSense() <> 7
xyString 5,355,"The line sensors should be all on (assuming you setup the robot properly)." black electrical tape
xyString 5,375,"They are reporting a ",rSense()," so they have failed." on a white poster
xyString 5,395,"Fix the problem and rerun the test."
gosub StopTesting board that is placed
endif Figure 2 against a wall in your
// test to see if the sensors will turn OFF
rTurn -45 home. Of course, the
gosub ShowSensors environment you use
if rSense()=0
xyString 5,355,"The line sensors seem to be working properly." will be unique for
xyString 5,375,"All sensors will turn on and off." your robot and the
else
xyString 5,355,"If the robot has turned away from the line, the line sensors are not" sensors it uses. It is
xyString 5,375,"working properly. Currently they should be all off, but they read ",rSense(),"." unlikely that your
xyString 5,400,"Fix the line sensors and rerun this test program." robot will have the
xyString 5,420,"NOTE: If the robot has not moved away from the line, then the motors"
xyString 5,440," must be fixed before the tests can continue." same sensors as the
gosub StopTesting simulator and even if
endif
rTurn 45 it does, differences in
gosub ShowSensors the mounting
// now move robot back to setup position
if rSense() = 0 // not even close to line configurations could
xyString 5,395,"The robot however, could not find the line again. Perhaps there" force your testing
xyString 5,415,"is a problem with the encoders. The robot must be able to move"
xyString 5,435,"reasonably accuratley to run the tests." procedures to be
xyString 5,455,"Fix the problem and rerun this test program." different from any
gosub StopTesting
endif shown here. Ideally
// some of the line sensors are on the line though, the principles
// make tiny movements to get all sensors back on the line
LT = 0 and concepts
num = 0 // count the number of tries it takes to find the line again demonstrated by the
for i=1 to 20 simulator test
if rSense() = 0 then rTurn LT\LT=0 // reverse movement if line lost
if rSense() = 1 then rTurn 1\LT=-1 program will help you
if rSense() = 3 then rTurn 1\LT=-1 create something
if rSense() = 6 then rTurn -1\LT=1
if rSense() = 4 then rTurn -1\LT=1 that meets your
gosub ShowSensors needs.
num++
if rSense()=7 then break
next
// check ability to find the line again
Testing the
if num>5 // some problem is likely if more than 5 tries are needed
xyString 5,395,"The robot, however, took too long to find the line again."
Line
xyString 5,415,"Perhaps the motors are too fast or too slow."
xyString 5,435,"The robot must be able to move reasonably"
Sensors
xyString 5,455,"accuratley to run the test. " Lets look at one
xyString 5,475,"Fix the problem rerun this test program."
gosub StopTesting example of how we
else might verify the
// complete the report that the line sensors appear to be working correctly operation of the
xyString 295,375," and they were used to find the line again."
endif simulators line
SERVO 12.2016 39
Blankenship - Self-Diagnostics - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 6:11 PM Page 40
Figure 3
Figure 4
sensors. First, if the robot was placed on the line in its
expected setup position, then all line sensors should be ON
initially (the state of each line sensor is represented by
single bit in the line sensor data). If we rotate the robot a
reasonable amount (perhaps 45 to the left), all of the
sensors should be OFF. If either of these conditions is not
met, then one or more of the line sensors are not working.
If the above conditions are found to be true, we can
assume the line sensors are probably working properly at
least we know that each sensor will turn both ON and OFF.
We can further verify the operability of the line sensors by
using them to return the robot to its original starting
position. As long as the wheel encoders are somewhat
accurate, at least one of the line sensors should be back on
the line if the robot turns right 45. If none of the sensors
see the line, the program should simply report the situation
and advise the user to fix the problem (which is probably
related to the wheel encoders).
If some of the sensors are ON after the initial rotation,
the robot should use the sensors to center itself on the line
again. If the robot is unable to position all three sensors on
the line with a reasonable amount of tries, then we must
assume the robot has problems with small movements
(perhaps, for example, the motors are running too fast or
too slow) and the user should correct the problem before
testing can continue.
40 SERVO 12.2016
Of course, as mentioned earlier, if problems are
detected when testing the first sensory subsystem, the
program cannot be absolutely certain if the problem is with
the wheel encoders, the motors, or the line sensors. As
long as the robot is capable of rudimentary maneuverability
though, the described algorithm for testing the line sensors
should be able to ascertain if the sensors are working
correctly. If any portion of the test fails, the user should be
informed of the findings and advised to diagnose and fix
the problem before testing can continue. After all, if the
robot is not capable of basic maneuverability, we cannot
expect it to perform a self-test. For that reason, a successful
test can validate that the line sensors are working and
that there is reasonable maneuverability. If the test fails,
the program can only provide speculation on what might
be wrong.
The code fragment in Figure 2 implements the line
sensor testing algorithm described above. As you can see,
the actual testing is very simple, and most of the code is
just providing the user with the test results. If you
implement this algorithm on an embedded processor with
a limited ability to display text, it could simply report error
codes to indicate each of the possible outcomes.
If the line sensors all turn ON and OFF, and if the
robot can use them to position itself on the line again,
then we can be confident that the sensors are working
properly and that the robot is capable of reasonable
maneuverability. Knowing that the robot has these
minimal abilities allows us to easily test other sensors.
The User Interface
Before we look at additional testing though, lets
examine the GUI (graphical user interface) used in the
demonstration program to make the simulator testing more
friendly. Figure 3 shows a sample screen from the test
program. Notice it includes the simulator test environment
depicted by Figure 1.
The current test (in this case, the line sensors) is
displayed in the upper left corner of the screen. The lower
center of the figure describes the test and gives the user
any special instructions that are needed. For the line sensor
test, it explains that the robot will rotate to test the sensors
and informs the user that they can click the PERFORM TEST
button to run the current test, or the FULL AUTO button to
perform all the tests in sequence automatically.
If the tests are performed individually, the description
of each test will be displayed while the program waits for
the user to click one of the buttons. The test program
should return the robot to its original position at the end of
each test. Notice also that the program displays the current
status of all the sensors being tested.
Regardless of whether individual or automated testing
is used, the test results will be displayed as shown in Figure
4. A great feature of the RobotBASIC simulator is that you
can force it to add a specified amount of error to its
movements and sensor readings to make it operate more
Blankenship - Self-Diagnostics - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 6:11 PM Page 41
like a real world robot. The screenshot in Figure 4
was obtained after introducing enough error to
cause the robot to have trouble finding the line
again.
Notice how the error information from the code
in Figure 2 is displayed at the bottom of Figure 4.
Notice also that the Current Test Box is still
indicating the line sensors are being tested. This is
true because the test failed. If the test had been
successful, the test results would have been
displayed on the bottom of the screen and the next test (as
well as the information about it) would have been displayed
appropriately on the top half of the screen.
Testing the Wheel Encoders
Now that we know the line sensors are working, we
can use them to test the wheel encoders. Turning the robot
90 to the right should place it on the horizontal line in the
test environment. If all three sensors are on the line, the
encoders are very accurate. If the line sensors read 6 or 3,
the turn was almost perfect, and a reading of 4 or 1 would
indicate a need for improvement. If none of the sensors see
the line, then a major problem exists and should be
corrected by the user before testing is continued.
If some of the sensors were on the horizontal line, we
can turn the robot to the left 90 to return the robot to its
original position. At that point, if two or more of the
sensors are on the line, the robot is capable of reasonable
repeatability. If only one of the sensors sees the line, the
wheel encoders might need calibration or other attention. If
none of the sensors see the line, the wheel encoder
subsystem needs correction before testing can continue.
Testing the Ranging Sensor
Once we know the wheel encoders are working
properly, they can be used to test the ranging sensor. It is
mounted on a rotating turret at the front edge of the
simulator. We can start the test by having the robot take a
reading straight ahead to record the distance to the wall.
The robot can then turn 90 to the right, and rotate the
turret left to record that distance from the wall. Rotating
the robot 180 to the left and the turret to the right allows
still another distance measurement.
Note: This type of testing can also be used if your
robot has three separate ranging sensors instead of one
mounted on a turret. Comparing these measurements to
each other or even to the expected wall distance in your
environment can indicate the accuracy of the ranging
subsystem.
Testing the Compass
At this point, testing the compass is easy. The robot
should begin by recording the current compass heading. It
can then use the wheel encoders to turn to other headings
Figure 5
and compare the new compass readings to what is
expected. The new readings should be within a reasonable
tolerance for the compass to be considered accurate. The
type of compass you have and the nature of your operating
environment will dictate what you find as an acceptable
tolerance.
Testing the Beacon
Since the beacon in the test environment is 90 to the
right, this test is also easy. Simply rotate the robot to the
right an appropriate amount and check to see if the beacon
is visible. In this example, the program checks for the
detection of any beacon. The simulator (and RROS based
robots) can detect up to 15 different beacons, so this test
could be enhanced to look for specific beacons at different
positions if your robot has this capability.
Test Results
Figure 5 shows the test results after running the
program in the FULL AUTO mode with the simulator set to
generate small but reasonable errors when it moves and
interrogates sensors. If any of the tests had failed, the
program would have provided appropriate detail (similar to
that shown in Figure 4) and directed the user to make
corrections before rerunning the test program.
Full Autonomy
If your robot roams your home while you are away
(perhaps vacuuming your floors or performing security
rounds), you can consider having it periodically find its way
to a testing area to verify its functionality. If any tests fail,
the robot could power down or perhaps even send a text
or email to you to keep you informed of its status.
Source Code
Space does not permit listing the entire program here,
but you can download it at the article link or from the In
The News TAB at www.RobotBASIC.org to see the
details of how each test can be implemented.
Hopefully, the concepts discussed here and
demonstrated in the program can convince you that self-
testing your robot is much easier than you might have
imagined. SV
SERVO 12.2016 41
Henning - Serving RaspPi 8 - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 6:36 PM Page 42

Serving Raspberry Pi #8

Starting on Indoor Positioning

Small robots are a lot of fun.

