Objective
1. Ability to steer and move wirelessly
2. Exploring rugged terrains and toxic environments
3. Built-in charging system
Socio-economic Benefits
In 2005, Pakistan faced its strongest earthquake. At that time, it took very long to detect injured people under the debris. In this scenario, we can equip our spider with thermal camera and send it to explore destroyed buildings to find people under them immediately. In 1945, US bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Due to radiations, it was not possible for humans to explore these radioactive areas. In this case, we can equip spider with radiation shielding body parts and send it for exploration. For military purposes, it can be used to detect mines and defuse bombs.
Project Methodology
Arduino is acting as the brain of our robot. Each leg has three joints and each joint is attached with a servo motor. We have adjusted the servos in such a way that they move freely without colliding with other legs. We are using Arduino board to generate PWM signals for motors. As Arduino doesn’t have enough PWM pins to send signal to all the servos, so we used PCA9685 16-channel servo driver as an extension.
Since servos are supposed to move when user commands it so, we have used NodeMCU, open source IoT platform, as a Wi-Fi module which will send values, designated to each button, to Arduino whenever the button is pressed. When Arduino will receive these values, it will generate PWM signals according to the functionality required by user. NodeMCU is connected with web based android application. We designed this application using RemoteXY platform which provides premium and simple mobile GUI for controller boards.
Project Outcome
Servos are made synchronized with each other and delay is minimized among them. Spider can walk, rotate, sit, stand, and say hello. Interface of android application is simple and easy to use. User can use the functionalities of spider robot wirelessly.
