Hello, paulsba.
The Maestro can not be directly connected to a QTR-8RC sensor because using the sensor requires accurate timing and the ability to change an I/O line from an input to an output (and vice versa) on the fly. The Maestro’s scripting language can not do either of those. You could use a QTR-8A reflectance sensor array instead, which simply outputs an analog voltage. You can connect the 8 outputs of that sensor array directly to 8 input pins on the Maestro and read the voltages that way.
While the Maestro could read the line sensor and control a servo, I don’t think it is a great choice for your robot’s main controller. The scripting language is slower and more limited than what you could achieve with a C program running directly on a microcontroller module such as the Baby Orangutan.
I think that your line sensors are too close to the back of the robot to have provide good feedback. Most line follower designs put the line sensors at the front end of the robot so that the robot can anticipate that it needs to turn before it drives off the line. For example:
The steering mechanism you proposed looks difficult to get right. It looks like you will only power the left wheel, and allow the right wheel to spin on its own. This might work, but when you power the left wheel, your robot would naturally want to spin in a tiny circle clockwise. The only thing that might prevent it from doing that would be friction of the front wheel against the ground, which means there will be weird torques on various parts of the robot.
As Ben said, I think you should start with something easier, like the 3pi. Once you understand how to program that, it’s you should be able to make a bigger, custom robot with a Baby Orangutan or Orangutan SVP as the brain and possibly some external motor drivers/controllers depending on how big your motors are.
The 3pi does not “stop and accelerate continuously”; your code would be in complete control over how smooth the motors’ movements are.
–David