We can drive them around in many ways (Wi-Fi,

Bluetooth, wireless joystick)
We can view out their eyes (Pi camera, etc.)
We can watch them run around and avoid
obstacles (random walk)
We can watch them solve mazes and race
around following lines

Wouldn't it be nice if they could do a lot more?

I know my wife would love it if a robot:

Could vacuum (we have a Roomba, but I need to fix

it)
Could pick up small dropped items (that would choke
a Roomba)
Automatically do the above when there is no one
around
Id love it if a robot could fetch me snacks and drinks
during hockey games, but that will take a much larger,
smarter, and more powerful bot than Berry.
In order to fetch and move items, not only would the
robot need to be much more powerful and have at least
one arm, it would:
Have to know where it was in the house
Have to know the location of items of interest (in 3D
space due to tables and shelves)
We have to learn to walk before we can run, so lets
forget a large robot with an arm for now, and start to work
on having a robot be able to tell where it is in the house.
This requires indoor positioning. There are many techniques
for indoor positioning, including:
Measuring wireless signal strength (from Wi-Fi, RF
beacons, RFID, etc.)
Looking for known optical beacons (whose
positioning is known)
Absolute positioning from wiring or other position
markers in the floor
42 SERVO 12.2016
Visual recognition of a camera view
Dead reckoning by starting from a known position,
combined with odometry or gyroscope
If you are interested in the MANY methods people
have used, Googling robot indoor positioning will get you
more links than you can shake a stick at.
For my robots, I dont need extremely precise
positioning. I will be happy with knowing where Berry is,
say, within four inches. Currently, I am using:
A compass to a bearing of magnetic north
Correcting for magnetic declination so I can get true
north
An accelerometer to compensate for compass tilt
The above gives me a reasonably accurate indication of
where true north is relative to where Berry is facing.
Combining knowing where north is with the distance
to the closest object from it, Berry will be able to build a
rough map of the floor he is running around on. Such a
map is the first step to later being able to figure out
WHERE he is based on direction, distance, and a pre-
defined map of the floor that he can try to locate himself
on via pattern matching.
Later, I will add:
Wheel encoders for odometry (i.e., how far/how fast
the robot is traveling)
Henning - Serving RaspPi 8 - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 6:36 PM Page 43
Post comments on this section and find any associated files and/or downloads at
www.servomagazine.com/index.php/magazine/article/December2016_RaspPi-Robots_Indoor-Positioning.
By William Henning
IR beacons initially to find what room
the robot is in
By adding more IR beacons, it will be
possible to more precisely localize Berry. If
the IR beacons do not give me the precision I
desire, I may explore RF beacons as well.
In the last article, I added an HMC5883L
compass module to Berry, and showed some
simple Python code for getting a bearing to
magnetic north from the module.
A compass is only the first step in
exploring indoor positioning and navigation
for my robots since a compass alone is not
enough to be able to know where the robot is in your
home. Even worse, a compass module by itself can be
extremely inaccurate.
The HMC5883L module can be powered by either 5V
or 3.3V, which makes it very easy to connect to a Raspberry
Pi and/or RoboPi. I connected the compass to the Pi I2C
header on RoboPi as follows:
Compass Vcc to pin 1 of the I2C header (3.3V)
Compass GND to pin 4 of the I2C header (GND)
Compass SDA to pin 2 of the I2C header (SDA)
Compass SCL to pin 3 of the I2C header (SCL)
If you dont have a RoboPi or PiDroidAlpha, you can
connect the compass directly to the corresponding
Raspberry Pi GPIO pins as follows:
Compass Vcc to pin 1 of the Pi GPIO header (3.3V)
Compass GND to pin 6 of the Pi GPIO header (GND)
Compass SDA to pin 3 of the Pi GPIO header (SDA)
Compass SCL to pin 5 of the Pi GPIO header (SCL)
I powered the compass from 3.3V as the Pis I2C port is
pulled up to 3.3V.
Improving Compass Accuracy
As I mentioned in the last article, there are a number
of sources of error and interference:
1. General local magnetic field variations
2. Local magnetic fields from wiring and metal
3. Correction for the difference between magnetic
north and true north
4. Tilt compensation
We can use hmc5883l_calibrate.py to calibrate the
HMC5883L module for local variations in the magnetic
field; go to http://blog.bitify.co.uk/2013/11/connecting-
and-calibrating-hmc5883l.html for an explanation on how
this calibration works.
There is not a lot we can do about variations in the
local magnetic field caused by wiring and metal in the
house, but frankly, extreme accuracy is not required for a
small indoor robot. It is important to point towards true
north instead of magnetic north as the difference
between the two can be rather large. To get a true north
reading, I had to add code to correct for the magnetic
declination at my location (Langley, BC, Canada). See an
explanation at http://geomag.nrcan.gc.ca/mag_fld/
magdec-en.php for more.
I found an excellent site for getting the magnetic
declination for any location on earth, as long as you have
the latitude and longitude at http://geomag.nrcan.gc.ca/
calc/mdcal-r-en.php. I used Vancouvers longitude and
latitude (latitude 49.28 north, longitude 123.12 west).
The declination calculator returned a magnetic
declination of 16 26.94 east, so the correction for
Vancouver is approximately 16 degrees and 27 minutes
east.
As the accuracy of the module is not great, it is enough
to simply subtract 16 degrees from the magnetic north
result, so:
true_bearing = (magnetic_bearing + (360 27)) % 360
Having taken care of magnetic declination, we now
have to look at tilt compensation.
If the compass module is not perfectly level, the
readings can be quite a bit off. So, we also have to
compensate for tilt if we want to be as accurate as we can
reasonably be. You can measure the tilt affecting your bot
with an accelerometer such as the popular (and
inexpensive) ADXL345 accelerometer.
After some Googling, I found a nice simple ADX345
library (originally from Adafruit) in PiMoronis github at:
SERVO 12.2016 43
Henning - Serving RaspPi 8 - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 6:37 PM Page 44

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pimoroni/adxl345- compensation_ADXL345/HMC5883L_compensation_AD
python/master/adxl345.py. XL345.ino.
The ADXL345 module I used had an onboard 3.3V
regulator, but ran at 3.3V. Tilt and declination compensated heading function from
I connected the ADXL345 module to the Pi I2C header compass.py:
on RoboPi as follows:
def heading(decl):
Compass GND to pin 4 of the I C header (GND)
2
axes = adxl.getAxes(True)
Compass SDA to pin 2 of the I2C header (SDA)
x = axes[x]
Compass SCL to pin 3 of the I2C header (SCL) y = axes[y]
z = axes[z]
I also connected the modules Vcc to pin 2 on the
roll = math.asin( axes[y])
Raspberry Pi GPIO header to power it. pitch = math.asin(-axes[x])
If you dont have a RoboPi or PiDroidAlpha, you can
connect the ADXL345 module directly to the corresponding if ((roll>0.78) or (roll<-0.78) or
(pitch>0.78) or (pitch<-0.78)):
Raspberry Pi GPIO pins as follows: print Pitch/Roll error
return -1000
Compass Vcc to pin 2 of the Pi GPIO header (5V) scale = 1.0
Compass GND to pin 6 of the Pi GPIO header (GND)
Compass SDA to pin 3 of the Pi GPIO header (SDA) x = read_signed_word(3) * scale - 2
# use calibrate.py to compute the x/y
Compass SCL to pin 5 of the Pi GPIO header (SCL) # calibration
y = read_signed_word(7) * scale + 115
z = read_signed_word(5) * scale
I got readings from the module right away. However,
the Z axis results never changed, and were way off! After xh = x * math.cos(pitch) + z *
some more Googling, I found that this was a known math.sin(pitch)
yh = x * math.sin(roll) * math.sin(pitch) +
problem with the 2G and 4G sensitivity modes, and that y * math.cos(roll) - z * math.sin(roll) *
switching to 8G or 16G modes would fix it. math.cos(pitch)
It did. heading = math.atan2(yh, xh)
Looking at the results, it was obvious that my desk
(where I tested the module) was not perfectly level, and it if (heading < 0):
heading = heading + 2*3.141529
is pretty much a given that any floor my bots travel over will
not be perfectly flat either. I decided that there was no return (math.degrees(heading) + 360 - decl)
point in trying to calibrate the ADXL345 to any great % 360
precision, so I decided that all I needed was to calibrate the
module at the position it will be attached to Berry on my I made two modifications to the ADXL345.py library:
desk.
First, I had to make a navigation deck for Berry. I 1. To calibrate the compass, I just gathered 600
used one of my EZasBone prototyping boards as the samples while the module was in the correct position, and
platform for the HMC5883L and ADXL345 modules. It was calculated the minimum and maximum X, Y, and Z readings
handy, and it had mounting holes I could use to attach it in the main execute if not used as a library code. Dont
on the Dagu chassis. forget to set xoffs/yoffs/zoffs to zero before calibrating!
I found some C code for modifications needed for the 2. I calculated the average X/Y/Z offsets, and
tilt compensation at https://github.com/jarzebski/ subtracted that from the subsequent readings returned
Arduino-HMC5883L/blob/master/HMC5883L_ when the library was used.

Good enough for home bots :)

To get the heading for the bot, just
import the compass.py library and use the
heading function:
import compass

... other code ...

dir = compass.heading(my
declination)
# replace mydeclination with your
# magnetic declination

44 SERVO 12.2016
Henning - Serving RaspPi 8 - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 6:37 PM Page 45

Some would argue that adding tilt

compensation is going overboard and that small
educational bots do not need it. If you want a more
accurate heading, use:
dir = compass.avg_heading(mydeclination, 5)
# 5 is the number of samples to average
Unfortunately, as we cannot mount the compass
and accelerometer perfectly flat (with respect to the
floor), the error can be quite large (easily more than
five degrees) without tilt compensation, even after
we account for magnetic declination.
Sadly, even with correction for magnetic
declination and tilt compensation, we will still be
disturbed by the wiring and metal present in a
house. However, the results should at least be
repeatable within the same house. This can easily be
demonstrated by using a compass app on your
phone, or an actual old-school compass.
Turning Berry in a circle and occasionally tilting
him presented better results when
tilt compensation was applied.

