Summer 2008
My interest in controls and
robotics stems this design project that I completed as part of my
undergraduate education. We were supplied with basic electronics, an
AtMega8501 microcontroller, 12V batteries, a wooden base with wheels,
and tasked to create a delivery robot that
would navigate a fixed course autonomously. The robot was also required
to push buttons and enter a simple elevator to reach the goal. Sensors
could be mounted onto the robot to enable it to respond to physical
stimuli (such as detection of walls) or a predetermined set of actions
could be dead reckoned into the software.
The motor driver, sensors, and software
for my robot worked perfectly when tested on their own. However, when
all components were tested together, unexpected interactions between the
programming of the microcontroller and motor driver caused the robot to
malfunction. KRAKATOA lived up to its explosive name and
short-circuited its FETs in a fiery blast during last minute testing.
This was my first disappointing taste of
real engineering design. But rather than discouraging me, the knowledge
that I gained from this failure fired up my desire to continue
creating, building, and failing (if need be) to learn more. After all,
theory can only teach us so much, after which, hands-on experience takes
over.