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H05: Universities and Research in Robotics
> Payap University, Thailand
Payap University, Thailand
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- Offer Profile
- Our IT program offers Mobile Robotics as a major elective subjective for 3rd and 4th year students and also provides both theory and practical programming and network skills. Our curriculum is based on international standards (IEEE & ACM) developed in the U.S. We integrate into our courses, online resources and course materials from some of the top universities in the world.
Product Portfolio
Department of Information Technology
- The Bachelor of Science degree program in Information
Technology will provide you with knowledge and skills that are in demand.
Our courses in computing, software programming, and network technology are
up-to-date and taught by our international faculty of computer science
professionals.
We are open to innovation. We can work with you to structure a tailored program to match your interests and requirements. Using our seminars, special topics, senior project and independent study courses, we can offer the right program for you. Your Information Technology degree will prepare you for success in today’s demanding job market. In addition to technical knowledge we emphasize integrated skills development so that our students develop their communications skills and understanding of the work environment.
Career opportunities for our graduates include: Database Administrator/Developer, Computer Graphics Designer, Digital Content Creator/Editor, IT Support, IT Security Analyst/ Engineer, Network Administrator/ Engineer, Programmer/ Software Developer, Systems Analyst, Web Designer/ Developer, Webmaster.
The Information Technology Department at Payap University in Chiang Mai will provide you a high-quality education in computer, communications, and networking technology at a cost that is a fraction of that of universities in the US and Europe. You will find Chiang Mai to be a safe, pleasant, interesting, and affordable place to live. Our city is one of the top holiday destinations in Asia and attracts young people from all over the world. Join us! Research & Development
- RESEARCH TOPICS
- Artificial Intelligence
- Computer Graphics & Multimedia Systems
- Decision Support Systems
- e-Business Systems
- IT Management
- Mobile Robotics & Platform
- Open Innovation
- Semantic Web Technologies
Extra Curricular Activities
- Extra Curricular activities are generally voluntary. Such activities fall outside the normal curriculum of IT courses that are often practical and related to a field of interest.
IT Seminar Series
- The IT Seminar Series provides an opportunity for IT academics and speakers from industry to present and discuss their current work. It includes a 45-minutes talk, and a 15-minutes period for questions and discussion.
Research Grants
-
- The Impact of Accounting Information Systems on Effectiveness of Internal Control
- e-Research Database Management System
- Revitalizing local values via e-folktales: Thai Lanna case study
- Ontology-Driven Accounting Information Systems
The AFRON “10 Dollar Robot” Design Challenge
- Dr. Thomas Tilley won the 1st prize in the tethered
robots category of the AFRON “10 Dollar Robot” design challenge.
The challenge was hosted by The African Robotics Network (AFRON) from 14
June to 15 September 2012.
According to Dr. Thomas, “Lollybot is essentially a modified USB joystick with wheels, a Chupa-Chup bump sensor on one thumbstick, and a line sensor patched in to the other thumbstick. The robot is designed to be built from scratch by the user for a total cost of US$8.96 (excluding scavenged parts).”
According to Wired Magazine,”Suckerbot, designed by Thomas Tilley, a computer scientist living in Thailand, started with a hacked PlayStation controller, and wound up winning first prize in the tethered robot category. In this case, the tether is the controller’s USB cable, and Tilley attached the rumble motors to a pair of wheels. Suckerbot’s list of parts comes to $8.96, but the real genius is the Chupa Chups. Tilley needed a way for the robot to sense if it ran into something, so he stuck a lollipop in each joystick. Whenever the Suckerbot bumps something, the weight of the sucker tips the joystick forward, and a signal is sent to the processor. ” High-level Design
- The original vision was to mount a pair of wheels on
the rumble motors which could pull the joystick along the ground. The
thought that by vertically extending the analog thumbsticks with two pens or
chopsticks it would turn them into simple bump sensors or primitive
accelerometers that would deflect when the robot ran into something -
possibly giving a crude measure of both force and direction. The robot could
drag itself along the ground until it bumped into something, then it could
reverse, turn, and drive off again until it ran into something else. With
some code to control the robot this would meet the minimum requirements in
the "tethered" category of the design challenge and for less than $10.
For less than $10 Lollybot provides students with a two-wheeled, programmable robot that includes a bump sensor, line following sensors, and delicious (preferably Strawberry & Cream flavoured) Chupa Chups! It is constructed from readily available parts using common tools and it is simple enough for students to build themselves either individually or in teams/groups. 
Hacked Joysticks
- The joysticks provide a cheap, plug-and-play USB interface with 17 on/off digital inputs (16 buttons plus the "analog" button), 4 analog inputs (two thumbsticks each with X & Y axes), and two rumble motor outputs
Original Chupa Chups "bump sensor"
- As he thought more about this design he realised that a mass on the end of a shaft - weighing just enough that the thumbstick springs were still able to return to their center position - would make a better "bump sensor". He has always been a fan of Chupa Chups and realised that the classic 11gm Chupa Chups (especially Strawberry and Cream flavoured ones) should work. Mounted on top of the thumb sticks they looked appealingly like eyes or antennae. Apparently the name "Chupa Chups" comes from the verb for "suck" in Spanish so he originally decided to call the robot "Suckerbot".