Mission
Accomplished
In the next column, I will:

Add wheel encoders so I can

track distance traveled
Add an HC-SR04 ultrasonic
ranger as it has a four meter range
compared to the 1.5 meter range of
the current infrared sensor (I may
remove the short-range IR sensor)
Let Berry run loose in my lab
so he can start mapping it! SV

COMPON
COMPONENT
MPONENT & PRE
PRE-WIRED
IRED LED
LEDS
EDS LED
ED D BULBS
BU
ULBS LED
ED LIGHT
LI EN
ENGIN
ENGINES
NES
NES

For the finest in robots,

parts, and services, go to
www.servomagazine.



com and click on


 

Robo-Links.








)

SERVO 12.2016 45
Leeman - Multi-Rotor Hobbyist - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 6:42 PM Page 46
Understanding and Balancing
The Propellers
Multi-Rotor
Hobbyist
Propeller Basics
The wall of propellers at any hobby shop is an interesting
place. There are lots of packages with specifications that
mean little to many new to the hobby. Choosing the right
propeller for your multi-rotor can make the difference
between a stable, maneuverable, and fun-to-fly machine and
a one that barely leaves the ground in a buffeting fit of noise.
Propellers, roughly as we know them, have been around
since the Archimedes screw. Later, the Wright brothers
realized that their airfoil research could be applied to make
more efficient propellers that used a twisted wing design. As
it turns out, their design was only around 5% less efficient
than modern aircraft propellers (http://web.archive.org
/web/20110604093014/http://www.memagazine.org/su
pparch/flight03/propwr/propwr.html)! The main
characteristics of a propeller are its length, pitch, bore,
direction, and material.
Length
Length is the most self-explanatory of the propeller
characteristics. It is simply the length of the propeller from
tip-to-tip, generally specified in inches (Figure 1). When
propellers are sold, they are commonly marked as a set of
two numbers; 10x4.5 for example. The first number (10 in
this case) is the propeller diameter. The thrust of a propeller is
proportional to the area of the propeller in contact with the
air (and a large number of other factors).
If we look back at some geometry, we know that the
area of a circle is calculated as pr2 where r is the radius of the
circle. This means that increasing the length slightly produces
Figure 1: The length specification of a propeller indicates
the diameter. Props are commonly sold using imperial
measurement, but many manufacturers are now marking
them with metric dimensions as well.
46 SERVO 12.2016
By John Leeman
Post comments on this section and
find any associated files
and/or downloads at
www.servomagazine.com/
index.php/magazine/article/
December2016_MultiRotorHobbyist_
Understanding-Balancing-Propellers.
If youve ventured into a hobby shop looking
for propellers for your multi-rotor, youve
probably been overwhelmed by the selection
available. There are propellers of different
lengths, pitches, and materials all of which
could fit your motor. The price difference
between seemingly similar propellers can be
large. This month, we will go over what you
need to know about propellers and how to
balance them to have the best flight
experience.
a change in the area of contact that is faster than simple
linear growth. We can see this by looking at the graph in
Figure 2. Larger propellers need to be spun slower than
smaller propellers to generate the same amount of thrust,
and are generally more efficient.
With the quadratic growth of contact area with propeller
length, you might think we should put 16 props on all of
our quads, but, as always with engineering, there is a
tradeoff. The larger propellers are also heavier than their
smaller counterparts. Anytime you start talking about
swinging masses around, the concept of inertia should come
to mind. The larger propellers with their greater mass will
take longer to change speeds than smaller propellers. If they
Figure 2: The diameter of
a propeller grows linearly
with the radius, but the
area covered by the swing
of the propeller grows
with the square of the
radius. A small increase in
propeller diameter can
make a big difference in
your performance.
Leeman - Multi-Rotor Hobbyist - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 6:42 PM Page 47

take too long to change speed, the flight control system will
have a very difficult time, and you could end up with a poorly
controlled and sluggish quad. I think that for many hobby-
sized multi-rotors, this is not a huge concern, but could
certainly become an issue at the larger end.

Pitch
The pitch of the propeller is a more complex concept.
Pitch is the second number in the propeller specification; 4.5
in our example. The larger the pitch, the more aggressive
the propeller is and the more steeply the blades will be
inclined to the plane of the propeller.
Imagine that we had a way to slowly rotate the propeller
into a block of soft foam. The propeller would screw into the
foam much like a screw would into a piece of wood. If we
traced out the path of the propeller in 3D, we would see a
helical path that looks very similar to a screw thread. Suppose
we made a mark at the tip of a blade when the propeller was
vertical, then rotated it one complete turn and marked the Figure 3: Following the tips of a propeller through three
position of that same blade tip. We would have two marks at complete revolutions, we can see the spacing between each
the same angular position, but offset in the direction of spiral is equal to the pitch of the propeller.
motion by some amount. That amount is the pitch of the
propeller how far it would move in a solid media in one There are further complications as well that are beyond
complete revolution (Figure 3). For model airplanes, people the scope of what we want to do here. Some of the other
often use the mental model of how far the airplane is features youll observe on the propellers are designed to
screwed through the air for each turn of the propeller, direct their thrust towards the center so that the thrust is
though this breaks down somewhat as the air is not a solid concentrated just behind the propeller instead of in a flat
media but a compressible gas. sheet. This is effectively like ducting the propeller!
You might wonder why we dont specify the pitch of a Lets consider two propellers: a 6x3 and 6x4.5. The
propeller in terms of degrees. Take a propeller and literally or propellers are both 6 in diameter, but have a pitch difference
mentally attach a pen to the tip of one blade and to the of 1.5. The propeller with the smaller pitch will be easier to
middle of the same blade. Rotate the propeller though a full spin through the air and will require less current flowing to
turn. Youll see that the outside pen travelled a much greater the motor to maintain a given speed. It will also produce less
distance than the inner pen. For a rotating solid body, we turbulence and utilize the torque peak operating range of
know that every point on the your motor. For multi-rotors that are
propeller will have the same angular designed to be aerial video platforms, we
speed (the center and tip both go generally use lower pitch propellers. For
through 360 in the same amount multi-rotors that need high speed capability
of time). The tangential speed of like racing quads higher pitch
the propeller must vary with propellers are often used.
distance from the center of the
propeller because the tip at radius r2
has much farther to travel than the
Bore
middle of the propeller at r1 (Figure The bore of the propeller describes the
4). If we do the math, we can plot diameter of the hole used to mount it to
the tangential velocity of the the motor (Figure 7). Many multi-rotor
propeller along its length (Figure 5). propellers are cast with a pretty large bore
A consequence of this is that the and come with a set of hard rubber
angle of the propeller blades must bushings to reduce that bore to the
change along the length of the common motor shaft diameters (Figure 8).
propeller to have a roughly constant Figure 4: At two different radii, the Never use a propeller with an incorrectly
thrust along its length. Look at your same solid propeller has to travel much sized bore. The chances of being able to
propellers closely and youll see the different distances. The circumference mount it so that it is centered on the axis
angle becomes much more shallow of the circles traced is linearly of rotation are virtually non-existent. That
proportional to the radius of the
towards the tip (Figure 6). propeller at that point. means the system will be wildly out of

SERVO 12.2016 47
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Figure 7: The bore of the propeller

must be matched to the drive
motor to avoid any off-center
operation. In this photo, the
propeller size, pitch, and direction
are visible in the casting as well.

commonly made out of wood, plastic, or carbon fiber.

Wooden propellers are common on model airplanes, but I
Figure 5: The tangential velocity of the propeller must
linearly increase with the distance from the center. At the havent seen them used on multi-rotors. Wood is a pretty
tip of a 10 diameter propeller, the speed can approach heavy material, so it adds weight to the vehicle and is much
300 MPH! At these speeds, inertia can be a real concern harder to speed up or slow down compared to a similarly
and make the propellers very dangerous. sized plastic or carbon fiber propeller.
Plastic propellers are the most common, and what weve
balance. Vibration will likely cause the prop to move until one used on our home-built quadcopter and also the Parallax
wall of the bore is touching the motor shaft. By this point, ELEV-8. Plastic propellers are lightweight, economical to
your airframe will be vibrating violently and there will likely be manufacture and buy, and easy to balance. Ive flown plastic
damage to it and possibly to you. It is also unwise to drill out props on most everything Ive owned airplanes and quads
a propeller bore without proper machining equipment for the alike. In a crash, you can almost bet on the brittle plastic
same reason. failing and needing a new propeller. The bending and
fracture of the propeller does absorb some of the energy of
Direction impact though, so it can save your
motor sometimes.
Propellers are sold in clockwise Carbon fiber propellers are very
(CW) and counter-clockwise (CCW) expensive compared to their plastic
versions; also referred to as right counterparts, but some pilots are
and left handed propellers. For a devoted fans. Carbon fiber is
quad rotor, you need two of each. phenomenally light meaning that
The direction of rotation is defined larger propellers can still have quick
when looking down from above at spin up/down times. The propellers
the top of the propeller. Most are also outstandingly strong which
manufacturers mark the propellers is good in most cases, but also
with a letter on the casting, but you means that more force can be
can also look at the direction that transferred to the motor and
the leading edge of the propeller airframe during a crash. They are
points (Figure 9). Make sure that also much more damaging if they
you have propellers of the correct encounter objects while in flight.
direction on motors rotating the Remember the video of a carbon-
appropriate direction! fiber propeller interacting with a
If your quad will not lift off, human simulant (https://
but rather tries to flip over in one youtu.be/QQoTQZcwZWE)?
direction or vibrates with no life, it
is very likely that the propeller
and/or motor direction
Why Balance
configuration is incorrect. Propellers?
Figure 6: Notice how the angle of the propeller Have you ever noticed that
changes slightly from the interior to the tip. The
Material angle must be reduced at the tip for the
while driving your car, there was a
vibration in the steering or that you
propeller to maintain a fixed pitch, and is called
Model aircraft propellers are washout in the aviation community. could feel through the seat? The
48 SERVO 12.2016
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Figure 8: Bushings are often included with model aircraft Figure 10: Weights such as these are clamped onto your
propellers to make the same propeller fit a variety of motors cars wheels to balance the wheel/tire assembly. We do
and vehicles. Be sure you pick the bushing that snugly fits the same thing with our model propellers, but with
your motors output shaft. much smaller masses.

