Final Project: Prototyping The MakerLab Bot (Team Xerott)

This session in class was one of the most productive where we got to start rapid prototyping our project.

Team Xerott will create a the approachable Maker Lab bot that records people’s ideas and stories or any feedback they have for the lab. The bot will also have the ability to sense when someone gets close to greet the person. The video/audio recorded by the Maker Lab bot will be saved to an SD card/USB which could help in keeping a record of the things that are going on in the lab as well as collecting data for future use. This will help create interactivity within the lab and help with sharing what goes on in the lab to the world.

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Concept art for MakerLab Bot

We obtained most of the parts needed to setup the Raspberry components included in the pictures below. And 3D printed the internal parts of the bot that will hold these components up.

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Components to setup the Raspberry Pi

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3D Printed internal frame

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Raspberry Pi Components

Key components of the initial solution:

-raspberry pi 3 board: to run the code

-jumper cables: to connect components

-mini (USB) microphone: to record audio and take in user commands
-camera module: to record the video
-speakers: to play tones, commands, and responses
-ultrasonic transducer: to sense the distance to the user to determine when to activate
-laser cut inner frame (Wood or Cardboard): to hold up the internal components mentioned above.
-3D printed outer frame/attachments: to house the internal components and add aesthetic appeal (cute factor)

-LCD Display: to display image/message and possibly the recorded videos.

-Wheels and servo motors: If we get the project done ahead of time we will add this to make the droid mobile.

Our next step will be to start on the laser cutting of the outside portion of the bot as well as the coding which might be the most difficult part. But we will have the help of Youtube tutorials and the FabLab.  Looking forward to much progress next week.

Link to BlabDroid: http://blabdroid.com/ (Links to an external site.)

Link to Vishal’s demo: https://ibmtjbot.github.io (Links to an external site.)

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Link to hour long YouTube tutorial video we found: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8gc7eGTtaw (Links to an external site.)

3 thoughts on “Final Project: Prototyping The MakerLab Bot (Team Xerott)

  1. Hi Taofik.

    That seems like a great idea! Personally from a marketing perspective, generating digital video and photo content is the name of the game with social media in todays market. Finding a way to automatically capture intriguing moments of interaction I feel will be much more widespread in the coming years. Also our group is using the Raspberry pi too which we are finding to be quite a challenge. Even so we will have to talk in class to see how the coding works for your group!

  2. Hey Taofik,

    Our team definitely has had a great start so far! Thank you for all the work you’ve been putting into the project and the coding for the bot. I hope our end results will be great! I look forward to working with you more!

  3. Hey Taofik,

    It seems like your group is off to a great start! Just like you guys, our group found a great tutorial on youtube that will help us program our motor to only spin a certain amount. It’s awesome that you guys are incorporating a Raspberry pi! I’m excited to see your end result!

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