New To Zumo - Advice Needed

I built my Zumo robot and sensor array last night and had a lot of fun building the kit. However, now I’m stuck trying to figure out what to do with the robot. I’m not into competition and would really like the Zumo to just be able to run around my kitchen floor and avoid object (either along the way or items placed in its path). I’ve tried all the examples in the Zumo library, but since I don’t have a course (sumo mat, black lines, or maze) nothing seems to work. The only thing that I’ve successfully been able to do is play tunes from the buzzer, and test the motor functions. I also played with the sketch and had the Zumo move 5 feet forward and then back. However, nothing where the robot thinks for itself.

Does anyone have a sketch that would allow my Zumo to roam around a room without placing tape or a mat on the floor? Will I need additional sensor in addition to the sensor array that I’ve already installed?

Sorry for the completely beginner question… I’m new to the arduino and robot community.

John

Hello, John.

You will probably need to add some sensors to your Zumo Robot so it can sense the obsticles you want to avoid. You might consider sensors like our Pololu Carrier with Sharp GP2Y0D810Z0F Digital Distance Sensor 10cm. Also, you might be able to modify the “BorderDetect.ino” example code to use these sensors in place of the line sensor array to do some simple obstacle avoidance.

-Derrill

Thank you Derrill for the suggestions. If I purchase the Sharp Sensor can that be soldered to the front of the Zumo and still allow me to keep the Zumo reflectance sensor Array in place? Would I need to modify the board (i.e., remove the traces between the compass or battery read area?) Also, could you provide some sample code for me to try the Sharp GP2 out once its installed?

I appreciate the support. I’m very new to this, but learning more each day.

John

You can compare the pins used for the Zumo reflectance sensor array in the picture under the “Array pinout” heading of the “Adding a Zumo reflectance sensor array (optional)” section of the Pololu Zumo Shield for Arduino User’s Guide with the pins available in the picture in the “Front expansion” section to see what pins are not used. You can also see more about available pins in the “Arduino pin assignment table” section.

We do not have any example code for that sensor, but you can use the “digitalRead()” command listed in the Arduino language reference to read that sensor.

-Derrill

I am looking to do the same with my Zumo Robot as tikishark . I initially bought the robot because of an instructable found here dropbox.com/sh/v80inz7tsa6ds59/Q_w0K6R0MO. I was able to get it to work with the Zumo Robot but there is some tweaking that still needs to be done to the code.

I hope this helps.