intensity (amplitude) of the imbalance is not a problem, but

vibration may even have changed Figure 9: By looking at the our propellers spin very fast and
with different speeds. If you took leading edge of a unbalanced propellers can spell
the car into the shop, the propeller, you can trouble.
determine its direction of
mechanic likely balanced the tires rotation. The swept nature This trouble can come in the
for you. The fact that the center of the leading edge forms of noisy flight and excessive
of mass of the tire and wheel indicates that the vibration. In addition to being
was off center was creating a propeller on the left is a annoying, the vibration can
left-handed (counter-
problem that can be annoying at clockwise) propeller, while loosen fasteners that are holding
best and quite dangerous in the one on the right is a the motors to the frame and
extreme cases. The wheel was right-handed (clockwise) holding the frame together. It can
balanced by using a machine to propeller. also ruin what could have been
characterize the center of mass, beautiful aerial video by
then by clamping small weights introducing a rolling look to the
onto the outer rim to move the picture that is the high frequency
center of mass (Figure 10). Have vibration aliased into the low
a look next time you go for a frame rate recording via the
drive; the weights may be on the camera capture pattern (often a
back side of the wheel to be rolling shutter). The vibration is
hidden for aesthetic purposes. also repeatedly flexing parts of
Turns out that our multi-rotor propellers spin at several the airframe. If the flexure is large enough and occurs for
thousand RPM and need to be balanced as well. long enough, the materials used in the airframe can fatigue
Once you have selected the best propellers for your and fail. Metal fatigue has been the cause of several real
multi-rotor, you are likely to rush home, bolt them onto your aircraft disasters, including a series of crashes of the de
motors, and go for a test flight. Youll notice that the motors Havilland Comet airliner (which turned out to be a story
are vibrating some and that the vehicle makes a lot of noise. about square windows and stress concentrations).
This is because the propellers need to be balanced! Generally, Fatigue as a failure mechanism was even written about in
the more expensive propellers are much better out of the the fictional book No Highway by Nevil Shute in 1948. You
package and may be fine to fly, but balancing is a very simple can demonstrate fatigue by bending a paper clip back and
procedure and one I would recommend for any propeller you forth repeatedly; eventually, the metal will snap! Not
buy. Dont forget to pre-balance your spare propellers for something you want to happen to your airframe in flight.
your field kit as well!
Propellers are generally injection molded bits of plastic
(though there are wood, carbon fiber, etc.). As with any
Dynamic Balancing
manufacturing process, there is some variance in the final Dynamic balancing is a really nice way to balance the
product. For an ideally balanced propeller, the center of mass entire rotating assembly: motor, propeller, and prop nut. It
is precisely in the center of the bore directly in line with the results in very smooth flight and low vibration, but it is also
axis of rotation. Any movement of the center of mass from pretty complicated. To dynamically balance a system, we
that axis means that the center of mass is orbiting the axis of need to run the system through a range of rotation rates
rotation and producing vibrations. At low speeds, some while monitoring the vibration via an accelerometer and the
SERVO 12.2016 49
Leeman - Multi-Rotor Hobbyist - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 6:42 PM Page 50
Figure 11: The
Du-Bro Tru-Spin
prop balancer is
a relatively
inexpensive and
reliable way to
balance your
propellers.
position of the system via a rotary encoder or other position
transducer. This is indeed how car wheels are balanced. Its
worth looking at some videos on YouTube of how it works.
Dynamic balancing can take care of those I only feel the
vibration at 65-75 MPH problems.
Dynamic balancing can be a great benefit to model
aircraft balancing, but it is also a complex technique that
most hobbyists do not pursue. There are some trying to make
a full dynamic balancer; others are using a cell phone as the
accelerometer or attaching a laser pointer to the motor
mounting arm and experimentally balancing the system to
produce the smallest amount of wobble. At some point in the
future, we may explore dynamic balancing, but the next
technique is cheap, easily performed, and often does a good
enough job even for videography.
Static Balancing
Static balancing involves removing the propeller from the
system and putting it into a balancing frame. This frame
holds the propeller, centered around an axle that is
suspended on very low-friction bearings. Often, knife edge
rollers or magnetic bearings are used. If one side of the
propeller is heavier than the other, the heavy blade will settle
at the bottom of the assembly. By iterating either adding
weight or removing weight from the light or heavy blades,
respectively the propeller can be balanced surprisingly well.
The static balancing method is much simpler than
dynamic balancing, and is also much less dangerous as it
does not involve spinning the propeller at high speeds on the
bench top. The equipment to do this is also very economical.
While Ive heard of people balancing an axle between two
coffee mugs, I would recommend buying a commercially
produced balancer. For about $25, you can purchase the Du-
50 SERVO 12.2016
Figure 12: Propellers are
clamped and centered on
the axle by two aluminum
cones. The moveable cone
is held firmly against the
propeller bore by a spring
that is held in compression
by a tight fitting piece of
rubber tubing.
Figure 13: A simple bubble level can be used to make sure
your propeller balancer is leveled on the workbench. These
are available at the hardware store for about $3 and are
always handy to keep on hand.
Bro 499 Tru-Spin balancer (Figure 11). Ive used this to
balance several sets of multi-rotor propellers and havent had
any problems.
Static Balancing Procedure
To static balance your propellers, you should mount the
propeller on the axle that comes with your balancing kit
(Figure 12). You can experiment with balancing the propeller
with and without the bore-reducing bushing inserted.
However, I have not noticed a large difference in my
experimentation. Make sure that the balancing apparatus is
level on your bench (Figure 13) and that the air in the
workspace is still. A light breeze blowing through the shop is
nice, but will provide unending headaches when balancing
propellers. Place the axle with the propeller on the balancing
stand and wait for it to settle. It is very likely that one blade
will settle to the bottom of the stand (Figure 14).
To balance the propeller, weve got two options. We can
add weight to the light side that is sticking up or we can
subtract weight from the heavy side that sinks to the bottom.
If you want to add weight to the light side (arguably the
easier way to balance a propeller), you can place a small
Leeman - Multi-Rotor Hobbyist - Dec 16_Blank Rough SV.qxd 11/1/2016 6:42 PM Page 51

Figure 15: Weight can be added to Figure 16: Adding bits of cellophane
Figure 14: Most the propeller by applying a thin tape is another way to add weight to
propellers will very layer of gel-type Super Glue, and the light blade. This is the quickest
quickly settle with either waiting for it to dry or by way to balance propellers, but is not
one blade hanging using an accelerator to instantly as permanent of a solution.
down. This is the cure the glue.
heavy blade. We can
add weight to the
light blade, or
carefully sand
weight off the heavy
blade to balance the
propeller.

amount of gel-type Super Glue in a
thin layer on the underside of the light
blade at the tip (Figure 15). Using an
accelerator spray to instantly cure the
glue is advisable. An even quicker
solution is to place a small bit of
cellophane tape on the underside of
the propeller (Figure 16). The tape can
be trimmed and easily removed,
making it a good choice for beginners.
If youd like to remove weight from
one side of the propeller, you can use a
fine grit sandpaper; 220 works well.
Sand off a small amount of material
from the heavy blade (usually from
the underside). Try to evenly remove
material so that the propeller does
not become imbalanced from the tip
to the tail of the blade (Figure 17). If
you use this technique, be sure to re-
check the balance often because if
you remove too much, you will either
need to sand the opposite blade
removing more material than
necessary or add mass back into the
blade you over-sanded. The removal
method does have the advantage that
there is no glue or tape to accidentally
abrade away or come off and
unbalance things again.
After adjusting the mass of the
blade, put the propeller back on the
stand and see how you did. Maybe
youll need to remove more mass, add
more tape, or otherwise play with the
balance. After a few tries, the propeller
should be getting close to balanced.
When balanced, it will sit in any
position at which you place it, without
any blade always falling to the bottom
(Figure 18). With practice, youll be
able to balance a propeller in a few
minutes. I can balance a set for my
quad in less than half an hour, and that
is time very well spent.
Closing Thoughts
We didnt have time to get into
how to choose the proper motor
/propeller combination, but I suspect
that will be coming soon as I look at
upgrades to our homemade quad and
the possibility of building larger and
smaller vehicles. Dont be afraid to pick
up several sets of different propellers
next time you are at the hobby store or
ordering something from Amazon.
Experimenting with them could
lead to performance gains on your
multi-rotor for your particular
application. SV

Figure 18: A well-

balanced propeller
will maintain any
orientation it is left
Figure 17: Some 220 grit in. You will notice a
sandpaper can make quick marked difference
work of removing mass from in the amount of
the heavy blade. Be sure to vibration and noise
sand evenly at the end of the your quad makes
propeller and check the during flight after
balance often. balancing.

