HEXAPOD ROBOT

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

HEXAPOD IDEA

Today robots have been divided under certain classes. One of them is limbed robots under which
comes hexapod. It is a six-legged robot used for a variety of purposes, primarily related to
research. The design is modeled after six-legged insects categorized by the class Hexapoda
(Greek). Commonly known members of this class include spiders, cockroaches, crickets and
grasshoppers, ants, and beetles. Hexapod robots largely mimic Hexapoda locomotion. Some
robots are designed with the aim of better understanding how insects in the Hexapoda group
function from a biological standpoint, while others are created as a means of channelling the
efficiency of these creatures’ movements into a medium that can be manipulated.
What basically Hexapod is???
As per the above description Hexapod is six legged robot. Each leg has three joints so each leg
has three degrees of freedom. Because of having three degrees of freedom the leg can move
anywhere in three dimension up to certain extent. Total it has six legs so by summing all the
hexapod has eighteen degrees of freedom and that’s why we can have various motions in 3D. It
can perform various very complex steps like crawling and walking by synchronizing all six legs
and eighteen joints. It is more likely a mimic of spider. A spider having six legs!!!Like a spider
in the figure we can compare the hexapod in the next figure. The mechanical body frame and
locomotion style is totally inspired from the spider. Like spider the hexapod synchronizes the
motion of all its servo motors and moves or walk accordingly.

Fig. 1.1 Spider ( Hexapod idea)

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The joints of the Hexapod are made of servo motors (servo motors can rotate generally between
0 to 180 degrees as per the requirement with constant rate. No matter how much external torque
you apply up to certain limit and the limit is that of the rating of the servo motor) and they
control the phi, theta and radius of the particular leg.
There are many terrain where the wheeled robot cannot go further, and cannot overcome the
obstacle. However legged structure overcomes that hurdle and get away from it very easily and
swiftly. The most efficient use of the Hexapod can be done in the rocky or sandy terrain where
the wheels get struck the legged structure can easily be the alternative. And Hexapod is the best
choice in legged robot because it can easily stabilize the body on three legs. So when there is a
time where some legs are not in contact with the ground the other three manage to balance the
body.
The walking of hexapod was divided in two methods:
Simple walking Simple walking mainly consist two major dynamics. One is picking legs and the
other is to push the ground backwards to move forward. So in simple walking initially Hexapod
is headed towards one of the legs. Then one by one other than the diagonal one all legs are
picked and moved forward from the mean by certain angle. After picking the pushing process
begins and all other four legs simultaneously push the ground backwards and the hexapod gets
the motion in forward direction. And this process continues to make the bot Walk. While
pushing the ground the bot moves forward but for the forward displacement and the overall
balancing of the hexapod the friction plays the important role and to gain much higher friction
rubber pads were used in the Hexapod.
The best thing about the hexapod is its multi directionality. So if its headed toward leg 1 and
wants to take a right turn than it will just simply rotate 30 degrees about its central axis and start
moving along leg 2. If it wants to move at an angle of 120 degrees will just start move along leg
3 or leg 5.

Tripod Walking

Tripod walking was the revolutionary algorithm of walking. This made the hexapod faster and
smart walker. The whole concept of tripod walking was on the basis of balancing on three legs
and maintaining equilateral triangle using alternate three legs. In this type of walking the
hexapod moved on three legs at a time and at any time of walking the alternate three legs
maintained equilateral triangle to avoid a lot amount of unwanted stress.

Obstacle Clearance
The main motive of making the hexapod was to overcome obstacles comes in the way where the
wheeled robots are helpless. Like in rocky surface the wheeled bot cannot pass over a rocks or
even small stones and in desert or in sand the wheeled bots get struck and slip. Whereas
Hexapod locomotion is based on picking and pushing mechanism and its extensive stability can
easily conquer rocky and sandy terrains. Due to this aspect Hexapod can be used in defence and

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in military applications like mine detection and spying. It can be used in research and exploration
in such areas where men cannot reach such as in volcanic research. This concept can also be
used for exploration and sample testing in other planets and asteroids.

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CHAPTER 2
WORKING OF COMPONENTS USED

2.1 LIST OF COMPONENTS

 FRAME
 Microcontroller (ATmega2560)
 Servo Motors
 Bluetooth receiver (HC-05)
 Voltage Regulator (7805)
 Diodes (4001)
 Capacitors (1000µF)
 Power Supply

The above components are explained in detail as follows:

2.1.1 Frame
The frame can be broadly divided into two sections
1. CHASIS 2.LIMB

2.1.1.1 CHASSIS

The chassis is the circular part which has 6 protruding parts through which has all the limbs are
attached. The lid houses the electronic components and batteries. The material used is acrylic
because of its light weight and strength. We first created a shape of the chassis on AUTODESK
INVENTOR. Then the CAD file was fed into the Laser Cutter machine and we will get the
required structure on an acrylic sheet
The upper and lower part of the chassis were spaced by 12 beams of equal size placed
perpendicular to each other. This gave the body strength for all motions. The battery and
switches were to be placed on a lid present at the top.

