building a simple robot....?

Question

m thinkin of buildin a simple robot as our college project....since this is my 1st such project in my life, i wan2 kno wat r d requirements of a robots....
can any1 tell me wat all hardware n software components r necessary2 build a SIMPLE robot...
features of robot: video n audio recordin, wheel movement(wheel lik military tanker-long lik chain), hand 2 lift thngs, speed control, light, sense if der is any block inbetween durin movement, lights....m gng 2 use 8086 lang....

Answer 1

8086 is rare in hobby robotics. i would suggest you not limit yourself to using it. about 80% of robotic projects that i discuss with my customers are written in some version of Basic. 2nd most common is C/C++.

If you can use a pre-designed kit for your college project then the best solution is the Boe-bot by parallax. It has options for tank drive and an add-on gripper. The controller is the Basic Stamp II module whic has a good selection of commands to interface servos and sensors etc. There is a great selection of software available at their site and from other peoples projects.

If you want/need to build from scratch I would recomend the PIC Axe controllers. The Basic editor/compiler is free software and it has a good command set like the Basic Stamp. But there is not the wealth of resource that BSII has, so you'll have to learn the system well for yourself.
Then building the chassis has to be your plan. I like working with sheet styrene or ABS. Cannibalizing parts from RC cars or the RC industry in general is common place.

I suggest you start at the projects page on my site and move to the links page to find other hobbyist's projects.

Answer 2

couple of fairly simple designs of robots you can build
one is new IROBOT CREATE platform,its full robot you can program add sensors and arms and more,you get base controller board and wheels and some sensors all ready made ,also idea on adding ideas to irobot create see link on instructables for many projects
another is little hard called leaf robot project ,but will with free software,you need to buy the main board,laptop,wheels frame
but its AI robot design that answer questions,face detection,emotions and animated face showing emotions
societyofrobots link has a easy to make robot under $50
another big one for building simple to advance robots is parallax,good easy one is boe-bot and for good prices ebay has them
many more can be found

Answer 3

You could try stripping the controls off of a remote control car or airplane (even both) and adapting them to your robot's functions.