SERVO 12.2016 51
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The SERVO Webstore

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SERVO 12.2016 53
Woolleys - Twin Tweaks - Dec 16_TwinTweaks - Aug 15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:48 PM Page 54

Twin Tweaks
by Bryce Woolley and Evan Woolley
Go to www.servomagazine.com
/index.php/magazine/article/December2016

All I Want
_TwinTweaks_High-Pressure-Nitrogen-
Cannon to comment on this article.

for Christmas is a
High Pressure
Nitrogen Cannon
W
e know what you might be thinking all I
want for Christmas is a Twin Tweaks article
on something other than a pneumatic
punkin chunker. We hear you. Well make it
a New Years resolution. Yes, this is another
pneumatic cannon project, but its different
from our previous efforts by at least an order of
magnitude of awesome. Its like the end of a
Mythbusters episode, where if they cant get the
Christmas tree to ignite from its lights or clean out a
cement truck with dynamite, they strap copious
amounts of C-4 to everything and blow it to kingdom
come.
Here, however, our goal is sort of the opposite MERRY BOT-MAS!
we want to push the limits of our pneumatic air
cannon punkin chunker design, but we did not want to significantly save on the weight of our chunker while still
blow ourselves up. As we alluded to last time, high pressure allowing for good performance.
large-scale projects come with their own unique set of As detailed back in the October 2015 issue, we created
design considerations, and they require specialized parts an isothermal model of cannon muzzle speed to better
that we couldnt simply scrounge up from the garage. The understand the impact of various design considerations on
weeks leading up to our big build day felt like the 12 Days the performance of the cannon. Our chief performance
of Bot-mas, with boxes full of heavy steel goodness objective was maximizing muzzle speed we figured that
showing up on our doorstep almost every day. Would Santa was a good proxy for chunked punkin distance. We
bring us what we needed for our cannon? Or, did our determined that having a tank volume to barrel volume
single-minded focus on building a better punkin chunker ratio of at least 2:1 for a given pressure ensured that we
relegate us to the naughty list? didnt leave too much muzzle speed on the table (tank to
barrel volume ratios above two gave diminishing returns).
On the First Day of Bot-mas, A larger barrel diameter than tank diameter would, of
McMaster Brought to Me ... course, decrease our tank to barrel volume ratio, but by
messing with the isothermal model we discovered that
As we alluded to, we wanted to build a high pressure giving up a little on the volume ratio allowed us to gain a
version of our PVC punkin chunker because it would be lot more in other areas. A bigger barrel would better allow
awesome and it would be a good way to explore the us to accommodate a bigger projectile (punkin), and a
special challenges of an extreme project. We were sticking bigger heavier projectile would actually have significantly
with the tried and true trident design of our PVC chunkers, higher impact force than a smaller lighter one. That would
but scaled down slightly. Instead of 4 diameter tanks and make for a more spectacularly exploding punkin, and just
barrel, we opted for 2.5 tanks and a 3 barrel. This would like the Mythbusters loading up a cement truck with high
54 SERVO 12.2016
Woolleys - Twin Tweaks - Dec 16_TwinTweaks - Aug 15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:48 PM Page 55

Twin brothers hack whatevers put in front of them, then tell you about it.

explosives, the big

boom is really what its
all about.
Of course, our
paramount concern
with this project is
safety. We wanted to
ensure that every
component was
properly pressure
rated. With respect to
the steel pipe fittings,
that meant we would
be using schedule 80.
Given the challenges
we faced in tracking
down pressure-rated
PVC for our previous THE 6,000 PSI DYNAQUIP VALVE. HIGH PRESSURE FITTINGS.
efforts, we undertook
the search for the fittings with some trepidation. Would we pipe nipples evoke the look of something like giant set
be hamstrung by the lead times for specialty parts right screws. The parts have a literal gravitas that you simply
from the get-go? The anticipation would be torturous, like dont feel with a smaller project. High pressure fittings also
having to wait to open the present under the Christmas require a special high pressure primer and sealant. Trusty
tree that was clearly in the distinctive shape of that Razor Loctite has a high pressure sealant in a familiar festive red
scooter that you had been waiting patiently for all year. with an unfamiliar thick texture, which we were able to
However, we were as pleasantly surprised as a shopper order through Amazon.
emerging from Black Friday without getting trampled at the With the fittings in hand, we could begin to lay out the
entrance to Best Buy in the wee hours of the morning. All cannon and get a sense of the scale. Given the smaller
of the schedule 80 fittings we could ever want were diameter pipe than our PVC versions, we were concerned at
available at good prices through the McMaster-Carr catalog, first that the cannon might look too small and thus lose
and they arrived at our door mere days later. We picked up some valuable cool factor. Fortunately, laying the fittings
all of the elbows, tees, nipples, and end caps we needed, in out like a really heavy jigsaw puzzle didnt disappoint us at
addition to a few other smaller fittings. all. It was a lot more like putting the first ornaments on a
We would need a new setup for the input valve a freshly cut and fragrant Christmas tree an exciting
Schrader valve like on a bike tire wouldnt work for preview of even more exciting things to come.
something we wanted to pressurize up to 3,000 PSI. We One of those exciting things would be the pipes for the
opted for a Foster straight-through quick disconnect fitting tanks and barrel. The barrel would be the heaviest part of
that would allow input through a manual ball valve. The
ball valve would allow us to reliably open and close the
tank, and McMaster even had a great selection of small
high pressure ball valves. We placed our orders and eagerly
awaited our presents.

Making a Parts List, Checking it

Twice
Thankfully, the wait wasnt long because we didnt
even have advent calendar chocolates to count down the
days. The heavy duty boxes arrived at our doorstep, and we
must say that it was a different experience than with
smaller scale projects. Dont get us wrong we like a
bright red SparkFun box just as much as the next roboticist,
but theres something unique about a large scale heavy
project. The schedule 80 steel tee alone weighs more than
a lot of the smaller scale projects weve worked on. The THE SOLENOID VALVE FROM CLARK COOPER.
SERVO 12.2016 55
Woolleys - Twin Tweaks - Dec 16_TwinTweaks - Aug 15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:49 PM Page 56
THE 5,000 PSI TRANSDUCER FROM TRANSDUCERS DIRECT.
BEAUTIFUL THREADS.
the project. At 10.25 pounds per foot, our two foot
long/three inch diameter barrel would clock in at 20.5
pounds. Thats as much as a pug dog. Or, way more than
enough LEGO kits to completely fill up the bottom of a
Christmas tree.
McMaster, unfortunately, doesnt stock large diameter
high pressure steel pipe. We would have to find another
source. Googling around led us to Southern California
based Totten Tubes. Totten has a wide selection of tubes,
including the schedule 80 steel pipe we needed. Totten was
able to cut the pipes to the length we required, and cut
threads onto the outer edge of the tubes so that they
would play nicely with our fittings. They even delivered right
to our door.
On that day of Bot-mas, we were delighted to see that
the threads on the tubes were beautifully cut, and as we
hauled the tubes onto our work bench we were amused to
think that the weight of the tubes far exceeded the weight
of some of our other entire robots (like our Featherweight,
Twibill Trouble).
High Pressure Parts are Coming to
Town
In addition to the pipes and fittings, our high pressure
56 SERVO 12.2016
THE 6,000 PSI REGULATOR FROM HARRIS.
cannon would need a variety of special parts to operate
safely and effectively. The heart of the cannon, of course,
would be the high pressure valve. Just like one of our PVC
models, we wanted to use a large diameter ball valve to
avoid pressure drop over the valve. This one required a lot
of research. After the fact, its easy for us to write down
that we found a great valve from DynaQuip: a two inch
VAJ2.AR series forged steel body ball valve. However, that
doesnt capture the hours of research that went into the
search sifting through lots of valves that looked promising
but then ended up having the wrong specs, or were
prohibitively heavy or expensive.
At times, it seemed as hopeless of an errand as
tracking down a Turbo Man action figure on Christmas Eve.
Finding the right valve was a real team effort, but we
ended up with a valve that we were really happy with. The
DynaQuip valve was rated for 6,000 PSI and was one of the
lightest weight high pressure valves we looked at, clocking
in at only 13.5 pounds. It was a bit pricey, but safety is
priceless.
Why 6,000 PSI when we only want to pressurize the
chunker to 3,000 PSI? We wanted to go with higher
pressure parts in some areas that were really vital to the
functioning of the device to ensure that the safety of it was
beyond reproach. It would always be the best way to stay
on the Nice List.
Another critical safety feature was to ensure that we
had a way to purge the tanks in case something happened
that prevented us from opening up the main valve and
firing it off like normal. This was another challenging
search, and we eventually decided on a solenoid valve from
Clark Cooper. The solenoid valve an EH30 series was
Woolleys - Twin Tweaks - Dec 16_TwinTweaks - Aug 15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:49 PM Page 57

