Summary of Whiteboard Erasing Robot using Arduino
The project describes a whiteboard cleaning robot designed to autonomously locate and erase text on a whiteboard without human intervention. The robot moves along the x-axis using two VEX wheels on a base that rides on a track, and vertically along the y-axis using VEX linear sliders to position an eraser arm. A webcam paired with RoboRealm vision software processes images to detect text by color filtering and locating the center of gravity of green text. The robot then moves to these coordinates to erase the content.
Parts used in the Whiteboard Cleaning Robot:
- Arduino Mega
- Arduino Mega Protoshield with 2 mini breadboards and jumpers
- 3 VEX motors
- BlueSmirf Bluetooth Adapter
- RoboRealm Vision Software
- VEX linear sliders
- VEX Rack and Pinion gears
- VEX 9.6V Battery
- 4 VEX small wheels
- VEX metal, screws, etc.
My entry for the Microcontroller contest is a whiteboard cleaning robot. The goal of this project was to create a robot which could erase written text on a whiteboard completely autonomously, i.e. no human interface. The processes involved in this project included devising a method for the robot to search a whiteboard for text, designing a way to physically move a robot to the text, and enabling a robot to erase the text.
Step 1: Parts/System Break Down
This project is made up of two main sections. The first section is the actual robot. The robot in theory is somewhat simple. It consists of a base with two wheels which rides on a whiteboard track. The base design allows the robot to cover the entire x-axis of the whiteboard. To move on the y-axis, the robot uses linear sliders to move an arm up and down. Attached to the end of the arm is a dry-eraser that does the actual erasing.
Building the robot is not hard. It just consists of 2 motors which each respectively drive 2 small VEX wheels.
Step 2: Computer Vision
*The code that is attached is a basic proof of concept code. It shows how the eraser would move to the text, no matter where it is on the whiteboard. Move your mouse to simulate where the text is written. In order to use the code, you need a copy of RoboRealm. The standard cost is $89, or you can download a 30-day free trial at http://www.roborealm.com/registration/index.php
Arduino Mega
Arduino Mega Protoshield, with 2 mini breadboards and jumpers
3 VEX motors
BlueSmirf Bluetooth Adapter (located in the yellow VEX case with antenna)
RoboRealm Vision Software
VEX linear sliders
VEX Rack and Pinion gears
VEX 9.6V Battery
4 VEX small wheels
Vex metal, screws, etc.
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