ASURO doesn´t need complex mechanics: It is actuated with two electric motors, each of which propels one tire over a two-stage gear.
The front contact to the soil is formed by a half ping-pong ball on which the robot slips.
ASURO gets along: An inward -ooking alternating black-and-white sectored disk is installed at each wheel to reflect the light radiated from an infrared LED.
The brightness fluctuations of the reflected light are measured using a photo transistor; their frequency is proportional to the number of revolutions.
ASURO´s view: With the aid of two photodiodes, ASURO can detect the brightness of the underground in order to follow a line.
ASURO has feeling: Six tactile sensors help ASURO to recognize and avoid obstacles.
Communication with ASURO: The infrared transceiver allows the data link between ASURO and a PC, over which runs both programming and a possible remote control or feedback.
Hello World in ASURO´s language:
#include "asuro.h"
main (void)
{
unsigned int i;
Init();
while(1) {
StatusLED(RED);
for (i=0; i<847; i++)
Sleep(255);
StatusLED(GREEN);
for (i=0; i<847; i++)
Sleep(255);
}
}