Building the HUB-ee Buggy

Contributors: Nick Poole

Basic Object Avoidance

The HUB-ee Buggy is almost ready to go, but right now it doesn't have any way of avoiding obstacles. We need to tell it what to do when it encounters a wall or other large object. There are a lot of really clever ways to do this, and you can make the code as complicated as you want. In this case, though, we'll keep it basic. The HUB-ee Buggy will keep an eye out for obstacles and turn around when it gets too close to one. This will be achieved by reversing one of the wheels for a few milliseconds.

Plug the Redboard into your computer, and load up this Arduino code:

language:c


// Define the pins to make the code more readable

// Our Sharp IR sensor is connected to A4
#define sharpIR A4

// Our left HUB-ee is connected to D6, D7 and D8
#define leftPWM 6
#define leftIN1 7
#define leftIN2 8

// Our right HUB-ee is connected to D9, D10 and D11
#define rightPWM 9
#define rightIN1 10
#define rightIN2 11

// This is the threshold for how close an object will
// be allowed to get before the HUB-ee Buggy changes
// its direction of travel. You may need to adjust it.
int tooClose = 200;

// This stores the value read from the Sharp IR sensor
int irVal = 0;

void setup() {

  // Set the infrared sensor as an input. This isn't
  // strictly necessary because the ADC is an input
  // by default but it's good practice.
  pinMode(sharpIR, INPUT);

  // Set all of the outputs accordingly
  pinMode(leftPWM, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(leftIN1, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(leftIN2, OUTPUT);

  pinMode(rightPWM, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(rightIN1, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(rightIN2, OUTPUT);

}

void loop() {

  // Read the initial value of A4 (or whatever sharpIR is defined as):
  irVal = analogRead(sharpIR);

  // The Buggy will execute the code inside the 'while' brackets
  // as long as the IR sensor input isn't higher than the
  // 'tooClose' value

  // This original statement compared the pin number (0) to 'tooClose,'
  // always returning true. This causes the buggy to spin in circles
  // ad infinitum...
  // while(sharpIR<tooClose){
  // -------------------------------------------------------------------
  // Instead, we should compare the value read from A4 to 'tooClose.'
  // Also, the Sharp IR module specified in the bill of materials
  // reads higher as the distance closes, so we should be watching for
  // when the value on A4 is greater than, not less than, 'tooClose.'
  // This works:
  while(irVal > tooClose) {

    // The wheel direction pins are set according to the
    // HUB-ee datasheet and the speed output is set to
    // 200, pretty quick.
    digitalWrite(leftIN1, HIGH);
    digitalWrite(leftIN2, LOW);
    analogWrite(leftPWM, 200);

    // The wheel direction pins are set opposite on  
    // the right wheel because it needs to turn the
    // same direction as the left and its mirrored.
    digitalWrite(rightIN1, LOW);
    digitalWrite(rightIN2, HIGH);
    analogWrite(rightPWM, 200);


    // IMPORTANT:
    // It is crucially important that you do not change the direction
    // of the HUB-ee wheels too rapidly. I learned this $55 lesson
    // the hard way.
    // Let's put in a delay, otherwise we're reading from
    // A4 as fast as this while loop can execute
    delay(100);

    // Read the value of the Sharp IR sensor
    irVal = analogRead(sharpIR);


  }

    // When the IR sensor detects a close object, the code
    // outside the brackets above will execute. In this
    // case, we're reversing one of the wheels to make
    // the Buggy turn. We'll run it this way for half a
    // second (500 milliseconds) before returning to
    // normal mode.
    digitalWrite(leftIN1, LOW);
    digitalWrite(leftIN2, HIGH);
    delay(500);
}

Note: It's best to give the wheels a small delay before switching directions. Doing so too quickly may result in damaging the wheels.