Remote Control Rock, Talk, and Roll ActivityBot

With its multi-core Propeller brains, this ActivityBot can play music or talk while driving, or change direction while talking, while at the same time decoding IR remote signals and monitoring for collisions with obstacle-detecting touch-whisker sensors.  No coding interrupts required! 

But if you accidentally drive your robot into an object, be prepared for your ActivityBot to feel it!  If the whiskers detect contact, the ActivityBot will jump back and say "Ouch!" then sit still, quietly, until you are ready to drive it more carefully. This project is easy to customize with your own WAV files or with other types of sensors.  Or for more of a group challenge, build a walled maze and use it for a driving skill contest!

Requires parts not included in the base ActivityBot Robot kit. See parts list below for details. It is highly recommended that you complete all of the ActivityBot tutorials before trying this project.

 

Parts Required

*Check your ActivityBot kit; a microSD card was included with some versions as a bonus and it is now sold as an optional accessory.

You will also be using these items that are included in the ActivityBot Kit:

  • (2) Whisker wires
  • (2) 3-pin headers
  • (2) 10 kΩ resistors (brown-black-orange)
  • (3) 220 Ω resistors (red-red-brown)
  • (1) IR reciever
  • (1) piezo speaker - optional but a good idea
  • (misc) jumper wires