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A project log for Wall-E

A small-size, low-cost, Wall-E robot. Remote controlled from a HTML5 interface, through WiFi websockets.

etienneEtienne 07/25/2019 at 09:440 Comments

I have added a ESP32-CAM module on the front panel... see that little black hole on his torso? now Wall-E can stream video to any web browser over the local network!

The  camera mount point is a bit too high though, or viewing angle too narrow, for obstacle avoidance. See in the picture above, only top half of the right hand is visible in the camera feed. I'll have to try with a fish-eye lens.

I could not yet get the .95" color OLED screen to work on the ESP32. Maybe pin assignments are conflicting with the camera module. I'll try again later with a simpler I2C, black and white model.

I also hope that all those modules (especially servos) don't draw too much current on the poor 18650 battery module.

Anyway this camera module opens up a lot of new opportunities... First I shall integrate the video feedback in the remote control webpage. Then I think I should learn learn how to use ROS to perform monocular SLAM.

Additionally, I think a minor redesign of the head might allow to hide another ESP32-CAM module inside the head, and have another video stream directly from the eye (that is, with the head pan/tilt movements). 

Stay tuned!

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