Lollybot Circuit
- The circuit for a single line detector/sensor is shown above with a Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) and a 20kΩ resistor set-up as a voltage divider. The right hand-side of the circuit is a Light Emitting Diode (LED) with a 100Ω current limiting resistor. The LDR is mounted in a small tube that shields it so light from the LED doesn't reach it directly but is reflected off the floor beneath the robot instead. The resistance of the LDR varies depending upon the amount of light it receives with the resistance decreasing as the amount of light increases. If we replace the original joystick resistor with this circuit then the robot's software can read the joystick axis values and determine if the sensor is positioned over a dark line or a lighter-coloured background.
List of Parts
- All of the parts required to build Lollybot were
readily available here in Thailand and apart from paperclips they could be
bought in single item quantities. For most of the parts where the
representative online price is for multiple items (e.g. one pack of 4 glue
sticks costs $1.99) I have divided the price by the buy quantity to give a
per robot cost (one stick at $0.50).
- Dual shock-like USB Joystick - Available here in Thailand for 100THB ($3.23 USD).
- Chupa Chups (11gm) - You can buy 100 lollipops for $25.00 online ($0.25 per lollipop).
- 100Ω, 1/4 watt resistor - Must buy a minimum of 10 online $0.15 ($0.03 per robot).
- 20KΩ, 1/4 watt resistor - Must buy a minimum of 10 online $0.15 ($0.03 per robot).
- Green LED, 5mm, 20mA - $0.84
- Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) - $1.32
- Line Sensor Circuit Template
- Sheet of A4 copier, 80gsm - A ream of 500 sheets costs $9.29 ($0.02 per sheet).
- Cardboard, approx. 10cm x 10cm - $0.00 (Scavenged!)
- Glue Stick or Paste - A pack of 4 glue sticks costs $1.99 ($0.50 per stick).
- Small Juice-box Straw - $0.00 (Scavenged!)
- Plastic Drinking Straw (Brown or Black) - $0.00 (Scavenged!)
- Colored Hook-up wire - $0.95 Ideally 4 x 12cm lengths in 4 different colors.
- Container lids for wheels - $0.00 (Scavenged!)
- Container lids for the wheel hubs - $0.00 (Scavenged!)
- Old bicycle tire inner tube - $0.00 (Scavenged!)
- Paper clips (large) - $0.02 A box of 100 clips costs $0.99 ($0.01 per paperclip).
- Screw terminal block - $0.39
- Wire Coat hanger - 100 hangers costs $16.95 ($0.17 per hanger)
- Plastic/ceramic beads - One pack of 360 beads costs $1.97 (less than $0.01 per bead).
- Hot-melt glue stick - A pack of 8 sticks costs $2.99 ($0.38 per stick).
- Total = $ 8.96
Step-by-step Instructions
-
1)
Joystick Hacking: Disassembly
2) Joystick Hacking: Cutting off the Sides
3) Joystick Hacking: Removing the Motors
4) Joystick Hacking: Motor Holes
5) Joystick Hacking: Bump Sensors
6) Line Sensor Circuit: Making the 'Circuit Board'
7) Line Sensor Circuit: Resistors
8) Line Sensor Circuit: Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
9) Line Sensor Circuit: Light Dependent Resistors (LDRs)
10) Line Sensor Circuit: Wiring
11) Line Sensor Circuit: Connecting it to the Joystick
12) Line Sensor Circuit: Putting it All Together
13) Wheels: Making the Wheels
14) Wheels: Making the Tail Skid
15) Lollybot: Adjustments & Maintenance 
Step 1 - 5
- 1)
Joystick Hacking: Disassembly
2) Joystick Hacking: Cutting off the Sides
3) Joystick Hacking: Removing the Motors
4) Joystick Hacking: Motor Holes
5) Joystick Hacking: Bump Sensors
Step 6 - 10
- 6)
Line Sensor Circuit: Making the 'Circuit Board'
7) Line Sensor Circuit: Resistors
8) Line Sensor Circuit: Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
9) Line Sensor Circuit: Light Dependent Resistors (LDRs)
10) Line Sensor Circuit: Wiring
Step 11 - 15
- 11)
Line Sensor Circuit: Connecting it to the Joystick
12) Line Sensor Circuit: Putting it All Together
13) Wheels: Making the Wheels
14) Wheels: Making the Tail Skid
15) Lollybot: Adjustments & Maintenance
Drawings
Side View
Top View
Rear View
Final Product
Side View
3/4 Front View
Front View
Lollybot Building Workshop @ Payap
- Schedule
- Friday, August 3rd 2013
3 – 5.30 PM: Construction
-
Friday, September 6th 2013
3 – 5.30 PM: Construction (cont’d)
-
Friday, September 16th 2013
2.30 – 3.30 PM: Programming LOLLYBOT with HTML5 & node.js
- Friday, August 3rd 2013
Hacked Joysticks: Thomas Tilley at TEDxChiangMai 2013
- Dr. Thomas Tilley is an Australian computer scientist working as an instructor at the International Information Technology Program at Payap University. Prior to earning a PhD in computer science at the University of Queensland in 2004, he completed a BSc in Mathematics and Computer Science (University of Adelaide) and a degree with honors in Information Technology (Griffith University, Queensland). His research interests include formal concept analysis, formal methods, software engineering and distributed systems. Before going to university, he worked as a technician for Mitsubishi Electric and studied electronic engineering part-time, acquiring basic electronics skills that allowed him to begin to enjoy both hardware and software hacking. This eventually led to his winning a competition to build a robot for not more than US$10 in 2012. He is now leveraging these skills in teaching and community projects.