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Fig. 2.1 chasis structure

2.1.1.2 Limb
Each limb of the robot has three servo motors each for providing specific degree of freedom. A
servo motor has the special characteristic that it can be moved to a specific angle as per defined
by the microcontroller. In this way by setting each servo at a specific configuration we can
define a particular orientation for the limb. Limb basically consists of 2 U-shaped brackets, 3
servo mounting brackets and 2 leg pieces.

Fig. 2.2 limb

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2.1.2 MICROCONTROLLER (ATmega2560)

The ATmega2560 is a single-chip microcontroller created by Atmel in the mega AVR
family (later Microchip Technology acquired Atmel in 2016). It is a 256K 8-bit
microcontroller based on the AVR enhanced RISC architecture. The AT mega 2560 is a
common alternative to the ATmega375P. The Atmel ATmega2560 provides 256K bytes
of in-system programmable flash with read-while-write capabilities, 4K bytes EEPROM,
8K bytes SRAM, 32 general purpose I/O lines, 32 general purpose working registers, six
flexible Timer/Counters with compare modes, internal and external interrupts, 4 serial
programmable USART, a byte-oriented 2-wire serial interface, an SPI serial port, a 16-
channel 10-bit ADC (8 channels in TQFP and QFN/MLF packages), a JTAG interface
for on chip debugging, and five software selectable power saving modes. The idle mode
stops the CPU while allowing the SRAM, Timer/Counters, USART, 2-wire serial
interface, SPI port, and interrupt system to continue functioning. The power-down mode
saves the register contents but freezes the oscillator, disabling all other chip functions
until the next interrupt or hardware reset. In power-save mode, the asynchronous timer
continues to run, allowing the user to maintain a timer base while the rest of the device is
sleeping. The ADC noise reduction mode stops the CPU and all I/O modules except
asynchronous timer and ADC, to minimize switching noise during ADC conversions. In
standby mode, the crystal/resonator oscillator is running while the rest of the device is
sleeping. This allows very fast start-up combined with low power consumption.
The device is manufactured using Atmel high density non-volatile memory technology.
The on-chip ISP flash allows the program memory to be reprogrammed in-system
through an SPI serial interface, by a conventional non-volatile memory programmer, or
by an on-chip boot program running on the AVR core. The boot program can use any
interface to download the application program in the application flash memory. Software
in the boot flash section will continue to run while the application flash section is
updated, providing true read-while-write operation. By combining an 8-bit RISC CPU
with in-system self-programmable flash on a monolithic chip, the Atmel ATmega2560 is
a powerful microcontroller that provides a highly flexible and cost effective solution to
many embedded control applications.
The ATmega2560 AVR is supported with a full suite of program and system
development tools including: C compilers, macro assemblers, program
debugger/simulators, in-circuit emulators, and evaluation kits.

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Fig 2.3 Microcontroller (ATmega2560)

2.1.2.1 FEATURES
The main features of the ATmega2560 Microcontroller are given below:
1. High performance, low power AVR® 8-bit microcontroller
2. Advanced RISC architecture
 135 powerful instructions – most single clock cycle execution
 32x8 general purpose working registers
 Fully static operation
 Up to 16MIPS throughput at 16MHz
 On-chip 2-cycle multiplier
3. High endurance non-volatile memory segments
 256K bytes of in-system self-programmable flash program memory
 4Kbytes EEPROM
 8Kbytes internal SRAM
 Write/erase cycles: 10,000 flash/100,000 EEPROM
 Optional boot code section with independent lock bits
 In-system programming by on-chip boot program
 True read-while-write operation
 Programming lock for software security

4. Peripheral features
 Two 8-bit Timer/Counters with separate prescaler and compare mode
 One 16-bit Timer/Counter with separate prescaler, compare mode, and capture
mode
 Real time counter with separate oscillator
 Six PWM channels

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 16-channel 10-bit ADC in TQFP and QFN/MLF package

 Temperature measurement
 Programmable serial USART
 Master/slave SPI serial interface
 Byte-oriented 2-wire serial interface (Phillips I2C compatible)
 Programmable watchdog timer with separate on-chip oscillator
 On-chip analog comparator
 Interrupt and wake-up on pin change
5. Special microcontroller features
 Power-on reset and programmable brown-out detection
 Internal calibrated oscillator
 External and internal interrupt sources
 Six sleep modes: Idle, ADC noise reduction, power-save, power-down, standby,
and extended standby
6. I/O and packages
 86 programmable I/O lines
 64-lead TQFP, and 64-pad QFN/MLF
7. Operating voltages
 2.7V to 5.5V for ATmega2560
8. Temperature range
 Automotive temperature range: –40°C to +85°C
9. Speed grade
 0 to 8MHz at 2.7 to 5.5V (automotive temperature range: –40°C to +85°C)
 0 to 16MHz at 4.5 to 5.5V (automotive temperature range: –40°C to +85°C)
10. Low power consumption
 Active mode: 1.5mA at 3V - 4MHz
 Power-down mode: 1µA at 3V

