Gesture Control Hercules Mobile Robotic Platform - Arduino

A gesture control vehicle made by Seeedstudio Skeleton Bot - 4WD Hercules Mobile Robotic Platform. Having a lot of fun.

BeginnerFull instructions provided10 hours4,777

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Seeed Studio Skeleton Bot - 4WD Hercules Mobile Robotic Platform

Seeed Studio UartSBee V4

Seeed Studio Hercules Dual 15A 6-20V Motor Controller

Seeed Studio Grove - Gesture Sensor（PAJ7620U2）

Software apps and online services

Arduino IDE

Story

A friend of mine gave me a 4WD Hercules Mobile Robotic Platform as new year gift. I found it a perfect robot mobile platform to enter the robot world and have fun. With its strong power and complete function, I've been trying to develop various demos with all the grove sensors I have.

Here is one I love - Gesture Control Skeleton Bot. You may find that to control the robot with your instant gestrue is more interesting than controlling it with a controller.

AND, kids just can't stop making fun of it !!!

Step 1: Assembling the Robot and Grove Gestrue Sensor

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The assembling took me not very long to finish. It was easy to just follow the detailed instruction in Seeed Wiki (http://wiki.seeedstudio.com/Skeleton_Bot-4WD_hercules_mobile_robotic_platform/).

Note: Remember to connect the Grove - Gestrue Sensor to IIC (SCL SDA 5V GND) before you have the roof of the robot screwed on.

Step 2: Connect Robot to PC with UartSBee V4

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UartSBee V4 is a compact USB to serial adapter, which can be used for programming or communicating with PC. So here we connect the robot controller to computer with UartSBee V4 and a USB cable. And with integrated FT232 IC, you may need to install a driver fisrt.

Step 3: Demo Program Test

You may find a demo program here to test the connection:

Hercules Dual 15A 6-20V Motor Controller - Seeed Wiki http://wiki.seeedstudio.com/Hercules_Dual_15A_6-20V_Motor_Controller/

Load the Motor Controller Library and run the "motorDriverDemo" program.

Before uploading, you need to select Tools->Board->Arduino Pro or Pro Mini (3.3V, 8MHz) w/ ATmega168 and choose the correct serial port from the Tools menu. Connect the controller to a battery or DC supply by the battery input screw terminals. Now you can see the motor rotate at a speed.

Step 4: Upload the Code and Have Fun!

I guess you cannot wait showing off your great work to your families and friends already! Run and go shooting some great pictures and videos now! You are very welcomed to also share your unique work with us. Should you have any further question about this project, or want to share your work with me, feel free to drop an email to wym627@qq.com. I am Makerming from Shenzhen, China. Finally, thanks for reading, your comments are the biggest support to my work.

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More information of Hercules

Hercules is a suite of open-platform. It is convenient to install all kinds of components through the hole sites on the board. In addition, the Grove connector reserved on the board can help input several sorts of sensor data into system. What’s more, we can freely alter the device drives and programs with Arduino IDE.

Hercules consists of the component of Hercules motor controller, Hercules skeleton, gear motor etc. The Hercules motor controller can consistently support the current up to 15A and driving voltage in the range of 6V-20V, thus, it can supply strong motive power to the whole platform (could even carry a whole buckets of water).

The Hercules skeleton is made up of aluminium alloy plate with firm but pliable texture which can carry, display and connect sorts of accessories in your project. Its 4 powerful gear motors, especially a couple of them from Seeed’s original encipheror can monitor the running speed of your platform and amend the process parameter by the shaped closed-loop control. This provides a possibility to control precise process. Besides, other accessories such as wheels, cooper cylinder and acrylic guard plate that make the platform to be a completely mobile platform.

Schematics

Code

#include "motordriver_4wd.h"
#include <seeed_pwm.h>

void setup()
{
    MOTOR.init();
}

void loop()
{
    MOTOR.setSpeedDir1(30, DIRF);
    MOTOR.setSpeedDir2(30, DIRR);
    delay(8000);

    MOTOR.setStop1();
    MOTOR.setStop2();    
    delay(1000);
    
    MOTOR.setSpeedDir1(30, DIRR);
    MOTOR.setSpeedDir2(30, DIRF);
    delay(8000);

    MOTOR.setStop1();
    MOTOR.setStop2();    
    delay(1000);

    MOTOR.setSpeedDir(30, DIRR);
    MOTOR.setSpeedDir(30, DIRF);
    delay(8000);

    MOTOR.setStop1();
    MOTOR.setStop2();    
    delay(1000);

    
    MOTOR.setSpeedDir(30, DIRF);
    MOTOR.setSpeedDir(30, DIRR);
    delay(8000);

    MOTOR.setStop1();
    MOTOR.setStop2();    
    delay(1000);
}
/*********************************************************************************************************
 * END FILE
 *********************************************************************************************************/

#include "motordriver_4wd.h"
#include <seeed_pwm.h>

#include <Wire.h>
#include "paj7620.h"


