Cone

This 120 mm long and wide robot is precisely tailored to the requirements of the course.Its journey begins with driving up a ramp, followed by a 90-degree turn to the right. After it has moved a few centimeters further onto the ramp, the motors are disengaged using a specially developed system based on a cone. This system allows gravity to take over and the robot rolls down the ramp and overcomes a 20 cm gap. During the jump, the engine is re-engaged. This system allows the robot to come to a stop behind the finish line safely and precisely.

This shift from control to release became the core idea of the project. The robot rolls down the ramp, crosses a 20 cm gap purely through momentum, and reactivates its motors mid-transition to regain control and stop behind the finish line. Made possible through both code and mechanical design.

Through this process, we worked iteratively between prototyping, testing, and refining. I explored how simple mechanical elements can replace complex programming, and how constraints can lead to more efficient and elegant solutions.

Unfortunately, the robot did not manage to consistently complete the obstacle course during the project presentation. I continued working on it independently for a short while afterwards until it finally succeeded, though, regrettably, not consistently due to mechanical tolerances.

Code

#include <Servo.h>

const int A1A = 3;
const int A1B = 4;
const int B1A = 5;
const int B1B = 6;

const int servoPin = 9;
Servo myServo;

boolean motorRunning = true;
boolean servoRunning = false;

void setup() {
pinMode(A1A, OUTPUT);
pinMode(A1B, OUTPUT);
pinMode(B1A, OUTPUT);
pinMode(B1B, OUTPUT);

myServo.attach(servoPin);

myServo.write(70);

delay(3000);

// SECTION 1 - START AND RAMP UP

// Motor A (spin backward)
analogWrite(A1A, 255);
digitalWrite(A1B, LOW);

// Motor B (spin forward)
analogWrite(B1A, 255);
digitalWrite(B1B, LOW);

delay(15000);

// Stop Motor A and Motor B
digitalWrite(A1A, LOW);
digitalWrite(A1B, LOW);
digitalWrite(B1A, LOW);
digitalWrite(B1B, LOW);

delay(2000);

// SECTION 2 - ROTATION 90 DEGREES

// Motor A (spin backward)
digitalWrite(A1A, 255);
digitalWrite(A1B, LOW);

// Motor B (spin forward)
digitalWrite(B1A, LOW);
digitalWrite(B1B, 255);

delay(700):
‍
// Stop Motor A and Motor B
digitalWrite(A1A, LOW);
digitalWrite(A1B, LOW);
digitalWrite(B1A, LOW);
digitalWrite(B1B, LOW);
‍
delay(2000);
‍
// Motor A (spin backward)
analogWrite(A1A, 255);
digitalWrite(A1B, LOW);
‍
// Motor B (spin forward)
analogWrite(B1A, 255);
digitalWrite(B1B, LOW):
‍
delay(1000);
‍
// Stop Motor A and Motor B
digitalWrite(A1A, LOW);
digitalWrite(A1B, LOW);
digitalWrite(B1A, LOW);
digitalWrite(B1B, LOW);
‍
// Add delay between sections
delay(2000); // x-second delay
‍
// SECTION 4 - DISENGAGE DC MOTOR
‍
myServo.write(20);
delay(3000):
myServo.write(70);
‍
delay(2000);
‍
// Motor A (spin backward)
analogWrite(A1A, 255);
digitalWrite(A1B, LOW);
‍
// Motor B (spin forward)
analogWrite(B1A, 255);
digitalWrite(B1B, LOW);
‍
delay(4000);
‍
// Stop Motor A and Motor B
digitalWrite(A1A, LOW);
digitalwrite(A1B, LOW);
digitalWrite(B1A, LOW);
digitatWrite(B1B, LOW);
‍
}
‍
void loop() {
// Empty loop function to satisfy Arduino IDE
}

Questions I Asked During or After the Process

Experiment with different materials to make it stiffer

Refine the movement of motor disengagement and re-engagement

Further explore how mechanical intelligence can replace digital complexity

What I Would Continue Working On

How can passive physics become an active design tool?

How do constraints influence innovation and creativity?

At what point does simplicity become more efficient than complexity?