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2.1.2.2 Pin Configurations

Fig. 2.4 Pin diagram

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Top view

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
J
K

Bottom view

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
J
K

Fig. 2.5 CBGA-pin out ATmega640/1280/2560

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

A GND AREF PF0 PF2 PF5 PK0 PK3 PK6 GND VCC

B AVCC PG5 PF1 PF3 PF6 PK1 PK4 PK7 PA0 PA2

C PE2 PE0 PE1 PF4 PF7 PK2 PK5 PJ7 PA1 PA3

D PE3 PE4 PE5 PE6 PH2 PA4 PA5 PA6 PA7 PG2

E PE7 PH0 PH1 PH3 PH5 PJ6 PJ5 PJ4 PJ3 PJ2

F VCC PH4 PH6 PB0 PL4 PD1 PJ1 PJ0 PC7 GND

G GND PB1 PB2 PB5 PL2 PD0 PD5 PC5 PC6 VCC

H PB3 PB4 RESET PL1 PL3 PL7 PD4 PC4 PC3 PC2

J PH7 PG3 PB6 PL0 XTAL2 PL6 PD3 PC1 PC0 PG1

K PB7 PG4 VCC GND XTAL1 PL5 PD2 PD6 PD7 PG0

Table 2.1 CBGA-pin out ATmega640/1280/2560

2.1.1.3 Overview
The ATmega640/1280/1281/2560/2561 is a low-power CMOS 8-bit microcontroller
based on the AVR enhanced RISC architecture. By executing powerful instructions in a
single clock cycle, the ATmega640/1280/1281/2560/2561 achieves throughputs
approaching 1 MIPS per MHz allowing the system designer to optimize power
consumption versus processing speed.

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2.1.2.4 Block Diagram

Fig. 2.6 Block Diagram

The Atmel AVR core combines a rich instruction set with 32 general purpose working
registers. All the 32 registers are directly connected to the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU),

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allowing two independent registers to be accessed in one single instruction executed in

one clock cycle. The resulting architecture is more code efficient while achieving
throughputs up to ten times faster than conventional CISC microcontrollers.
The ATmega640/1280/1281/2560/2561 provides the following features: 64K/128K/256K
bytes of In-System Programmable Flash with Read-While-Write capabilities, 4Kbytes
EEPROM, 8Kbytes SRAM, 54/86 general purpose I/O lines, 32 general purpose working
registers, Real Time Counter (RTC), six flexible Timer/Counters with compare modes
and PWM, four USARTs, a byte oriented 2-wire Serial Interface, a 16-channel, 10-bit
ADC with optional differential input stage with programmable gain, programmable
Watchdog Timer with Internal Oscillator, an SPI serial port, IEEE® std. 1149.1 compliant
JTAG test interface, also used for accessing the On-chip Debug system and programming
and six software selectable power saving modes. The Idle mode stops the CPU while
allowing the SRAM, Timer/Counters, SPI port, and interrupt system to continue
functioning. The Power-down mode saves the register contents but freezes the Oscillator,
disabling all other chip functions until the next interrupt or Hardware Reset. In Power-
save mode, the asynchronous timer continues to run, allowing the user to maintain a
timer base while the rest of the device is sleeping. The ADC Noise Reduction mode stops
the CPU and all I/O modules except Asynchronous Timer and ADC, to minimize
switching noise during ADC conversions. In Standby mode, the Crystal/Resonator
Oscillator is running while the rest of the device is sleeping. This allows very fast start-up
combined with low power consumption. In Extended Standby mode, both the main
Oscillator and the Asynchronous Timer continue to run.
Atmel offers the QTouch library for embedding capacitive touch buttons, sliders and
wheels functionality into AVR microcontrollers. The patented charge-transfer signal
acquisition offers robust sensing and includes fully debounced reporting of touch keys
and includes Adjacent Key Suppression technology for unambiguous detection of key
events. The easy-to-use QTouch Suite tool chain allows you to explore, develop and
debug your own touch applications.
The device is manufactured using the Atmel high-density nonvolatile memory
technology. The On-chip ISP Flash allows the program memory to be reprogrammed in-
system through an SPI serial interface, by a conventional nonvolatile memory
programmer, or by an On-chip Boot program running on the AVR core. The boot
program can use any interface to download the application program in the application
Flash memory. Software in the Boot Flash section will continue to run while the
Application Flash section is updated, providing true Read-While-Write operation. By
combining an 8-bit RISC CPU with In-System Self-Programmable Flash on a monolithic
chip, the Atmel ATmega640/1280/1281/2560/2561 is a powerful microcontroller that
provides a highly flexible and cost effective solution to many embedded control
applications.

