Master In Robotics

Welcome to learn Robotics with Raspberry Pi. In this course you will go on an exciting adventure through electronics, code, and Robotics. We will explain to you how to use the Raspberry Pi Minicomputer to build your own customizable robot from the ground up.

Along the way, we’ll explain robot awesome abilities, from remote control to following lines to recognizing objects and more!

By the end of this course you’ll be equipped with the programming and engineering skills to embark upon years of robotics and computer science fun, and should have the basic understanding you need to make your craziest robot ideas come to life. This course also introduces many other areas of computing along the way, including coding in one of the most popular programming languages around: Python. This is the perfect first step for anybody with an interest in computers and technology!

WHY BUILD AND LEARN ABOUT ROBOTS?

Robots are all around us. They build the products you use every day. They save lives in surgery. They even explore Mars and the rest of our solar system. As tech improves, Humans rely on robots more and more to make our lives easier, better, and safer. With the rise of artificial intelligence, it won’t be long until things like driverless cars and Smart robotic companions are the norm! There has never been a better time to learn about robotics, whether that’s just to satisfy your own curiosity or to embark on a future lucrative career. And besides, if you understand even just a little bit about robots, you’ll have a much better chance at surviving the robot uprising. (Just kidding.)

 Take a look at what’s in store for you in each chapter:

Chapter 1: Getting Up and Running takes you on a tour of the Raspberry Pi and itsfeatures. We will also show you how to install the operating system and set it up for use over your local network using SSH. In this chapter you’ll meet the terminal and write your first Python program.

Chapter 2: Electronics Basics introduces electricity, what it is, and how we can harness it. You’ll find two beginner projects in this chapter that are great for starting off your adventures before you start making robots. By the end, you’ll be able to make circuits that blink an LED and respond to a button.

Chapter 3: Building Your Robot begins your robotic journey. Here you’ll start to build your robot! We’ll build the base, with motors and wheels, and you’ll find lots of guidance about the different parts of your robot and how to wire it up.

Chapter 4: Making Your Robot Move gives your fully constructed robot the power of movement, with complete remote control using a Nintendo Wiimote. You’ll use Python code to make your robot move, first in a simple pattern and then by just tilting and orienting a Nintendo Wiimote, Mario Kart–style.

Chapter 5: Avoiding Obstacles gives you your first taste of robotic autonomy. In this project you’ll use an ultrasonic distance sensor to give your robot the ability to sense and avoid obstacles in its way. You’ll never crash again!

Chapter 6: Customizing with Lights and Sound allows you to customize your robot with super­bright lights and speakers. You’ll be able to program your owndazzling light shows, and connect a 3.5 mm speaker to your Raspberry Pi so that your robot can emit noises, like a car horn.

Chapter 7: Line Following shows you how to use sensors and code to make your robot follow a black line. It will be racing around a track all by itself in no time at all!

Chapter 8: Computer Vision: Follow a Colored Ball is the most advanced project of this course and introduces image processing, one of the most high­tech areas of computer science. In this chapter your robot will use the official Raspberry Pi Camera Module and computer vision algorithms to recognize and follow a colored ball, no matter where it is in your robot’s environment.

Chapter 1

●     Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+

●     8GB+ microSD card

●     HDMI cable, USB keyboard/mouse

●     5 V micro USB power adapter

Chapter 2

●     400­point breadboard

●     An LED with appropriate resistor

●     M­F/F­F/M­M jumper wires

●     Momentary push button

Chapter 3

●     A chassis for your robot (I make mine out of LEGO)

●     Two brushed 5 V to 9 V motors with tires

●     Six AA battery holder

●     Six AA batteries (I recommend rechargeable)

●     LM2596 buck converter module

●     L293D motor driver chip

Chapter 4

●     Nintendo Wii remote

●     For earlier models: Bluetooth dongle for Pis prior to Model 3/Zero W

Chapter 5

●     HC­SR04 ultrasonic distance sensor

●     A 1 kΩ resistor and a 2 kΩ resistor

Chapter 6

●     NeoPixel stick with headers

●     A small 3.5 mm speaker

Chapter 7

●     Two TCRT5000­based infrared line­following sensor modules

Chapter 8

●     An Official Raspberry Pi Camera Module

●     A colored ball