I set out to check the mechanical feasibility of the Remotables idea, because the electronics are relatively simple.
I ended up with the following components (and a lot of lessons learned):
Materials:
- Wood for case
- Aluminum for linear motion “bearing”
- Delrin shaft
- Nylon shaft driver
- Nuts and bolts
Electronics:
- Mini servo motor
- Arduino board
(To control the motor I simply used the Servo library that comes with Arduino)
Things to work on at this point:
- Latching to the actuation surface. Right now I have little silicone suction cups, but that will not be enough to hold the device in place while pressing down on the surface.
- Center of gravity for the device needs to be very low or it topples over. Consider using weights.
- Remote activation. Right now I’m using Bluetooth (not intergated into this prototype yet), but probably need a WiFi module…
- More movement capabilities, not just linear: flipping switches, turning knobs, etc. Will require more sophisticated mechanics.