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The ATmega640/1280/1281/2560/2561 AVR is supported with a full suite of program

and system development tools including: C compilers, macro assemblers, program
debugger/simulators, in-circuit emulators, and evaluation kits.

2.1.2.5 Pin Descriptions

1 VCC

Digital supply voltage.

2 GND

Ground pin.
3 Port A (PA7..PA0)

Port A is an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors (selected for each
bit). The Port A output buffers have symmetrical drive characteristics with both high sink
and source capability. As inputs, Port A pins that are externally pulled low will source
current if the pull-up resistors are activated. The Port A pins are tri-stated when a reset
condition becomes active, even if the clock is not running.
Port A also serves the functions of various special features of the
ATmega640/1280/1281/2560/2561.
4 Port B (PB7..PB0)

Port B is an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors (selected for each
bit). The Port B output buffers have symmetrical drive characteristics with both high sink
and source capability. As inputs, Port B pins that are externally pulled low will source
current if the pull-up resistors are activated. The Port B pins are tri-stated when a reset
condition becomes active, even if the clock is not running.
Port B has better driving capabilities than the other ports.
Port B also serves the functions of various special features of the
ATmega640/1280/1281/2560/2561.
5 Port C (PC7..PC0)

Port C is an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors (selected for each
bit). The Port C output buffers have symmetrical drive characteristics with both high sink
and source capability. As inputs, Port C pins that are externally pulled low will source
current if the pull-up resistors are activated. The Port C pins are tri-stated when a reset
condition becomes active, even if the clock is not running.

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Port C also serves the functions of special features of the

ATmega640/1280/1281/2560/2561.
6 Port D (PD7..PD0)

Port D is an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors (selected for each
bit). The Port D output buffers have symmetrical drive characteristics with both high sink
and source capability. As inputs, Port D pins that are externally pulled low will source
current if the pull-up resistors are activated. The Port D pins are tri-stated when a reset
condition becomes active, even if the clock is not running.
Port D also serves the functions of various special features of the
ATmega640/1280/1281/2560/2561.
7 Port E (PE7..PE0)

Port E is an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors (selected for each
bit). The Port E output buffers have symmetrical drive characteristics with both high sink
and source capability. As inputs, Port E pins that are externally pulled low will source
current if the pull-up resistors are activated. The Port E pins are tri-stated when a reset
condition becomes active, even if the clock is not running.
Port E also serves the functions of various special features of the
ATmega640/1280/1281/2560/2561.
8 Port F (PF7..PF0)

Port F serves as analog inputs to the A/D Converter.

Port F also serves as an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port, if the A/D Converter is not used.
Port pins can provide internal pull-up resistors (selected for each bit). The Port F output
buffers have symmetrical drive characteristics with both high sink and source capability.
As inputs, Port F pins that are externally pulled low will source current if the pull-up
resistors are activated. The Port F pins are tri-stated when a reset condition becomes
active, even if the clock is not running. If the JTAG interface is enabled, the pull-up
resistors on pins PF7(TDI), PF5(TMS), and PF4(TCK) will be activated even if a reset
occurs.
Port F also serves the functions of the JTAG interface.
9 Port G (PG5..PG0)

Port G is a 6-bit I/O port with internal pull-up resistors (selected for each bit). The Port G
output buffers have symmetrical drive characteristics with both high sink and source
capability. As inputs, Port G pins that are externally pulled low will source current if the
pull-up resistors are activated. The Port G pins are tri-stated when a reset condition
becomes active, even if the clock is not running.

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Port G also serves the functions of various special features of the

ATmega640/1280/1281/2560/2561.
10 Port H (PH7..PH0)

Port H is a 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors (selected for each
bit). The Port H output buffers have symmetrical drive characteristics with both high sink
and source capability. As inputs, Port H pins that are externally pulled low will source
current if the pull-up resistors are activated. The Port H pins are tri-stated when a reset
condition becomes active, even if the clock is not running.
Port H also serves the functions of various special features of the
ATmega640/1280/2560.
11 Port J (PJ7..PJ0)

Port J is a 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors (selected for each
bit). The Port J output buffers have symmetrical drive characteristics with both high sink
and source capability. As inputs, Port J pins that are externally pulled low will source
current if the pull-up resistors are activated. The Port J pins are tri-stated when a reset
condition becomes active, even if the clock is not running. Port J also serves the
functions of various special features of the ATmega640/1280/2560.
12 Port K (PK7..PK0)

Port K serves as analog inputs to the A/D Converter.

