I‘d have to say Robotics is my favorite issue theme. We get to feature some of the most fascinating projects. That’s not to say the 11 other themes throughout the rest of the year don’t attract great applications. It’s just that this particular topic brings out an incredibly high level of creativity among designers. Their excitement for these inventive and fun projects is contagious. Each year I look forward to reading about the newest advances in robotics and the interesting ways they’re being applied. We selected a few for this issue that are sure to give you some great ideas for your own projects.

A couple Atmel AVR 2004 Design Contest winners used the contest as an opportunity to experiment with AVR microcontrollers in robotics applications, and the results were impressive. Turn to page 12 to learn about the AVRcam. Designed around ATmega8 and ATtiny12 microcontrollers, this camera provides real-time tracking of multiple different-colored objects in addition to still photography capability. John Orlando discusses his range of goals—which included designing an inexpensive system that would be easily expandable—and how he and codesigner Brent Taylor accomplished them. Their successful design won them Second Prize in the contest. The well-designed AVRcam is also appropriate for motion detection and object recognition applications.

For another terrific AVR-based robotics application, turn to page 44. Eric Gagnon won Honorable Mention for his 32-channel RC digital servo controller. This ATmega8515L microcontroller-based project is well suited for projects that require versatile servos, including walking robots and animatronics applications. By upgrading from typical RC servos to digital RC servos, he achieved a hardware-based solution that features 16-bit accuracy and 12-bit resolution. In the first part of this two-part series, Eric covers the architecture. Be sure to come back next month, when he’ll discuss the circuits and FPGAs.

Columnist Jeff Bachiochi also delves into robotics as he analyzes Paratech’s quantum tunneling composite (QTC) technology  (page 48). He wanted to explore ways to improve the sensitivity, or rather a lack thereof, of robots. Sensitivity and input feedback will become increasingly important as robots become more integrated into fields such as manufacturing and military applications. By adding QTC sensors to his Heathkit Hero, Jeff was able to make the robot pick up an egg without crushing it.

Finally, we have an interesting article entitled “Three-Axis Stepper Motor Driver,” written by the design team of Viraj Bhanage, Prajakta Deshpande, and Praveen Deshpande (page 68). Their RC system, which was built around Philips P89C51RD2 and Atmel AT89C2051 microcontrollers, improves component control. It was designed to aid laser technicians who have to precisely control optical components.

I hope you enjoy reading these intriguing articles as much as I did. A special thank you goes out to the Connecticut State Police for allowing us to photograph their bomb disposal robot for the this month’s cover. One last note to the robotics enthusiasts headed to Hartford this month: Good luck in the Trinity College Fire-Fighting Home Robot Contest!

jennifer.huber@circuitcellar.com