The requirements are to develop and construct an industrial grade tracked robot for under US$2000.
The robot has to be able to work in harsh environments, be net-workable and operate for long periods before recharging.
A series of blogs will follow the progress of the tracked robot project, and this part is focused on the base construction and layout of the robot's computer.
The Robot's Main Body
Before you mount a computer brains for a robot, you need a body to mount it, so I created a quick, cheap and strong assembly method.
 Side of the robot without the hatch |  Top of the robot without the hatch |
The main body is made of poly carbonate panels with aluminium framing for lightness and strength.
The panels are glued to the aluminium frame with silicon, the same way you would build a fishtank.
This makes construction of a robot body easy, without too much drilling and reducing the number of bolts or rivets that might come lose during the robot's operation.
Also, construction makes the robot's main body water-proof, in case it has to operate in low level water.
The main body has been sprayed with a grey primer and matt black finishing paint to protect the polycarbonate body and increase water-proofing.
It also gives stealth or a black ops look to the robot.
 Side view with the hatch on |  Top view with the hatch on |
With the top hatch and soft mounts on, the main body is sealed for protection of the robot's computer systems.
The GPS is mounted on the top, next to the 2.4 GHz omnidirectional antenna.
The pole mount at the other end of the main body is for the web cam.
In the centre, the main hatch opens to access the computer system for system reprogramming, battery maintenance and internal repairs.
The Robot's Computer
| The main brain of the robot will be driven by a Mini-ITX system running Linux. The Mini-ITX system will be using a SSD to boot and run, which removes the requirement for a hard drive that might be damaged when the robot is in motion. The idea behind the Mini-ITX is to reduce complexity from hardware into software tasks, and making the programming and design of the robot's brains much easier. |  |
The main part of the robot lies in the PIC Micro-controller connected to the Mini-ITX by a RS232 connection.
This controller has 20 inputs and outputs for driving motors and reading sensors.
The PIC Micro-controller allows the software on the Mini-ITX to interface with the robot's outside world.
| The 802.11g Linksys bridge is set to connect to the local access point for remote access to the robot via IP, either for the information of a remote user or for the robot to download new information and instructions. The network security is done by WAP encryption on the layer 2 as well as 256 AES VPNs from the Linux OS. |  |
The Webcam and GPS are plugged straight into the Mini-ITX via USB cables.
This supplies the robot's computer with GPS positioning and a digital eye for navigation.
Computer Layout Components:
|  The Robot Computer Layout |
The above diagram show the logic layout of the connections and hardware used for the computer controller.
The Mini-ITX connections use Cat5 to the 802.11 bridge, RS232 to the PIC Micro-controller and USB to the web cam and the GPS.
The 802.11 bridge is also connected to an antenna with shielded coaxial cable.
| The choice of operating system for this robot project is Gentoo Linux. I have found this Linux distribution ideal for embedded and custom designed systems. It is very easy to make live images and small OS footprints with Gentoo Linux. I have tested Gentoo Linux on Mini-ITX systems before without any issues. |  |
More to come in the next parts of this project, as we examine the power system, track design, motor systems and software applications required.
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