Port K is a 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors (selected for each
bit). The Port K output buffers have symmetrical drive characteristics with both high sink
and source capability. As inputs, Port K pins that are externally pulled low will source
current if the pull-up resistors are activated. The Port K pins are tri-stated when a reset
condition becomes active, even if the clock is not running.
Port K also serves the functions of various special features of the
ATmega640/1280/2560.
13 Port L (PL7..PL0)

Port L is a 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors (selected for each
bit). The Port L output buffers have symmetrical drive characteristics with both high sink
and source capability. As inputs, Port L pins that are externally pulled low will source
current if the pull-up resistors are activated. The Port L pins are tri-stated when a reset
condition becomes active, even if the clock is not running.
Port L also serves the functions of various special features of the ATmega640/1280/2560.

14 RESET

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Reset input. A low level on this pin for longer than the minimum pulse length will
generate a reset, even if the clock is not running. The minimum pulse length is given in
“System and Reset Characteristics”. Shorter pulses are not guaranteed to generate a reset.
15 XTAL1

Input to the inverting Oscillator amplifier and input to the internal clock operating circuit.
16 XTAL2

Output from the inverting Oscillator amplifier.

17 AVCC

AVCC is the supply voltage pin for Port F and the A/D Converter. It should be externally
connected to VCC, even if the ADC is not used. If the ADC is used, it should be
connected to VCC through a low-pass filter.

18 AREF

This is the analog reference pin for the A/D Converter.

2.1.3 SERVO MOTOR

A servomotor is a rotary actuator or linear actuator that allows for precise control of angular or
linear position, velocity and acceleration. It consists of a suitable motor coupled to a sensor for
position feedback. It also requires a relatively sophisticated controller, often a dedicated module
designed specifically for use with servomotors.
Servomotors are not a specific class of motor although the term servomotor is often used to refer
to a motor suitable for use in a closed-loop control system.
A servomotor is a closed-loop servo mechanism that uses position feedback to control its motion
and final position. The input to its control is a signal (either analogue or digital) representing the
position commanded for the output shaft.
The motor is paired with some type of encoder to provide position and speed feedback. In the
simplest case, only the position is measured. The measured position of the output is compared to
the command position, the external input to the controller. If the output position differs from that
required, an error signal is generated which then causes the motor to rotate in either direction, as
needed to bring the output shaft to the appropriate position. As the positions approach, the error
signal reduces to zero and the motor stops.
The very simplest servomotors use position-only sensing via a potentiometer and bang-bang
control of their motor; the motor always rotates at full speed (or is stopped). This type of
servomotor is not widely used in industrial motion control, but it forms the basis of the simple
and cheap servos used for radio-controlled models.

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More sophisticated servomotors use optical rotary encoders to measure the speed of the output
shaft and a variable-speed drive to control the motor speed. Both of these enhancements, usually
in combination with a PID control algorithm, allow the servomotor to be brought to its
commanded position more quickly and more precisely, with less overshooting.

Fig 2.7 Servo Motor

Most modern servomotors are designed and supplied around a dedicated controller module from
the same manufacturer. Controllers may also be developed around micro controllers in order to
reduce cost for large-volume applications.

2.1.4 Bluetooth Receiver HC-05

HC‐05 module is an easy to use Bluetooth SPP (Serial Port Protocol) module, designed for
transparent wireless serial connection setup. The HC-05 Bluetooth Module can be used in a
Master or Slave configuration, making it a great solution for wireless communication. This serial
port Bluetooth module is fully qualified Bluetooth V2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) 3Mbps
Modulation with complete 2.4GHz radio transceiver and baseband. It uses CSR Blue core
04‐External single chip Bluetooth system with CMOS technology and with AFH (Adaptive
Frequency Hopping Feature).
The Bluetooth module HC-05 is a MASTER/SLAVE module. By default the factory setting is
SLAVE. The Role of the module (Master or Slave) can be configured only by AT
COMMANDS. The slave modules cannot initiate a connection to another Bluetooth device, but
can accept connections. Master module can initiate a connection to other devices. The user can

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use it simply for a serial port replacement to establish connection between MCU and GPS, PC to
your embedded project.

The HC-05 Bluetooth Module has 6pins. They are as follows:

1. ENABLE:
When enable is pulled LOW, the module is disabled which means the module will not turn
on and it fails to communicate. When enable is left open or connected to 3.3V, the module is
enabled i.e. the module remains on and communication also takes place.

2. Vcc:
Supply Voltage 3.3V to 5V

3. GND:
Ground pin

4. TXD & RXD:

These two pins acts as an UART interface for communication

5. STATE:
It acts as a status indicator. When the module is not connected to / paired with any other
Bluetooth device, signal goes Low. At this low state, the led flashes continuously which denotes
that the module is not paired with other device. When this module is connected to/paired with
any other Bluetooth device, the signal goes High. At this high state, the led blinks with a
constant delay say for example 2s delay which indicates that the module is paired.