/* 
Notice: When you want to recognize the Forward/Backward gestures, your gestures' reaction time must less than GES_ENTRY_TIME(0.8s). 
        You also can adjust the reaction time according to the actual circumstance.
*/
#define GES_REACTION_TIME    50       // You can adjust the reaction time according to the actual circumstance.
#define GES_ENTRY_TIME      80       // When you want to recognize the Forward/Backward gestures, your gestures' reaction time must less than GES_ENTRY_TIME(0.8s). 
#define GES_QUIT_TIME     10

void setup() {

  MOTOR.init();

  uint8_t error = 0;

  Serial.begin(9600);
  Serial.println("\nPAJ7620U2 TEST DEMO: Recognize 9 gestures.");

  error = paj7620Init();      // initialize Paj7620 registers
  if (error) 
  {
    Serial.print("INIT ERROR,CODE:");
    Serial.println(error);
  }
  else
  {
    Serial.println("INIT OK");
  }
  Serial.println("Please input your gestures:\n");
  
}

void loop() {
  // put your main code here, to run repeatedly:

  uint8_t data = 0, data1 = 0, error;
  
  error = paj7620ReadReg(0x43, 1, &data);       // Read Bank_0_Reg_0x43/0x44 for gesture result.
  if (!error) 
  {
    switch (data)                   // When different gestures be detected, the variable 'data' will be set to different values by paj7620ReadReg(0x43, 1, &data).
    {
      case GES_RIGHT_FLAG:
        delay(GES_ENTRY_TIME);
        paj7620ReadReg(0x43, 1, &data);
        if(data == GES_FORWARD_FLAG) 
        {
          Serial.println("Forward");         
          delay(GES_QUIT_TIME);

          
        }
        else if(data == GES_BACKWARD_FLAG) 
        {
          Serial.println("Backward");
          delay(GES_QUIT_TIME);
        }
        else
        {
          Serial.println("Right");
             
    MOTOR.setSpeedDir1(50, DIRF);
    MOTOR.setSpeedDir2(50, DIRR);
    delay(300);
    
    MOTOR.setStop1();
    MOTOR.setStop2();    
    
        }          
        break;
      case GES_LEFT_FLAG: 
        delay(GES_ENTRY_TIME);
        paj7620ReadReg(0x43, 1, &data);
        if(data == GES_FORWARD_FLAG) 
        {
          Serial.println("Forward");
          delay(GES_QUIT_TIME);
        }
        else if(data == GES_BACKWARD_FLAG) 
        {
          Serial.println("Backward");
          delay(GES_QUIT_TIME);
        }
        else
        {
          Serial.println("Left");
          
    MOTOR.setSpeedDir1(50, DIRR);
    MOTOR.setSpeedDir2(50, DIRF);
    delay(300);
    
    MOTOR.setStop1();
    MOTOR.setStop2();    
          
          
        }          
        break;
      case GES_UP_FLAG:
        delay(GES_ENTRY_TIME);
        paj7620ReadReg(0x43, 1, &data);
        if(data == GES_FORWARD_FLAG) 
        {
          Serial.println("Forward");
          delay(GES_QUIT_TIME);
        }
        else if(data == GES_BACKWARD_FLAG) 
        {
          Serial.println("Backward");
          delay(GES_QUIT_TIME);
        }
        else
        {
          Serial.println("Up");
          
    MOTOR.setSpeedDir(50, DIRF);
    MOTOR.setSpeedDir(50, DIRR);
    delay(300);

    MOTOR.setStop1();
    MOTOR.setStop2();    
    
        }          
        break;
      case GES_DOWN_FLAG:
        delay(GES_ENTRY_TIME);
        paj7620ReadReg(0x43, 1, &data);
        if(data == GES_FORWARD_FLAG) 
        {
          Serial.println("Forward");
          delay(GES_QUIT_TIME);
        }
        else if(data == GES_BACKWARD_FLAG) 
        {
          Serial.println("Backward");
          delay(GES_QUIT_TIME);
        }
        else
        {
          Serial.println("Down");
          
    MOTOR.setSpeedDir(50, DIRR);
    MOTOR.setSpeedDir(50, DIRF);
    delay(300);
    
    MOTOR.setStop1();
    MOTOR.setStop2();    

        }          
        break;
      case GES_FORWARD_FLAG:
        Serial.println("Forward");
        delay(GES_QUIT_TIME);
        break;
      case GES_BACKWARD_FLAG:     
        Serial.println("Backward");
        delay(GES_QUIT_TIME);
        break;
      case GES_CLOCKWISE_FLAG:
        Serial.println("Clockwise");      
        break;
      case GES_COUNT_CLOCKWISE_FLAG:
        Serial.println("anti-clockwise");

           
        break;  
      default:
        paj7620ReadReg(0x44, 1, &data1);
        if (data1 == GES_WAVE_FLAG) 
        {
          Serial.println("wave");
        }
        break;
    }
  }
  delay(100);

}