WEB CONTROLLED ROBOT

Imagine your house as a web site. Like your house address, you have a web address (url). To go to your house you go to that particular address. Once you visit the site you find a homepage in front of you that contains links to other pages. Now imagine all electronics items that you use on a daily basis are web pages on that site. And you find buttons on every page that lets you operate these electronic devices through these web pages. Sounds crazy? Doesn't it?

Well this mechanism could be possible with a peer knowledge on HTML, the language that lets you build and design websites, as well as a bit of servlets and JSP technology. Inorder to use this mechanism to operate home appliances via a website, first a platform or a base is needed. For that purpose, I have created a base project a.k.a. "Web controlled Robot".

This Robot is just the base level project to sustain the above mentioned mechanism which can be a very useful mechanism in daily life as well as can have a new impact on future technologies. The robot is made out of a robot chassis, motors, wheels and some control circuits. The robot contains a micro-computer. These micro-computers could be handy and can act as the server machine that sustains the web server.

Now, on the client computer when the user goes to the particular web address or the url, he/she visits the website on client machine. The data from the client machine is sent over the internet and  the server machine responds by generating the required output.

Initially I have used Arduino as a microcontroller that receives serial data over bluetooth, but in a later stage I would like to use single board computers such as a raspberry pi.

Applications:-

1. Home automation through a website

2. Medical Applications: Doctors can monitor the patients health at different locations over internet.

3. This could be the next step in the field of IoT.

MACH ONE SPEED AUTOMOTIVE ENGINE

An automobile engine is specially designed to liberate a particular amount of power at a required speed that in turn drives the automobile. Unlike the jet engines, whose main purpose is to provide thrust, the main purpose of the automotive engine is to produce torque which is required to run the automobile on ground. Higher is the torque lesser becomes the speed. Fighter jets equipped with turbojet engines can go fast enough to cross the sound barrier and can travel beyond mach one speed. But in case of automobiles it is quite impossible. Since a high torque is required to run the vehicle on ground the speed decreases. But keeping the required amount of torque constant if the power delivered by the engine can be increased beyond maximum the speed of the vehicle will increase. So, a special type of engine can be designed using suitable materials and calculated values that can drive a vehicle beyond mach one speed with the required amount of torque on ground called the Mach One Speed Automotive Engine (M1SAE).

The Mach One Speed Automotive engine (M1SAE) can be a unique piece of art. It can make history by being the first engine to run a car that can cross the sound barrier. The designs of various automotive engine parts are made within the safely limits and can be manufactured practically. Like the designs of the engine cylinder, piston and connecting rod other engine parts like the crankshaft, flywheel, etc. can also be designed similarly using the given data. Most of the calculations made are based upon assumptions and considered data. Hence the above calculated dimensions of various components are based upon theoretical analysis. However the M1SAE engine needs a practical verification of the calculations to come into existence and to be used practically. The necessary power could be generated by the engine at required torque to run the vehicle at 11000 RPM thus making the car run at the speed of Mach 1 and hence the fastest car on earth.

 

DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX TRANSMISSION

A direct-shift gearbox (DSG) is an electronically controlled dual-clutch multiple-shaft manual gearbox, in a transaxle design – without a conventional clutch pedal, and with full automatic, or semi-manual control. In DSG, two separate manual gearboxes (and clutches), are contained within one housing, and work as one unit. By using two independent clutches, a DSG can achieve faster shift times, and eliminates the torque converter of a conventional epicyclic automatic transmission.

This transmission system has been licensed to Volkswagen and is an effective system of transmission.