6. BUTTON SWITCH:
This is used to switch the module into AT command mode. To enable AT command mode, press
the button switch for a second. With the help of AT commands, the user can change the
parameters of this module but only when the module is not paired with any other BT device. If
the module is connected to any other Bluetooth device, it starts to communicate with that device
and fails to work in AT command mode.

Pin Description Function

VCC +5V Connect to +5V

GND Ground Connect to Ground

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TXD UART_TXD, Bluetooth serial Connect with the MCU’s

signal sending PIN (Microcontroller and etc) RXD PIN.

RXD UART_RXD, Bluetooth serial Connect with the MCU’s

signal receiving PIN (Microcontroller and etc) TXD PIN.

KEY Mode If it is input low level or connect to the

air, the module is at paired or
switch input
communication mode. If it’s input high
level, the module will enter to AT
mode.

Table 2.2 Function of various pins

Fig. 2.8 HC-05 Bluetooth receiver.

Specifications

Hardware features

 Typical -80dBm sensitivity

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 Up to +4dBm RF transmit power

 Low Power 1.8V Operation ,1.8 to 3.6V I/O
 PIO control
 UART interface with programmable baud rate
 With integrated antenna
 With edge connector

Software features

 Default Baud rate: 38400, Data bits:8, Stop bit:1,Parity:No parity, Data control: has.
Supported baud rate: 9600,19200,38400,57600,115200,230400,460800.
 Given a rising pulse in PIO0, device will be disconnected.
 Status instruction port PIO1: low-disconnected, high-connected;
 PIO10 and PIO11 can be connected to red and blue led separately. When master and
slave are paired, red and blue led blinks 1time/2s in interval, while disconnected only
blue led blinks 2times/s.
 Auto-connect to the last device on power as default.
 Permit pairing device to connect as default.
 Auto-pairing PINCODE:”0000” as default
 Auto-reconnect in 30 min when disconnected as a result of beyond the range of
connection.

Hardware

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Fig. 2.9 pin configuration of Hc-05

AT command Default:

How to set the mode to server (master):

1. Connect PIO11 to high level.
2. Power on, module into command state.
3. Using baud rate 38400, sent the “AT+ROLE=1\r\n” to module, with “OK\r\n” means setting
successes.
4. Connect the PIO11 to low level, repower the module, the module work as server (master).

2.1.5 Power Supply

2.1.5.1 SMPS
One of the most important aspect of running any circuit is power. Required voltage and current
to the components should be provided so that proper functioning of them could be achieved. For
running 12 servo motors we needed a lot of current. Also, the voltage rating of the supply should
also meet the voltage ratings of different components on the circuit. We used SMPS supply for
running the electronics. A switched-mode power supply (SMPS) is an electronic power supply
that incorporates a switching regulator in order to be highly efficient in the conversion of
electrical power. Like other types of power supplies, an SMPS transfers power from a source
like the electrical power grid to a load while converting voltage and current characteristics.
This unit was supplied 220V AC power supply normally present in our distribution supply. The
output was a DC voltage supply of 12 V which was connected to the power modules of the limbs
and the microcontroller.

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2.1.5.2 Nickel Cadmium Battery

Another mode of power supply that we used was a 1.2Volt Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) Battery. The
NiCd battery provides a large amount of current for a long duration of time. It is easily
rechargeable. It also does not weigh heavy, so it doesn’t add up much to the weight of the robot.
Specifications of NiCd battery that we used
Capacity: 4000mAh
Voltage: 1.2v/ Cell
Discharge: Constant
Weight: 133g

Fig. 2.10 NiCd battery

2.1.6 VOLTAGE REGULATOR (7805)

A voltage regulator is an electrical regulator designed to automatically maintain a constant
voltage level. It may use an electromechanical mechanism, or electronic components. Depending
on the design, it may be used to regulate one or more AC or DC voltages. Electronic voltage
regulators are found in devices such as robotic arm where they stabilize the DC voltages and
other elements. In automobile alternators and central power station generator plants, voltage
regulators control the output of the plant.

A simple voltage regulator can be made from a resistor in series with a diode . Feedback voltage
regulators operate by comparing the actual output voltage to some fixed reference voltage.

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Two types of voltage regulators are used in this project namely are: 7805 and 7812.

The 78xx is a family of self-contained fixed linear voltage regulator integrated circuits. The 78xx
family is commonly used in electronic circuits requiring a regulated power supply due to their
ease-of-use and low cost. For ICs within the family, the xx is replaced with two digits, indicating
the output voltage. For example, the 7805 has a 5 volt output, while the 7812 produces 12 volts.
In our project we use 7805 as supply from microcontroller is 5 volt.

