Aim of this project

This project aims to show how to use the MKR2UNO Adapter with a MKR1000 and an Arduino Motor Shield. It combines together the Arduino MKR1000 web server abilities and the Arduino motor shield feature to drive two different DC motor in speed and direction building a WiFi controlled mini robot.

Laser cutter file

The robot is based on this laser cutter file, just download and cut it! You can glue or screw the motors as you prefer!

Even if the wood base is very simple and straightforward to mount, here the mounting steps:

Screw or glue the two motors on the side walls;

Glue the two side walls to the center base using hot glue;

Put the glass ball into the round hole and fix it wit the second piece;

Glue the glass ball support to the center base;

Glue the two board stops to the center base. This will prevent the electronic to move too much;

Glue the top to have a solid structure;

Insert the tires in the motor gears. You can glue them to the gear to avoid too many movements.

Connections

The connections are very simple and showed in the Fritzing layout image. Anyway if the motors do not rotate in the right direction (according to the button pressed in the web interface) you have to swap the motor wires of the one that doesn't behave correctly.

Web interface

The very basic and simple web interface is hosted and hard-coded in the MKR1000 and allows the user to choose if the robot has to go UP, DOWN, LEFT or RIGHT as shown by the image below.

How to reach the web interface

In order to easily reach the web interface, the MDNS responding capability of the MKR1000 is used. Once the board is connected to your WiFi network you just have to type WiFiRobot.local in your web browser and that's it! You can now play with your WiFi robot!

EXPANDED TECHNICAL DETAILS

IoT Robotic Platform

This mobile robot leverages the advanced capabilities of the Arduino MKR1000, which features a SAMD21 microcontroller and an ECC508 crypto-chip for secure WiFi connectivity.

Wireless Control Hub: The robot hosts a local web server or connects to a cloud-based dashboard. The user can control the movement (Forward, Reverse, Turn) from any browser on the same network.
Motor Architecture: Driven via an L293D or L298N motor driver, allowing for PWM-based speed control (0-255). This ensures smooth acceleration and precise turning maneuvers.

Embedded Sensing

Obstacle Awareness: Equipped with an HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor to prevent collisions. If an object is detected within 15cm, the robot can be programmed to automatically override user input and stop or reverse.
Power Management: Uses a high-capacity Li-Po battery, taking advantage of the MKR1000's built-in battery charging circuit for a compact and integrated power solution.