TV Remote Controlled Robot

Robotics is a combination of electronics, mechanics and programming or in a technical language, it is an electromechanical controlled device. The basic characteristic of robots is that user instructs them to perform various type of activities. Well, the type of activity more or less depends on the program which is fed into the controller. It is the task of controller to control the electronics and mechanics of the activity which is to be performed.

Basically, we are here to design and build a controller which controls the robot. Now if you want to build a robot that has four wheels and each one is driven by four individual motors and it faces an obstacles forward. A sensor installed inside senses an obstacle in front of the robot and notifies a controller. The controller in turn changes the direction of rotation of motors making the robot turn sideways or reverse, thus avoiding an obstacle. This is how it works. It is the role of controller, which develops a robot and I am here to talk about robots that can be controlled by a TV or any IR remote and is based on Arduino.

Start Controlling the Robot Using TV or IR Remote.

IR remote or IR communication principle is responsible for the working of Remote controls for all Electronic Appliances be it TV, DVD, etc. The principle on which it work is that they transmit a code. Those codes are in the form of IR pulses which is decoded by the receiver to carry out a specific operation. Every key has already been assigned a specific code based on a certain standard protocol developed by the manufacturer.

IR remote provides the opportunity of using the cheapest way of controlling the wireless devises. A TV signal decoder compatible with all most all TV remotes is difficult to find but a handmade one can be found in limited shops. With some modifications in the power supply for direct 5V Vcc, it is possible to create a decoder module.

Atmega8 development board is used in building a robot. Basically it is a circuit board which is required to transfer your thoughts to the robot controllers. It can be utilized as the resource in various site or across the web to build your own robot.

Materials required

Arduino Uno and USB cable
Arduino software
Breadboard
100rpm dc motors
IR receiver(SM0038 or TSOP1738)
L293D motor driver IC
Jumper wires
Chassis and wheels
9V batteries(2 nos)
Battery clips

A Motor driver L293d- L293D is integrated circuit. Its purpose is to drive DC motors rotating in either direction. Further, it is a 16-pin IC which can control a set of two DC motors simultaneously. The L293D motor driver uses 5V for its own power and external power source which is needed to drive the motors. It can be up to 36V and draw up to 600mA.

L293D motor driver is frequently used in robotics applications due to its size and voltage requirement. It is used for controlling DC motors, including in Arduino projects. Moreover, the L293D is also a key component in larger ‘motor driver’ boards which is available in premade form for hobbyists.

Robots are not the only one which we see in movies or games. Anything that can be controlled either wirelessly or with wire, is a robot. The TV Remote which is always settled down in your hand most of the time could do all controlling of Robot.