Fig. 2.11 7805 voltage regulator

2.1.7 DIODES (4001)
In electronics, a diode is a two-terminal electronic component with asymmetric transfer
characteristic, with low (ideally zero) resistance to current flow in one direction, and high
(ideally infinite) resistance in the other. The most common function of a diode is to allow an
electric current to pass in one direction (called the diode's forward direction), while blocking
current in the opposite direction (the reverse direction).

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Fig 2.12 IN-4001

The voltage drop across a forward-biased diode varies only a little with the current, and is a
function of temperature; this effect can be used as a temperature sensor or voltage reference.

2.1.8 CAPACITORS

A capacitor (originally known as condenser) is a passive two-terminal electrical component

used to store energy in an electricfield. The forms of practical capacitors vary widely, but all
contain at least two electrical conductors separated by a dielectric (insulator); for example, one
common construction consists of metal foils separated by a thin layer of insulating film.
Capacitors are widely used as parts of electrical circuits in many common electrical devices.

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Fig. 2.13 capacitor

2.1.9 SERVO DRIVER

Fig.2.14 Servo Driver

Driving servo motors with the Arduino Servo library is pretty easy, but each one consumes a precious pin -
not to mention some Arduino processing power. The Adafruit 16-Channel 12-bit PWM/Servo Driver will
drive up to 16 servos over I2C with only 2 pins. The on-board PWM controller will drive all 16 channels

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simultaneously with no additional Arduino processing overhead. What's more, you can chain up to 62 of
them to control up to 992 servos - all with the same 2 pins.

The Adafruit PWM/Servo Driver is the perfect solution for any project that requires a lot of servos.

Fig. 2.15 Connection between Servo and Servo Driver

There are two sets of control input pins on either side. Both sides of the pins are
identical. Use whichever side you like, you can also easily chain by connecting up two side-
by-sides.

POWER PINS

 GND - This is the power and signal ground pin, must be connected

 VCC - This is the logic power pin, connects this to the logic level you want to use
for the PCA9685 output, should be 3 - 5V max! It's also used for the 10K pull-ups on
SCL/SDA so unless you have your own pull-ups, have it match the microcontroller's
logic level too!

 V+ - This is an optional power pin that will supply distributed power to the servos. If
you are not using for servos you can leave disconnected. It is not used at all by the

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chip. You can also inject power from the 2-pin terminal block at the top of the board.
You should provide 5-6VDC if you are using servos. If you have to, you can go
higher to 12VDC, but if you mess up and connect VCC to V+ you could damage
your board!

CONTROL PINS

 SCL - I2C clock pin, connect to your microcontrollers I2C clock line. Can use 3V or
5V logic, and has a weak pull up to VCC

 SDA - I2C data pin, connect to your microcontrollers I2C data line. Can use 3V or
5V logic, and has a weak pull up to VCC

 OE - Output enable. Can be used to quickly disable all outputs. When this pin
is low all pins are enabled. When the pin is high the outputs are disabled. Pulled low
by default so it's an optional pin!

OUTPUT PORTS

There are 16 output ports. Each port has 3 pins: V+, GND and the PWM output. Each PWM
runs completely independently but they must all have the same PWM frequency. That is, for
LEDs you probably want 1.0 KHz but servos need 60 Hz - so you cannot use half for LEDs
@ 1.0 KHz and half @ 60 Hz.

They're set up for servos but you can use them for LEDs! Max current per pin is 25mA.

There are 220 ohm resistors in series with all PWM Pins and the output logic is the same
as VCC so keep that in mind if using LEDs.

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CHAPTER 3

BLOCK DIAGRAM AND WORKING

3.1 BLOCK DIAGRAM

We constructed a hexapod robot during this project. This hexapod has rectangular body type – it
has two groups of legs, three on each side. Each leg has three degrees of freedom and is powered
by hobby servomotors on coxa and tibia joints and on femur joint. Servomotors are equipped
with encoders and footers are equipped with force-sensitive sensors to detect ground.

Servomotors must be sufficiently powerful, depending on the desired behavior. If tripod gait is

Required, then each motor on the middle legs must be powerful enough to hold half of the
weight of the robot. It is important to choose a suitable material for the body. It must be solid
enough, but not too heavy. Therefore aluminum profiles were chosen for the body construction.
They are quite light-weighted and solid enough. In addition, they are available in various sizes
and shapes and are easy to handle. Robot is made of 25 mm and 60 mm profiles. The robot is 70
cm long, 47 cm wide and 6 cm high and weighs 4.3 kg.

Fig. 3.1 Block Diagram of Hexapod

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The hexapod robot acts as a rescue robot in a targeted arena. We will place the robot at a place
where human are not able to go further. We will have the full control of the robot. We will
control the robots movements and send it inside the target area. As we control the movements
of the robot, the robot itself will also adapt its movements by detecting obstacles in front of it
by an ultrasonic sensor.

