The Candy Robot

YesYesBot for Intel | Maker Faire Rome

The Robot that spits out candy (AKA #YesYesBot) is an Intel commissioned project,  the goal was to develop an unique way to demo their Intel Galileo board for Maker Faire in Rome, Italy,  where the device was launching.  We built a robot that is controlled by the Intel Galileo, which is both a Linux and an Arduino compatible device.

Inside the YesYesBot, the Intel Galileo drives two DC motors and also the head LED display, It also serves a web page which enable the artists to remotely control the Bot via a smartphone,  as well as moving and interacting with the audience and dispensing candy for all!  

Download construction files here.

We designed and built a robot completely controlled by the Galileo device, with a camera, multiple sensors for auto-pilot mode or data collecting,  and Internet access on the robot to control the robot via smart phones by anyone who downloads the app.   Physically, this bot was driven by wheels with a mechanism capable to move forward, move backward, turn in different directions, the motors were 300.00 oz in torque, 40 rpm, with optical encoder for precise control of the movement .    It was connected to internet via a wifi-USB stick and the Galileo.   It is powered by 12V rechargeable batteries that allows a 8 hour run time after fully charged.  Since the Galileo device has a linux stack, it can serve as a hotspot, and use node.js to serve a page that allows anyone with a mobile device the ability to control and drive the robot.  We are considering designing a playful bot that resonant with Pop cultural -- something more whimsical -- that people will like to play and take photographs with.  

Here are some reference material we had collected for research purposes, such as WorldMaker Fair, 40s and 50s popular culture, oversized robot ducky, and some of more recent and artistic works that fantasize Robots in daily life. Our goal was to make something whimsical and playful. 

For documentation: Partial Code is on github