News Letter
Skyler Randall
Enterprise, UT
Electronics Engineering Technology
Creativity Center
Title of Project: R2D2 The Robot
For my project, I took a stationary model of R2D2 and create a unique remote controlled R2D2 robot with an internal USB camera. R2D2 is drivable from your computer, phone, or other electronic devices and you will see everything R2D2 does. To do this, I made significant modifications to the inside of R2D2. This made it possible to fit all the electronic components inside that are needed to control R2. I created my own user interface web page that is accessible, and has buttons along with the camera feed. I also used an advanced microcontroller that is capable of handling the large amounts of data from the USB camera.
Making a remote controlled R2D2 was pretty cool, but what makes is even better is the ability that R2 had to be programed as well. R2 can be programed to do whatever you want, as long as its within his physical capabilities anyway. He can be programed in C++, Java, Python, JavaScript, HTML, and really whatever you want. For example, I currently have his user interface programed to shut himself down when the escape key is pressed on my laptop. This is just one example of the limitless possibilities that there are for R2.
I have always had a great interest in robotics. So when it came time to choose an EDGE project I decided it would be much more fun if I followed my interests. It just so happened that around the time I was deciding on a project, the new Star War what starting to be announced. I have been watching Star Wars since I was a young boy, and always wished that I could have my own R2D2. That’s when the idea finally struck me that it would awesome if I just built one myself, and use it as a project that would help farther my knowledge of robotics.
Completing a project like R2D2 doesn’t come without its challenges. Creating this robot as simple as it may seem, turned out to be quite difficult when it came time to start writing the code for R2. I am fairly fluent in languages like Java and C++, but to make things more interesting I chose to use the python language, and a little bit of JavaScript. There was I learning curve, but with a little patience I was able to complete the user interface for R2. Even though this was a difficult challenge to overcome, I feel that it was well worth it because I now understand much more about the python language.
I am currently a teaching assistant at Southern Utah University. Because of the knowledge gained from creating R2D2, I have been able to help two other students so far with similar projects. Not only am I able to help students with their projects, but I am also able to inspire the minds of both college and high school student. The R2D2 project has helped a student create a similar user interface, and another student was helped by the method used to stream the video feed from the camera.
I feel that this project was very beneficial to me, because it required me to use knowledge that I had previously learned in some of my classes. I believe that learning concepts in class is great, but you learn and understand ten times more when you actually apply what you learn outside of the class room. I also learned the importance of planning in a project like this. More than once, I had to change the position of the electronics inside R2, because of a lack of planning in my original plan. Over all I think the skills I had to use in this project improved my ability as an electronics engineer, and left me with a great project that can be talked about in future employment interviews or teaching situations.
Quotes from Skyler:
May 11, 2016 (About half way through the project)
“Good planning is so important. It could have saved me so much more time.”
June 1, 2016 (One week before project completion)
“Why do you have so many bugs in your software R2!?”