Massive mesh wanderer

Introduction

An autonomous wifi device that roams the experimental mesh to research protocol behaviour under dynamic conditions.

options: motors, gears/pullies, tracs/tyres ..
- Tracs not recommended for carpets. (GvdB)
- Nice motorised & gearde wheels at http://www.tecel.com/gearwheel/. At ~ 40cm/second these might be too fast :-( (acdc) http://www.tecel.com/pics/gmw01.jpg

- First just some machanical touch sensors, later we could try IR and Ultrasonic distance sensors.

- Very simple with mainly crash avoidance and some local command execution (assist straight line movement, forward/backward x cm., turn X deg, move x cm in an arc of y cm radius).
- Suggests major movement directives are controlled by remote computer via camera in ceiling. This will allow high-level programming .. even make inter-active click and go commands on screen possible. Dynamic changes to environment could be accommodated without sophisticated on-board guidance computer. Video from camera could be used to record and correlate tests results, can also have huge WEB (read marketing) impact. Camera could be B&W but should provide reasonable resolution +-1000 pixels (GvdB)

- a) Bluetooth, but it might interfere with WiFi.
- b) 802.11a as Mesh test management, control and status link but also as Wanderer command, control and feedback link. This 5GHz link should not interfere with the 802.11b Mesh network and should allow fast enough feedback for remote control of Wanderer robot. Interface to Wanderer control computer could be via serial port. (GvdB)

We can collaborate with UP's soccerbot team.
- Do they only work on university-term intervals? That would require us to catch them when the new year starts...
We can collaborate with M+Mtek. I have invited Riaan Coetzee of M+Mtek to participate (acdc).
We can purchase a ready-made kit for the mechanics and assemble it ourselves

Needs to fit through the experimental mesh without touching. Possibly a high 'Turtle' type shape to prevent snagging wires (GvdB)

< 50kg - no < 5kg .. We must be able to pick it up ;-) (GvdB)

0.5 hr .. If it could do 8 hours with 10% movement duty cycle, it would be super (GvdB)

1 cm/second

10 cm/second

1 kg

- load dimensions
- load weight
- load power requirements (A Soekris would require +-1/2Ah so that is 4Ah for 8hrs)(GvdB)
form factor (round/square) .. Round to turn in its own space and not snag wires (GvdB)
mechanical noise levels

< 80 dB at 1m