Tommy the Tank

Inspiration

We have a passion for robotics and a lot of extra nerf bullets, so this project naturally inspired itself.

What it does

We can control the robot with our wired buttons, which enable it to move forward, backward, turn right/left, swivel, and shoot.

How we built it

We used 3D printed parts and scrap parts to assemble it, we wired it with an Arduino with a motor controller shield, and used buttons and the Arduino IDE to program it.

Challenges we ran into

Since we used almost exclusively scrap parts to construct the robot, they've proved to be pretty unreliable. Even when our code is functional, the motors only work intermittently. All the buttons are on an analog input which gives inconsistent values, meaning that we had trouble recognizing what a "ON" vs "OFF" state was.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Building this robot from scratch! Even though we didn't pioneer anything new, we definitely all gained a deeper understanding of the mechanics behind robotic movement. Furthermore, building this robot was an exercise in using limited and non-ideal resources to produce viable results, a skill that will be essential in the workplace.

What we learned

Our team was extremely interdisciplinary. We had a ME, CE, EE, and a CS major. Therefore, we all learned a lot about the others' fields, especially specializing in the electrical setup of the robot.

What's next for Tommy the Tank

Total world domination. But on the side, we plan to smooth out the movements and hopefully install more reliable motors. Ideally, we will also install a motion detecting sensor and have it track and shoot at movement. We plan to transition the controller to wireless as well.

Built With

• arduino
• c++
• hardware
• nerf