“blackpearl” Robot

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Purpose
• Hardware Components
• Software Stack
• Features
• Getting Started
• Usage
• Conclusion
• Images

Overview

The “blackpearl” robot is an exploration robot created using a Raspberry Pi microcontroller, with the ability to perform simple movements, detect objects, and stream live footage from a camera. This robot is designed to be controlled remotely via a web interface, and can be accessed from both computers and smartphones using a Wi-Fi connection.

Purpose

The goal of this project is to build a small robot that can:

• Perform simple movements.
• Detect objects using sensors.
• Stream live video from a camera.

Hardware Components

• Raspberry Pi: The main controller for the robot, handling all hardware connections and interactions.
• Lego Mindstorm NXT: Used as the robotic base kit, providing motors and sensors for movement and detection.
• BrickPi: A Raspberry Pi add-on that allows control over Lego Mindstorm motors and sensors.
• Arduino Uno 3: Used as an additional microcontroller to control the servo and ultrasonic sensors for better accuracy.
• Camera: Used for streaming live video.
• Power Bank: Powers the Raspberry Pi and connected components.

Software Stack

• Python: The main programming language used for controlling the Raspberry Pi.
• Flask: A Python framework used to create the web interface to control the robot.
• Ajax: Used to send requests to the server, enabling smooth communication between the web interface and the Raspberry Pi.

Features

• Web Interface: The robot can be controlled from a web interface, accessible via Wi-Fi on both computers and smartphones.
• Simple Movement: The robot can move based on input from the controller.
• Object Detection: Using sensors, the robot can detect obstacles in its path.
• Camera Streaming: The robot streams live video from its camera for real-time observation.

Getting Started

To set up and start using the robot, follow these instructions:

Prerequisites

• Raspberry Pi with Raspbian installed.
• Lego Mindstorm NXT Kit.
• BrickPi add-on for Raspberry Pi.
• Arduino Uno 3 microcontroller.
• Python installed on Raspberry Pi.
• Flask and Ajax for web-based control.

Setting Up the Hardware

1. Connect the Raspberry Pi to the Lego Mindstorm NXT using the BrickPi add-on.
2. Set up the Arduino Uno 3 to control the servo and ultrasonic sensor.
3. Connect the camera to the Raspberry Pi for streaming.

Setting Up the Software

1. Install Python on the Raspberry Pi.

2. Install the Flask framework:

   pip install flask

3. Clone this repository to your Raspberry Pi:

   git clone https://github.com/tantr-us/blackpearl-final.git

   cd blackpearl-final/source-code/blackpearl

4. Start the Flask server:

   python blackpearl.py

5. Open a web browser and navigate to http://<raspberry-pi-ip>:5000 to control the robot.

Usage

• Control the Robot: Use the web interface to control the robot’s movement, object detection, and camera streaming.
• Web Access: The web interface can be accessed on any device connected to the same Wi-Fi network, including both computers and smartphones.

Conclusion

The “blackpearl” robot serves as an exploration robot controlled over Wi-Fi, with the flexibility of using both computer and smartphone for control. It combines multiple hardware components and programming techniques to create a functional and interactive robot for learning and experimentation.

Images