for a 1/4 pipe size, and

was rated to 10,000 PSI,
operated on 24V just like PROPER TOOLS FOR
Protobot, and only weighed PROPER TAPPING.
three pounds. As a solenoid
valve, we wouldnt need
any other sort of trigger
mechanism, and we could
add control with a simple
relay.
Since the solenoid
valve is such a great
solution for the purge
valve, why didnt we use
one for the main cannon
valve? Why muck around
with torsion springs and
trigger mechanisms like we
did in our last project?
Thats because for the BANANA FOR SCALE.
purge valve, a small pipe
size and small valve flow is fine. It doesnt matter if the
nitrogen takes a little bit of a leisurely time exiting the Silver Bells, Steel Fittings
tanks; as long as it purges the tanks, thats all we care
about. For the main cannon valve, we need to minimize After numerous visits from Santa Bot at Robot Central,
pressure drop with a large diameter valve. Large diameter we had all the components for the cannon. Putting it all
high pressure solenoid valves exist but they are together would be somewhat similar to our experience with
prohibitively heavy (50 pounds plus way heavier than the PVC cannons, in the sense that it would involve putting
even two pugs) and prohibitively expensive. primer and sealant on the parts, twisting them together,
One of the last specialized components we needed was and ensuring that the cannon tanks and barrel line up in the
a pressure transducer. The transducer was essential to allow same plane. Since we were dealing with steel and not PVC,
us to take readings of the pressure in the tank, and to there was a little more prep work that needed to be done.
ensure that we didnt overfill it. We tracked down a The steel pipe from Totten Tubes came with beautiful
transducer from the appropriately named Transducers threads, but the inside of the pipe was a bit messy (likely
Direct. The TDH30 series we acquired could handle up to from the lubricant and chips and whatnot from the thread
5,000 PSI, and gave a 0-5V output. Paired with an cutting). We ideally wanted a nice smooth barrel for our
appropriate panel meter, we would be able to take pressure projectiles, and we wanted to clean out the tank pipes so
readings as accurate as the Naughty and Nice List after its that we didnt have any griminess knocking around. So, how
been checked twice. do you smooth out the inside of a three inch pipe without a
The last of the major components was the pressure large reamer or a lathe or some other sophisticated
regulator. We planned to fill the cannon through a
nitrogen tank, and a regulator would need to go
between the nitrogen tank and the cannon. We
selected a 6,000 PSI regulator from Harris, which was
a beefy unit that would allow us to use a 6,000 PSI
nitrogen tank for filling. We were debating between
using a 6,000 PSI regulator or a cheaper 3,000 PSI
regulator that would probably require multiple 3,000
PSI tanks to fill the cannon. With all of our 5,000 PSI
and even 10,000 PSI parts, chickening out and going
for the bare minimum pressure rating on the
regulator seemed like ending up on the Naughty List
on December 24th. So, we maintained our
commitment to high pressure and went with the
higher rated component. PREPPING THE END CAPS.
SERVO 12.2016 57
Woolleys - Twin Tweaks - Dec 16_TwinTweaks - Aug 15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:49 PM Page 58
machinery? The answer sounds like something transported
directly from the Roaring Twenties: a flapper stick.
A flapper stick is a strip of sandpaper at the end of a
long rod mounted on a rotary tool. The sandpaper flaps
around and smoothes the inside surface of the pipe. When
using a flapper stick, its important not to activate it outside
of the pipe because unless the rod is absolutely perfectly
straight (and it wont be), it will wobble around and wreak
havoc. We conscientiously kept the flapper stick inside the
pipes, and after only a few runs, the inner surface was as
smooth and shiny as the undisturbed snow-covered expanse
of a winter wonderland.
The only other components that we needed to modify
in advance of the final assembly were the end caps. We
needed to add quarter inch threaded holes to
accommodate our input valve assembly, transducer, and
purge valve. Prepping the schedule 80 steel end caps was a
bit more involved than their PVC counterparts from the
earlier cannons.
There were two ways we could do it: one would be to
use a 7/16 drill bit for the hole and then tap it, but just
using the drill bit for the hole would not give us the best
threads. We would achieve better threads by first drilling a
27/64 hole, then using a taper pipe reamer. The tapered
hole makes for better threads than the straight through
hole, and given that these would be the only holes we
BEFORE FLAPPER STICK TREATMENT.
58 SERVO 12.2016
would drill in our pressure vessel,
A FLAPPER STICK. we wanted to do it right.
So, on the last day of Bot-mas
before our big build day, McMaster
brought to us a new drill bit, taper
reamer, and tap. The end caps were
very thick material, but were no
match for the new bits and a steady
hand on the drill press. Now that
we had drilled some holes in our
pressure vessel, we were ready to seal it all up.
We Wish You a Merry Bot-mas
The very final step before actually assembling the
cannon was to prime the inside of the fittings and pipe. We
cleaned out the threads with brake cleaner, and let them
dry out thoroughly before priming them with self-etching
primer. The primer would be a safeguard against any
moisture build-up and resulting corrosion. We planned to
use nitrogen for our big chunks, which would be dry and
wouldnt risk moisture build-up in the cannon. For some
initial testing, we figured we would be using garden variety
compressed air (which could be as moist as delicious
cookies left out for Santa on Christmas Eve), so priming
would be a good idea. Once the parts dried (quickly, in the
warmth of the distinctly un-Christmas-like SoCal sunshine),
we really were ready for the final assembly.
Putting the cannon together was a bit more
challenging than the inevitable type of large toy assembly
that goes on in households across the land on Christmas
morning. Mainly because it was so crazy heavy. The fittings
and valve all together (minus the pipes) weighed in at
about 60 pounds the weight of our lightweight combat
robot, Troublemaker (all Troublemaker wants for Christmas
is a stronger weapon motor; well see what Santa brings
AFTER FLAPPER STICK TREATMENT.
Woolleys - Twin Tweaks - Dec 16_TwinTweaks - Aug 15.qxd 11/1/2016 9:17 PM Page 59

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED. GETTING SOME LEVERAGE.

this year). Add in the pipes and other fixings, and the
cannon tipped the scales at just under 120 pounds.
We primed the threads, applied the sealant, and
twisted the fittings together. We started with the tee
and completed the barrel assembly first. A large vice
and a pipe wrench helped us get the fittings
tightened down nicely. As we moved to the first of
the tanks, the cannon was becoming a bit more
challenging to handle. It was definitely a team effort.
The second and final tank was appropriately the most
challenging, but once it was done we felt like how
Santas Elves must feel after getting the last toy out
the door and into Santas sleigh.
Once we put the cannon on Protobot, it will
officially be the heaviest robot weve ever built
heavier than the FIRST robots from Team 1079, and
heavier than any of the other bots weve worked on
throughout the years. Theres a special sense of
accomplishment that comes with pulling off a large WERE GONNA NEED A BIGGER CHRISTMAS TREE.
scale project. As anyone thats attended a
heavyweight combat robotics competition or a FIRST team efforts, and the shared sweat really solidifies your
regional can attest to, there is something uniquely awe- relationship with both the bot and your teammates.
inspiring about big robots. Large scale bots are necessarily As we also learned throughout the 12 Days of Bot-mas,
having team members to help you
track down the specialized parts
THE OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION STATEMENT OF SERVO MAGAZINE, Publication Number: 1546-0592 is
published monthly. Subscription price is $26.95. 7. The complete mailing address of known office of Publication is T&L needed for a big project is just as
Publications, Inc., 430 Princeland Ct., Corona, Riverside County, CA 92879-1300. Contact Person: Larry Lemieux. Telephone: (951)
371-8497. 8. Complete Mailing address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher is T&L Publications, Inc., 430 essential as having them there on build
Princeland Ct, Corona, CA 92879. 9. The names and addresses of the Publisher, and Associate Publisher are: Publisher, Larry day. After weeks of researching and
Lemieux, 430 Princeland Ct., Corona, CA. 92879; Associate Publisher, Robin Lemieux, 430 Princeland Ct., Corona, CA 92879. 10.
The names and addresses of stockholders holding one percent or more of the total amount of stock are: John Lemieux, 430 ordering parts, and having them
Princeland Ct., Corona, CA 92879; Lawrence Lemieux, 430 Princeland Ct., Corona, CA 92879; Audrey Lemieux, 430 Princeland Ct.,
Corona, CA 92879. 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and other security holders: None. 12. Tax Status: Has not changed appear at our doorstep one by one,
during preceding 12 months. 13. Publication Title: SERVO Magazine 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data: October 2015-September
2016. 15. The average number of copies of each issue during the proceeding twelve months is: A) Total number of copies printed our big build day really did carry all of
(net press run); 8569 B) Paid/Requested Circulation (1) Mailed Outside County subscriptions: 3592 (2) Mailed In-County
subscriptions: 0 (3) Paid Distribution Outside the Mail including Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendor, and counter the anticipation and excitement of
sales and other paid distribution outside USPS: 1797 (4) Paid Distribution by other classes of mail through the USPS: 0; C) Total Christmas morning.
Paid Distribution: 5390; D) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution by mail and outside the mail (1) Free or Nominal Rate Outside-
County Copies: 0 (2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies: 0 (3) Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at other classes through We got just what we wanted: a
the USPS: 0 (4) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the mail: 1317; E) Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution: 1317; F) Total
Distribution: 6707; G) Copies not distributed: 1863; H) Total: 8569; Percent paid circulation: 80.37%. Actual number of copies of the high pressure nitrogen cannon thats
single issue published nearest the filing date is September 2016; A) Total number of copies printed (net press run) 9079; B)
Paid/Requested Circulation (1) Mailed Outside County subscriptions: 3462 (2) Mailed In-County subscriptions: 0 (3) Paid (almost) ready to chunk punkins into
Distribution Outside the Mail including Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendor, and counter sales and other paid
distribution outside USPS: 2983 (4) Paid Distribution by other classes of mail through the USPS: 0; C) Total Paid Distribution: 6445; oblivion. SV
D) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution by mail and outside the mail (1) Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies: 0 (2) Free or
Nominal Rate In-County Copies: 0 (3) Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at other classes through the USPS: 0 (4) Free or
Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the mail: 800; E) Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution: 800; F) Total Distribution: 7245; G)
Copies not distributed: 1834; H) Total: 9079; Percent paid circulation: 88.96%. I certify that these statements are correct and
complete. Lawrence Lemieux, Publisher - 10/31/2016.
www.mcmaster.com
www.tottentubes.com
SERVO 12.2016 59
Carroll - Then & Now - Dec 16_Then & Now - Sep15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:55 PM Page 60

g{x Now
a n d
by Tom Carroll
TWCarroll@aol.com

Robots of the Future

I was recently on vacation and happened to see two TV commercials presented right after each
other touting robots and the future. One was by the job site, Indeed.com about booming jobs in
the future of robotics. The other was by OppenheimerFunds, implying that people feel that
robots can be inhuman, cold, and heartless as depicted in three scenes, and yet beautiful, as in
another scene where a humanoid robot was shown helping a senior with her meal. The ad
stated: "At OppenheimerFunds, we find beauty in disruption. We challenge perceptions about
robots, revealing not only the investment opportunity, but how robots will change how we live
for the better." All facets of life are now looking at robots for use in the future.

