“Ever since I started programming Arduinos, I wanted to build a robot using one. I also want a dog. However, living in NYC makes it tough to take care of a dog. So after hours of watching videos of robots and dogs, I decided to put my phone down and build myself a pet!
I present to you find readers, DoggoBot Version 1! I created a 4 legged walking bot which can be build with cardboard and hotglue. The electronics are simple and can be ordered from Amazon. However, I noticed the links from Amazon tend not to last very long so the links provided are from websites which routinely carry the items. If you want to get them from Amazon, simply enter the name of the item in the Amazon search bar. You can definitely get a lot of these items cheaper on Amazon then directly from the websites provided.
I think the overall cost should be about $150 dollars. This includes all the electronics, 3D printing and laser cutting fees. However, you could cut these parts by hand from some scrap cardboard and the 3D printed parts could be replaced by paper fasteners and tape. I just feel the 3D printed parts work a bit better.
For the code, I wanted to create a structure which could be easily manipulated. I wanted something to which I could add and replace functions without effecting the core functions. The could is set up to take in either serial input or bluetooth input. Without getting into too much detail, both styles change the value of a variable named moveVal. Then the function of the bot is determined by the value of moveVal. However, you can add whatever input style you like, then have that input change the value of moveVal. No need to rewrite movement functions for your new input style! This may seem simple, but I’m easily impressed!
In version 1, the DoggoBot can walk, stand and sit. It can respond to input either over a serial or a bluetooth connection. I also created an Android app to connect to the bot via bluetooth. The app has a simple layout similar to a Sega Genesis controller. There is a directional pad, 6 buttons, start and select buttons. 12 overall. The controller sends char values to the bot which will be explained at the end.
With all of that being said, or rather written, I present to you DoggoBot Version 1!”