TagBot

From Chaos Communication Camp 2007

[edit] Introduction

TagBot started from a few sketches on the kitchen table I (Wolfgang - datenwolf - Draxinger) and a friend made from his original art project idea. The original idea was to create a huge scale printer/plotter, by equipping a small, computer controlled vehicle with a telescope arm on which's end spray cans are attached. The X direction would be done by driving on the ground, the Y direction by lifting the arm. Put in a HPGL file and let it spray a graffity on a large board of plywood, concrete wall, whatever - just make sure you're not vandalising.

However the need, that TagBot could operate in offroad environment (e.g. in an abandoned building)caused a slight shift in the project which ultimately led to an autonomous vehicle chassis, that easily could outrun some of the now popular by the US military robots (TALON max. speed 6km/h, first tests with a preliminary chassis without(!) ball bearings in every place: 15km/h).

Currently I'm developing a software, to enable the robot to aquire a map of it's environment autonomously, so that it is able to find a way to a given target.

So if you come across a quite fast moving little 'tank' on the camp, it may be our TagBot. On the camp we plan a public access site into the bot via the camp network, so that everybody can see what it is doing (well actually you'll be accessing a server in out tent, that is a proxy to the bot - WLAN bandwidth is limited and we don't want to trash it with >200 requests/sec. The server however will be connected with GBit).

In the next weeks I'll add updates on the project here.

[edit] First Test with full motor power

Just have a look at that video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DwIBGooBHCc

I think, that was a bit, ummm, excessive....

[edit] Unfortunately we coudn't came to the camp :-(

Unfortunately we couldn't come to the Camp, however the development of the Bot doesn't stop. Most recent video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DwIBGooBHCc

Hope to see you at 24C3.