hen youre thinking of robots in
W the future, the first type that
probably comes to mind is a bipedal
humanoid servant robot, similar to
what weve seen in the movies for
many decades. Step aside from a
whimsical wish of a home robot and
imagine this scenario. Youre on a hike
in the woods outside of your city and
are hiking on a one meter wide path
with a friend. Your friend suddenly
tells you that he doesnt feel well, and
grabs his chest and struggles to sit
down and recline against a tree. For a
second, you dont know what to do.
Then, you remember that you
downloaded an app on your phone
called Drone-Delivered AED. You
finger through your apps and come to
that particular one and hit the
emergency button image.
An AED (Automated External
Defibrillator) is a portable electronic
device shown in use in Figure 1 that
automatically diagnoses the
life-threatening cardiac
arrhythmias of ventricular
fibrillation and tachycardia in a
patient, and then is able to
treat them through
defibrillation (the application of
electrical shocks sent through
the skin to stop the
arrhythmia), allowing the heart
to reestablish an effective
rhythm.
A few moments later, you
Figure 2. Ambulance drone responds to an emergency cardiac
hear a voice on your phone, I
60 SERVO 12.2016
notice that you are in a wooded area. the voice that you downloaded and
Is the sky above you open for the
drone that is coming your way? You
viewed the instruction video when you
received the app, so you feel
look up and reply, Yes, it is about 25 comfortable using the drones AED.
meters open at the tree tops but the You soon hear the buzzing of the
path is only a meter or two wide with drone as it slowly lands on the clear
brush on both sides. That is no pathway. The graph in Figure 2
problem, sir. The AED drone will soon shows just how critical it is to rapidly
be there. Keep your phone on and begin the defibrillation process,
hold it above your head. The drone though few of us will be lucky enough
will land near you. You then inform to be near an AED if a heart attack
occurs. A voice emanates from the
drone and you realize that the voice is
a real person. This is Jackie from Fire
Station number 12. Move the drone
over by the patient; the props will not
move. Is the patient breathing?
No, you say, but Ive been
performing CPR on him. That is
good. Do you detect a heartbeat? I
dont think so, but Im not sure. No
problem, sir. Did you view the
instruction video that comes with the
Figure 1. An AED defibrillator. Electrodes applied app? Yes, you tell her.
and hands away from the patient.
Great. I will instruct you
on how to pull out the
electrodes and where to place
them. Quickly remove the
clothing from the patients
chest. Pull out the two
electrodes and remove the
red-tabbed plastic covering
from one electrode and stick it
firmly about three centimeters
or one inch above the
patients right nipple. Remove
the plastic from the second
arrest call. electrode and place it the
Carroll - Then & Now - Dec 16_Then & Now - Sep15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:55 PM Page 61
Post comments on this article at www.servomagazine.com/index.php/magazine/article/
same distance below the left nipple.
Press them down to make sure they
are stuck to the patients skin and
stand back.
As the AED is analyzing the
patients condition, you hear a faint
whine. You then hear the person tell
you to depress the flashing red
button, which you do. The AED
begins to deliver a series of shocks to
the patient and he reacts with a
movement of the chest, but not quite
as severe as youve seen in movies.
You then see that there are no more
whines as the AED is no longer
charging and the patients eyes flutter
and open.
What happened? he asks. A
flying robot came down from Heaven
and brought you back to life, you tell
him. Yeah, sure, your friend says.
About that time, you hear a helicopter
landing in a clearing 100 meters off to
the south. The voice from the drone
tells you, A rescue team is coming
through the woods to where you are,
sir. You did a good job with your
friend.
Could this Drone be
in Our Future?
As there are so many categories
of robots, I am concentrating mostly
on medical and assistive types, and
also delivery robot drones, but what a
neat glimpse into the future. Too bad
it couldnt happen today. Except that,
if researchers at the Delft University of
Technology (also known as TU Delft in
Delft, Netherlands) have their way, it
could soon be a reality. I took some
information from articles about the
drone developed by the university and
developed the above scenario, tossing
in a few of my own ideas of the
possibilities.
Trials have already been
completed as the scene in Figure 3
attests to. A graduate student at the
university has developed what is called
an ambulance drone. It can be
delivered much more quickly to the
Advances in robots and robotics over the years.
December2016_ThenandNow_Robots-of-Future.
Figure 4. Folded AED drone is
ready for emergency use.
scene of a sudden cardiac
arrest than delivered by a fire
departments rescue
ambulance or similar vehicle. Figure 3. Time is very critical from a heart attack to
This is especially the case when
emergencies happen in a more rural
or wooded area such as in my
scenario here.
At the Delft Universitys site, they
state: For the Ambulance Drone, a
new type of airframe was developed
that is a compact flying toolbox
containing essential supplies for
advanced life support. The simulation
shown in Figure 3 depicts the
Ambulance Drone in use in an
emergency situation. Portability and
fold-ability as shown in Figure 4 allow
the drone to be used anywhere,
including indoors.
The first prototype focuses on the
delivery of an AED. In the European
Union, around 800,000 people per
year suffer from a cardiac arrest an
upsetting number considering that
only 8% survive this incident. The
main reason for this high number of
casualties is the relatively slow
response time of emergency services
(10 minutes). Brain death and
permanent death start to occur in just
four to six minutes (refer to Figure 2).
Delft University also states: With
the Ambulance Drone, we want to
dramatically increase this survival rate.
The incorporation of a two-way video
supported communication channel in
the drone between 112 operators and
the first responders will improve first
care. Successful AED usage by lay-
persons is currently at 20%.
With personalized instructions
the application of an AED.
and communication on the
Ambulance Drone, this can be
increased to 90%. In short, the
Ambulance Drone helps to save lives
by extending existing emergency
infrastructure with a network of fast
and compact UAVs capable of
bringing emergency supplies and
establishing communication,
anywhere. Im going to add some
thoughts later in this article about
coupling another technology to the
Ambulance Drone concept.
Delft University has
the Right Idea
The previously described scenario
has a vivid meaning for me, and
possibly for some readers as well.
When I was just 14, I got a call that
my dad had experienced a heart
attack and I was to bring him his
heart medicine. Rapidly riding my
bicycle to the site where he was
already on the ground, I pushed my
way through the crowd and
attempted to place a nitroglycerine
tablet under his tongue. It was to no
avail as he died in my arms.
I was finally gently pulled away
from him by a caring bystander who
saw me desperately trying to revive
him with the old style artificial
respiration that I learned as a Boy
Scout.
He was only one block from our
SERVO 12.2016 61
Carroll - Then & Now - Dec 16_Then & Now - Sep15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:56 PM Page 62
Figure 5.
Dominos
drone
delivers pizza
in the UK.
Figure 6. Dominos
DomiNoDriver self-driving
pizza delivery scooter.
doctors office, a block from the fire
department, and two blocks from our
home. AEDs had not been invented
yet. It would have been wonderful
had an Ambulance Drone AED been
available nearby for use by a
professional. As a kid who loved to
build robots, I had never dreamed of a
flying robot to save people.
The American Heart and Stroke
Association has these facts stated on
their site that stress the importance of
close proximity to an AED. Each year
in the US, there are approximately
359,400 assessed Emergency Medical
Services (EMS) cardiac arrests outside
of a hospital setting and on average,
less than 10% of victims survive.
Cardiac arrest affects people of all
ages, but occurs more commonly in
adults with prior heart disease. It will
only become more common as
Americans age.
In fact, early defibrillation along
with CPR is the only way to restore
the victims heart rhythm to normal in
a lot of cases of cardiac arrest. For
every minute that passes without CPR
and defibrillation, however, the
chances of survival decrease by
710%.
62 SERVO 12.2016
Figure 7.
Dominos
pizza
delivery
vehicle.
Drones will
Soon Deliver
Packages
Aerial drone package
and fast food delivery has
been a main topic of
robotics news for a while
now. Dominos Pizza has tested aerial
drone and wheeled mobile drone
robot delivery of their products as
Figures 5-7 indicate. The octo-copter
drone in Figure 5 looks to be the
wave of the future in the United
Kingdom, as is the DomiNoDriver
scooter in Figure 6. Dominos in
Australia has tried out the mobile
ground vehicle shown in Figure 7,
which is a bit more practical in my
opinion. Ive always loved new
concepts that make use of robotics,
but just like a lot of other folks Im
concerned about drones either
smashing a pizza when its dropped
off at a customers home or the pizzas
being cold because it took too long for
the drone to reach the customer.
According to a recent YouGov
poll, only 37 percent of Americans
believe pizza delivery drones would
drop off their order undamaged. Only
a third of those surveyed trust that a
drone-delivered pizza would arrive at
the right temperature. Ive wondered
exactly how an aerial drone would
remove a hot pizza from an expensive
insulated carrier box without
something going wrong.
Two-thirds of those polled said
theyd prefer a human delivery person
to a delivery drone. However, in the
18-34 age bracket, this group trusted
robot delivery of a pizza more than
the rest of those surveyed.
CyPhy Works Teams
Up with UPS
A recent drone delivery test was
performed this past September in
Massachusetts by the delivery giant,
UPS with the drone shown in Figure
8 that it purchased from Helen
Greiners CyPhy Works. It turned out
to be an eight minute life-saving
event. The 42 inch/10 pound drone
delivered an asthma inhaler to a child
at a YMCA camp on Childrens Island
off the coast of Beverly, MA three
miles away.
Delivery drones have taken
another step in proving they can safely
deliver urgent medicine to hard-to-
reach locations, wrote Steve Crowe
on Robotics Trends website. The island
is only accessible by boat, and then
only for a walk-on passenger (not
cars). The drone took about eight
minutes, flying at about 22 MPH to
reach the camp versus the normal 30
minute boat ride.
Remote locations such as this
have long been critical concerns for
medical and emergency situations on
inaccessible islands. I know this first
hand, having lived on Orcas Island off
the coast of Washington for a number
of years. Neither Orcas Island or any
of the four main islands and many
Carroll - Then & Now - Dec 16_Then & Now - Sep15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:56 PM Page 63
Figure 8. CyPhy drone works for UPS.
smaller of the San Juan Islands have
any bridges for mainland access. We
had to rely on Med Flight insurance to
be helicoptered off island in
emergencies.
Non-insured flights would have
been in the $35,000 category.
However, drone flights in the near
future might be able to supply on-
island doctors with specialized
medications, transfer of critical blood
tests, and even unique medical
instruments.
Are Delivery Drones
Safe from Hijacking?
Another issue that has bothered a
lot of robot experimenters is what if
one of these drones gets captured
while on a delivery run and sold to an
unscrupulous buyer. For the price of a
pizza or something inexpensive on
Amazon, using a stolen credit card, a
bad guy could toss a net over a UAV
drone or just scoop up a mobile
version and put it into the back of a
van, then quickly take it out of town
while an accomplice in the back of the
van disables the power and removes
any tracking devices. The future will
offer us a lot of neat things, but along
with the future, we will
continue to have dishonest
people.
Drones
Hitching Rides
to Increase
Range
Amazon has Figure 10. Mercedes Benz and Starship Technologies delivery robots. area. The companies strive
Figure 9. Amazon drone
delivers a shoebox in a
backyard. Note the Amazon
target under the box.
considered the use of trucks or busses
to assist their drones to increase the
delivery range as a recent patent filing
indicates. Tests that began over a year