Whilst the motor vehicle is stationary and in neutral (N), the driver can select D for "drive" (after first pressing the foot brake pedal). The transmission's reverse gear is selected on the first shaft K1, and the outer clutch K2 engages at the start of the 'bite point'. At the same time, on the alternate gear shaft, the reverse gear clutch K1 is also selected (pre-selected), as the gearbox doesn't know whether the driver wants to go forward or reverse. The clutch pack for second gear (K2) gets ready to engage. When the driver releases the brake pedal, the K2 clutch pack increases the clamping force, allowing the second gear to take up the drive through an increase of the 'bite point', and thereby transferring the torque from the engine through the transmission to the drive shafts and road wheels, causing the vehicle to move forward. Depressing the accelerator pedal engages the clutch and causes an increase of forward vehicle speed. Pressing the throttle pedal to the floor (hard acceleration) will cause the gearbox to "kick down" to first gear to provide the acceleration associated with first, although there will be a slight hesitation while the gearbox deselects second gear and selects first gear. As the vehicle accelerates, the transmission's computer determines when the second gear (which is connected to the second clutch) should be fully used. Depending on the vehicle speed and amount of engine power being requested by the driver (determined by the position of the throttle pedal), the DSG then up-shifts. During this sequence, the DSG disengages the first outer clutch whilst simultaneously engaging the second inner clutch (all power from the engine is now going through the second shaft), thus completing the shift sequence. This sequence happens in 8 milliseconds (aided by pre-selection), and can happen even with full throttle opening, and as a result, there is virtually no power loss.

Once the vehicle has completed the shift to second gear, the first gear is immediately de-selected, and third gear (being on the same shaft as 1st and 5th) is pre-selected, and is pending. Once the time comes to shift into 3rd, the second clutch disengages and the first clutch re-engages. This method of operation continues in the same manner for the remaining forward gears. Downshifting is similar to up-shifting but in reverse order, and is slower, at 600 milliseconds, due to the engine's Electronic Control Unit, or ECU, needing to 'blip' the throttle so that the engine crankshaft speed can match the appropriate gear shaft speed. The car's computer senses the car slowing down, or more power required (during acceleration), and thus engages a lower gear on the shaft not in use, and then completes the downshift. The actual shift points are determined by the DSG's transmission ECU, which commands a hydro-mechanical unit. The transmission ECU, combined with the hydro-mechanical unit, are collectively called a "mechatronics" unit or module. Because the DSG's ECU uses "fuzzy logic", the operation of the DSG is said to be "adaptive" that is, the DSG will "learn" how the user drives the car, and will progressively tailor the shift points accordingly to suit the habits of the driver.

In the vehicle instrument display, between the speedometer and tachometer, the available shift-lever positions are shown, the current position of the shift-lever is highlighted (emboldened), and the current gear ratio in use is also displayed as a number.

Under "normal", progressive and linear acceleration and deceleration, the DSG shifts in a "sequential" manner, i.e. under acceleration: 1st > 2nd > 3rd > 4th > 5th > 6th; and the same sequence reversed for deceleration. However, the DSG can also skip the normal sequential method, by 'missing out' adjacent gears, and shift two or more gears. This is most apparent if the car is being driven at sedate speeds in one of the higher gears with a light throttle opening, and the accelerator pedal is then pressed down, engaging the "kick-down" function. During kick-down, the DSG will skip gears, shifting directly to the most appropriate gear depending on speed and throttle opening. This kick-down may be engaged by any increased accelerator pedal opening, and is completely independent of the additional resistance to be found when the pedal is pressed fully to the floor, which will activate a similar kick-down function when in Manual operation mode. The seven-speed unit in the 2007 Audi variants will not automatically shift to 6th gear; rather, it stays at 5th to keep power available at a high RPM while cruising. When the floor-mounted gear selector lever is in position D, the DSG works in fully automatic mode, with emphasis placed on gear shifts programmed to deliver maximum fuel economy. That means that shifts will change up and down very early in the rev-range. As an example, on the Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GTI, sixth gear will be engaged around 52 km/h (32 mph), when initially using the DSG transmission with the 'default' ECU adaptation - although with an "aggressive" or "sporty" driving style, the adaptive shift pattern will increase the vehicle speed at which sixth gear engages.

