Vibrabot

Progressing along our path on robot learning, and due to the early demise of another robot caused by the cats, here is our latest incarnation using the Barebones Photo Head schematic.

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This little gem is powered by 2, AA batteries and a vibrating pager motor. The concept is based on this smaller, solar-powered version. (Photo | Video) When switched on, the bot spins the motor in one direction or the other, depending on the location of the brightest source of light in the room. It then seeks back and forth on that light until another spot appears brighter or you shade one of the phototransistor "eyes".

What you can't see in the picture is that the base of the robot is a standard American dime coin, stuck the the battery case using double-sided tape. This is necessary to reduce the friction so the bot can rotate left and right.

This version is much more active than the original version using a geared motor. The motor was pretty inefficient and would often get "stuck," needing a push to set it going again.