Summer 2008

My interest in controls and robotics stems this design project that I completed as part of my undergraduate education. We were supplied with basic electronics, an AtMega8501 microcontroller, 12V batteries, a wooden base with wheels, and tasked to create a delivery robot that would navigate a fixed course autonomously. The robot was also required to push buttons and enter a simple elevator to reach the goal. Sensors could be mounted onto the robot to enable it to respond to physical stimuli (such as detection of walls) or a predetermined set of actions could be dead reckoned into the software.

The motor driver, sensors, and software for my robot worked perfectly when tested on their own. However, when all components were tested together, unexpected interactions between the programming of the microcontroller and motor driver caused the robot to malfunction. KRAKATOA lived up to its explosive name and short-circuited its FETs in a fiery blast during last minute testing.

This was my first disappointing taste of real engineering design. But rather than discouraging me, the knowledge that I gained from this failure fired up my desire to continue creating, building, and failing (if need be) to learn more. After all, theory can only teach us so much, after which, hands-on experience takes over.