ACCELEROMETER DRIVEN SERVOMOTOR BASED STEERING GEAR

In olden days steering mechanisms developed to turn a vehicle at a certain radius while negotiating a turn had a greater steering gear ratio. For a small rotation of the steering gear the steering wheel had to be given a greater effort for larger degree of rotation than that of the steering gear inorder to develop torque for turning the vehicle. To reduce the effort at the steering wheel, power steering was developed in the 18th century. It not only made steering easier but also increased the accuracy in steering a four wheeled vehicle. Precision turning in four wheeled vehicles not only prevents the vehicle from skidding but also prevents road accidents. Various other mechanisms were also established for reducing the steering effort and precision turning including hydraulics as well as electronic type. Taking into account the various systems of steering as well as using a bit of electronics and microcontroller application a modern technique can be developed using a servomotor, an accelerometer and a microprocessor for an increased precision in steering of a vehicle which may be termed as the “accelerometer driven servomotor based steering gear” or “A.S. steering gear”.

A. S. STEERING GEAR

A VOICE RECOGNITION BASED QUADCOPTER

We know that sound is a form of energy that creates in us a sensation of hearing. Being a mechanical wave sound traverses through the medium creating vibrations in form of compressions and rarefactions. Auditory receptors have the capability to trap sound by perceiving the vibrations created in the medium during propagation of sound waves. And yet another technology comes using sound as a medium of wireless transmission for controlling the movements of a quadcopter.

A quadcopter is a four rotor multi-copter generally possessing four different motions viz. throttle, elevator, aileron and rudder. In case of a normal quadcopter these motions were controlled by the help of a 6 channel radio control transmitter and receiver. In this model a voice recognition module is used as the receiver which is being operated by the voice of the operator. the voice recognition module is connected to an Arduino board which is the control unit of the copter. the data transmission is the very well known serial transmission. The commands are set by the operator and whatever he/she commands the quadcopter shall operate according to it based on the program coded in the Arduino board. Serial communication helps in easy coding of the processor based on various commands that are set by the operator.

Quadcopters have got a wide range of applications these days not only in the military field as well as in household purposes such as in the delivery processes and so on. Making a quadcopter voice control will not only reduce the cost but will also make the device look cool.

AN ULTRASONIC OBSTACLE DETECTING ROBOT

An ultrasonic range finder is a device used to detect the range at which any obstacle is present by sending ultrasonic impulses towards the obstacle. Ultrasound is a type of transverse mechanical sound wave with frequency higher than upper audible limit of human hearing which means no human being could be able to perceive ultrasound. Their frequency limit is approximately 20 kHz to several higher GHz. These waves are generally used in RADARs and SONARs to detect incoming objects. In this robotic project, named R2, I have used an ultrasonic range finder present on a robot to detect incoming obstacles along its path. The microcontroller used in making the robot is Arduino Uno R3 processor. The different components used in it are an ultrasonic range finder HC-SR04, an Arduino Uno R3 microprocessor, a motor driver circuit and a 12V battery. The HC-SR04 has 2 ultrasonic speakers out of which one is the transmitter and the other is the receiver. The transmitter also known as the trigger pin is used to transmit ultrasound which strikes any obstacle coming in its path. After striking the obstacle the ultrasound gets reflected towards the source which is received by the receiver called the echo pin. We know that the speed of ultrasound is same as that of sound which is 330 meters per second. The purpose of HC-SR04 is to know the time delay between sending and receiving ultrasonic waves. Thus we know the time period and we know the speed, so we can be able to calculate the distance by using the formula: Distance = [(Speed x Time)/2]. We divide it by 2 since the ultrasonic wave travels the distance twice, once when transmitted and twice when received. Thus the ultrasonic range finder is used to detect the distance at which an obstacle is present. Now the controlling unit of the robot is the Arduino processor. The Arduino is so programmed that when any obstacle is present at a distance of 50 centimetres or closer the robot will take a right turn and move away else the robot moves straight forward. The power source of the robot is a 12V battery and 5V is maintained by the voltage regulator LM7805. Hence the robot works as such.

THE CUBIC: OUR ARTIFICIAL CO-PILOT

Ever since artificial intelligence has been created every human being thinks it to be a miracle. But now they can be a part of our lives. If you wonder how you are going to talk with a device I say you might have a look here. It is not lesser than a human being that can feel the temperature, say the details about a particular thing, help to take the right decision, crack jokes and many more. Introducing the Cubic, an artificially intelligent being that can better act as your co-pilot. A nonliving soul!!!

Continuing research over its artificial Intelligence...