THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS
Design Specs
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Four bump sensors
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Three infrared LED/phototransistor pairs
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Four motors
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One servo
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Four 9V batteries
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125:1 gear ratio
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Two wheels
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One gyroscope
Design Description
Two bump sensors were placed in the front and the back of the robot. The bump sensors in combination with a software timeout helped the robot to detect when it collided with a wall or another robot. Three LED/phototransistor pairs were placed beneath the robot, and they allowed the robot to orient itself at the beginning of the game. There were two motors per wheel to make the robot go faster than normal, and a gear ratio of 125:1 was used to give the robot more power. In addition, the robot had a servo to operate its front gate. The servo allowed the robot to create a one-way gate from its initial two-way gate configuration when it needed to capture its balls. The gyroscope was used to drive straight and carry out the robot's turns, although it tended to drift.
Robot Name
Late at night in lab, we were watching a video which entailed a group of people "ghost riding" a YELLOW SCHOOL BUS! For those who don't know, ghost riding is an extremely idiotic and dangerous fad in America where people get on top or next to a car and dance while the car is moving without a driver. Watching this video late at night in lab, we decided to call our robot "The Magic School Bus." Don't ask why we chose this name......just watch the video below....