The proposed model of the Hexapod robot should have an industrial grade lightweight material
to build the body. For the model one-piece that constituting the main body is lightweight
composite materials. It is comfortable and cost material in terms of process ability Fig. 3.1 shows
the block diagram of the robot.

Fig. 3.2 Schematic diagram of Hexapod Robot

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3.2 WALKING MECHANISM

This walking mechanism of the hexapod follows a six legged insect. This mechanism involves
the robot having three legs standing on the ground supporting the body while the other three
swing forward. In the below figure shown, the dotted line are for stance phase and the straight
line indicated as legs are for forward swing phase.

If the legs of the hexapod are labeled in an anticlockwise manner legs 1, 3 and 5 in Fig. 3.2.

Fig.3.3. Top view of the robot showing the movement direction

Start in swing forward, and support and body and push it forward as legs 2, 4 and 6 s in stance
phase. Then, legs 2, 4 and 6 are in 'swing forward phase' while legs 1, 3 and 5 in stance phase.
This gait therefore includes 2 steps, with the robot moving twice.

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3.2.1 Walking Algorithm

readMovement()

If move == forward,

moveForward();

Else If move == backward,

moveBackward();

Else If move == left,

moveLeft();

Else If move == right,

moveRight();

End

For moveForward()

Move three alternate legs 30 degree clockwise

Move other three alternate legs 30 degree anti-clockwise

For moveBackward()

Move three alternate legs 30 degree clockwise

Move other three alternate legs 30 degree anti-clockwise

For moveLeft()

Move all legs 30 degree anti-clockwise

For moveRight()

Move all legs 30 degree clockwise

End

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CHAPTER 4

CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE

4.1 CONCLUSION

In the proposed system we have proposed a search and rescue robot that would be efficient in
crawling through narrow holes and spaces over rough and unfriendly terrains. The walking
algorithms used in the robot have been field tested properly and has an above average rate of
efficiency when compared to other such robots in related fields. To control the spider-bot we
will make use of android UI and will implemented a navigation panel onto the user interface. In
many accidents that need inspection of the ground and in cases where it is impossible for a
human being to properly look for any evidence that might help to save lives, the spider-bot can
come in handy, and the functional algorithms implemented would be quite efficient in helping
the robot move under extreme conditions. The robot has worked tremendously well in
different speed scenarios and responded well to each of the cases, which was entirely possible
for the six leg based design of the model, which has 2 servo motors each. It is hoped that small
amount of modification to our proposed system will transform it into a fully functional and
ready-to-use robot in real life scenario.

4.2 FUTURE TRENDS

Our robot is able to walk through rough and irregular surface which open up several window of
opportunities. In the future, robot can be functioned in such a way that it will have the ability to
climbing walls or gliding down to destination so that, it can be deployed to the disaster area from air
support as helicopters or planes. Moreover, if the size can be minimized, it can be used as a spy robot
which will help to stop terrorism acts. Also by installing different sensors, cameras the functionality
and facility provided by this robot will increase and this robot can be used for spying, in wars,
wildlife studies, fire fighting and many more applications.

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BUDGET

The team has prepared a budget for the entire project. The budget summary is provided in Table
3. The most expensive component of the design is the servo motors since eighteen motors (plus
spares) are required.

Table 2: Budget Summary. Taxes and Shipping Included

Component Cost

Servo Motors (12 no.) 4800

Electronics

ATmega2560 1380

Bluetooth module 300

USB cable 150

Connecting wire 120

Raw Materials 3200

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REFRENCES

1. Dynamic locomotion with a hexapod robot. PhD thesis, The University of Michigan,
2002.

2. 2 NASA. All-terrain hex-limbed extra-terrestrial explorer. 2009.

3. Franco Tedeschi and Giuseppe Carbone. Design issues for hexapod walking robots.

4. 4.Boston Dynamics. Boston dynamics: Dedicated to the science and art of how things
move.

5. Wikipedia. Microcontroller —Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

6. Lynx motion. Lynx motion robot kits.

7. Trossen Robotics. Trossen robotics.

8. EZ Moore and M Buehler. Stable stair climbing in a simple hexapod robot. Technical
report,

9. DTIC Document, 2001.

10. Xilun Ding, Alberto Rovetta, JM Zhu, and ZhiyingWang. Locomotion analysis of
hexapod robot. INTECH Open Access Publisher

11. S. Manoiu-Olaru, M. Nitulescu, and V. Stoian. Hexapod robot. Mathematical support for
modeling and control. In System Theory, Control, and Computing (ICSTCC), 2011 15th
International Conference on, pages 1–6, Oct 2011.

12. Roland Siegwart. Introduction to autonomous mobile robots. MIT Press, Cambridge,
Mass

13. Atmel. Atmega2560. datasheet

14. Arduino. Arduino - arduinoboardmega2560.

15. Wikipedia. Voltage divider - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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