Creating a Range Map

So, the first thing I though about for my swarm project, after getting through all the wifi tutorials (actually, I have another week to go, now that Dexter Industries Wifi Week 2 is out), is having my main, user controlled (or autonomous, using AI algorithms if necessary) be able to know it's surroundings. Now, I could use my NXTCam v3 and transmit a video feed to the user, but that would be an expensive option (okay, maybe on-board cameras are not expensive in the real world, but scaled to my project, they are expensive). In swarms, cheaper is better. So, I decided to try and use the ultrasonic sensor and create a "range map" of its surroundings. This would a much cheaper solution, although it sacrifices more user information. Nonetheless, I tried it out.

Wifi Working

Well, after extensive emailing back and forth with the Dexter Industries guys, I was able to get my DI Wifi Sensor working. So, I will drop the project I posted last time to give more time back to the real project.

However, if anyone wanted to know how my last project was coming along, HERE is the code/LDD  for it.

For the robot, you'll need to modify it a little for the caster ball section, switch the light for a color sensor, and add a gyro sensor for more precise turning.

New Project Flow

This is the flow chart I made for my next project. It will consists of 3 robots, each with a specialty, and will work together to achieve a goal (in this case, getting the red object).

Here is an LDD for my first robot, with the Light and US sensors (the ball acts as a caster that should be under the NXT between the motors):

Again, the files for the LDD are available HERE