Want to play fetch but don't have a pet? Vlad from The Wonderful World of Vlad YouTube channel has got you covered with his new DIY robot shared recently. The bot uses a Raspberry Pi, an Arduino and OpenCV and can go retrieve a ball placed near it.
This robot served as the maker's final project for an engineering class. It operates with a series of sensors on a custom track designed by Vlad. The robot can navigate to all four corners of its track and use its sensors to locate a ball to retrieve. There's also a little bar mounted to the back of the bot that scoops the ball safely under the machine for transport.
Vlad used a Raspberry Pi Zero, as its small form factor makes it easier integrate. He also tagged in the Arduino ATMEGA338P board to interface with all of the on-board sensors.
The robot has a mounted battery, making the unit completely wireless. It uses both a Pi Cam and a distance sensor to help determine the ball location. An LCD screen provides a readout of useful data, such as voltage information for the battery or real-time alerts and notifications.
If you want to see this robot in action and learn more about its creation, check out The Wonderful World of Vlad on YouTube and keep an eye out for future maker projects.