ago show a prototype Amazon drone
actually delivering a shoebox to
someones backyard as seen in Figure
9. The four-prop quad appears to also
have a pusher prop in the back.
As part of the patent filing, they
also want to have the option of
landing their drones on a truck or bus
for a portion of the delivery route. The
drone will then depart the vehicle at
the nearest point of the route to the
customers house. Since most present
day drones have a limited range, this
will not only save energy but quicken
delivery times. It will also allow drones
with dwindling battery power or with
possible technical problems to land
back on one of the systems trucks in
emergencies.
As Amazon executives have
stated, There are a variety of
factors when deciding whether or not
to land a drone on an eligible vehicle,
including: vehicle travel path in
relation to the package destination;
timing of routes versus delivery
timeframe; and travel speed of
possible landing vehicles. Amazon will
develop agreements with
transportation and shipping
companies that could include
compensation in exchange for
permission to land drones on vehicles.
Drones can use identifying markings
and GPS coordinates to find vehicles
to land upon.
Amazon sends a message to a
driver when it wants to land a drone
on a vehicle and the driver gives
permission for the landing and
confirms that the drone successfully
docked with the vehicle. If a drones
battery is about to die or some other
malfunction occurs, the company
would plan for the aircraft to land on
the first available vehicle, and then
Amazon personnel could set up a
meeting with the driver to retrieve it
at a set location.The FAA did drop a
bombshell when it changed drone
operation rules to allow only line-of-
sight drone control, but Amazon feels
that it can prove the safety of its
intended services.
Mercedes Vans and
Starship Technologies
Robot Deliveries
Mercedes Benzs Delivery Van
Division recently began
working with a robot
company, Starship
Technologies to develop a
relationship that uses the
car companys vans as
motherships to bring
Starships small mobile
robots (shown in Figure
10) closer to a local delivery
SERVO 12.2016 63
Carroll - Then & Now - Dec 16_Then & Now - Sep15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:56 PM Page 64
to cut down street traffic congestion,
create efficient delivery of an order,
and cut down on exhaust emissions.
We see a huge potential for robotic
delivery systems in the future, and by
combining our vans and the robots,
we call it the mothership concept,
says Volker Mornhinweg, Head of
Mercedes-Benz Vans. The small
robotic vehicles can carry up to 40
pounds and complete deliveries within
a three mile radius. They move at
pedestrian speeds and can maneuver
around obstacles and people.
Navigation is via GPS and multiple
cameras are used to map the vehicles
intended path. The packages are
securely locked within the cargo bay
and can only be opened by the
intended recipient.
Starship Technologies has also
partnered with Switzerlands postal
service, Swiss Post to test the delivery
robots in three locations across the
country including the capital, Bern.
They want to see how effective the
robots can be at carrying goods over
the last mile of the delivery route.
Combining Truck
Delivery Drones
After studying Amazon and
Starships plans of increasing drone
range with the use of vans or buses
and the CyPhy Works experiment, I
think it makes a lot of sense to use
the same technology with AED drone
shipments. Of course, on-time delivery
of standard packages and pizzas is
important, but not nearly as critical as
sending a life-saving AED to a remote
location. As Ive stated before, todays
drones have a critical endurance
limitation due to battery capacity. If
you increase the batterys capacity,
the weight is increased and the
carrying capacity of the drone is
reduced proportionally. So, absolutely,
one of the answers to this dilemma is
to shorten the drones travel distance
by having another vehicle carry the
drone to a point as close to the final
destination as possible.
Lets suppose that the 911
emergency network has matured to
64 SERVO 12.2016
Figure 11. An EpiPen is definitely small enough
to ride on a drone to a person in need.
the point that many local police and
government vehicles have an
ambulance drone in the trunk. The
drone is safely tucked in a plastic case
with a cable running from the cars 12
volt system to a charger built into the
case to keep the drones and AEDs
batteries fully charged. All of the local
systems and fire department vehicles
are continually tracked via GPS and
locations are updated on an area map
in a central computer.
When an emergency call comes
into 911 or the apps control center,
the central computer decides which
vehicle is closest to the site of the
emergency and informs an operator to
call the vehicles driver. The driver then
stops at a clear location, removes the
drone from the enclosure, and allows
it to take off and go to the site of the
emergency whether that be an
inaccessible area or just a rural or
urban home or work site.
I am envisioning a larger drone
that might carry a small oxygen bottle
or a chemical oxygen generator and
mask in addition to the AED, as well
Figure 12. Telepresence robot from InTouch
Health and iRobot gives doctors access to
remote patients.
as a few wound care supplies such as
bandages, splints, and topical
antiseptics (maybe even an EpiPen as
seen in Figure 11; an epinephrine
injection device is typically carried by
those who have severe allergies for
life-critical allergic reactions).
Is this just a dream of the future
or could it be implemented with
todays technology? It is possible, and
one of you could be the force behind
the implementation process.
A Useful Assistant
for Humans
Notice that I used the word useful
in the title above. As I have
mentioned many times over the years,
well-meaning designers have tried to
develop a robotic caregiver that would
be the all-in-one device to care for
seniors and hospitalized persons.
When benevolent thoughts of
developing a caregiver robot arise,
people first think of help for disabled
or hospitalized people and not for
seniors living on their own.
However, when a prospective
designer begins to analyze the needs
that all disabled persons may require,
they quickly realize that no single
design can meet the unique needs of
all disabled persons. On the other
hand, a quick analysis will show that
most seniors have all their functional
physical capabilities, its just that these
functions do not work as well as they
once did. This very large group of
people needs physical assistance in
daily living.
With the best intentions in mind,
the best robot product results so far
have been a passive robot that can
perform two-way communications
with a doctor or other persons, and
deliver needed food, and medical
supplies and/or medicine. The RP-Vita
telepresence robot from iRobot and
InTouch Health shown in Figure 12 is
a great example of a robot that has
proven its usefulness as a nurse or
doctors assistant in hospital
environments.
Hospitals are very busy work
environments where any reliable
Carroll - Then & Now - Dec 16_Then & Now - Sep15.qxd 11/1/2016 6:56 PM Page 65
robotic assistance can dramatically cut
already very high costs by performing
basic needs for the staff. Doctors with
a number of patients in multiple areas
of a large hospital can see and
interact with all of their patients
through the robots cameras and
sound system.
A persons home, on the other
hand, usually needs reliable help for
just a single individual. Most of this
dedicated help is usually physical
assistance as mentioned. We can
divide physical assistance into two
categories: object manipulation for
the senior and physical assistance to
the person to help them move
themselves. It is this latter category
that has been the stumbling block of
robot designers for decades.
We have all laughed at the TV
ads that make fun of an elderly
person who has fallen and then calls
out through their remote pendant:
Help, Ive fallen and I cant get up.
This really is not a comical situation at
all, as many people fall each day and
cannot get back on their feet or even
to a chair on their own. They may live
alone and have nobody to assist them
from the floor or into and out of a
bed, chair, or toilet.
The design stumbling block is not
that designers cant build a robot to
assist people in a difficult physical
situation; it is the federal safety
regulations that are in place to protect
purchasers of such a robot from
further injuries from the robot itself.
The FDA Code of Federal Regulations,
part 890, Physical Medicine Devices,
and part F, Physical Medicine
Therapeutic Devices, part 890.5050
describe a Daily Activity Assist
Device category to which such a
robot will have to conform.
No manufacturer likes all of the
Actuonix Motion Devices ..........................9
All Electronics Corp. .................................26
BotKits ........................................................21
CES ...............................................................3
EarthLCD ....................................................26
ExpressPCB ................................................14
Front Panel Express ...................................25
federal requirements for their
particular industry, but reputable
companies realize that these
regulations are there to protect
customers. Designers are wary of their
robot pinching, dropping, or injuring a
patient in any way.
I have spent almost 30 years
studying robot designs to give the
elderly the pride of independent living.
Care facilities are very expensive and
home care by professional caregivers
is even more costly.
Several years ago, I visited an
upscale care facility and interviewed a
dozen or so residents about how they
might feel if they could continue living
in their homes with the help of a
personal assistant robot, and most
welcomed the possibility;
independence and cost were the two
main factors. A $30,000 robot thats
about the same price as the car in their
garage (that they could no longer drive
anyway) would certainly be preferable
to paying $5,000 to $10,000 a month
for care away from their home. A truly
functional and useful robot to assist
seniors can be designed and
manufactured with todays technology.
Unfortunately, it might be years before
costs drop to $30K.
Final Thoughts
The robot shown in Figure 13 is
Elektro: Westinghouses amazing
Moto-Man first seen at the 1939 New
York Worlds Fair. It truly did amaze
the attendees who stood around the
companys exhibit and watched the
robot of the future talk, move its
head, and even smoke a cigarette.
The huge metal robot was held
fast to the floor, and though it could
shuffle its feet, it was controlled by
humans behind the scenes. The ad
Hitec .............................................................2
Maxbotix ....................................................45
M.E. Labs ...................................................20
Mikronauts .................................................36
NTE Parts Direct ........................................45
PanaVise ....................................................36
Parallax .......................................................37
Figure 13. The Amazing Elektro from
Westinghouse at the 1939 New York's
World Fair.
that appeared in the Saturday Evening
Post in the summer of 1939 was
directed at modern homeowners
who were beginning to see so many
new helpful electrical appliances
designed to assist homeowners.
The future of robotics is
anybodys guess. There are so many
advances in AI and cloud computing,
facial and pattern recognition, speech
recognition, LIDAR and similar smart
visual sensors, highly functional robot
arms and hands, and even high
density power systems that smart
personal robots will soon be a reality
for all of us. Many household tasks
that are quite difficult for present
robots such as folding clothes and
washing dishes are being simplified,
and robot manipulative capabilities are
becoming more functional.
From homemakers needing help
in household tasks to seniors desiring
independent living, robot designers
are working hard to meet these
needs. When these ends finally
meet, a Rosie or Jeeves personal robot
will begin to appear into homes of the
near future. SV
Pico Technology ........................................67
Pololu ..........................................Back Cover
Robot Power .............................................37
Routakit ......................................................15
SDP/SI ........................................................26
SuperBrightLEDS .......................................45
The Robot MarketPlace ............................23
Tormach .......................................................9
SERVO 12.2016 65
Nov16 Xmas 2for1.indd 66 10/3/2016 8:01:01 PM
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