e-puck
We currently have a fleet of nine e-puck robots, each equipped with a camera, IR/light sensors, microphones, speaker, accelerometer, and various LEDs. The e-puck was developed at EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Turn on the robot. The switch is located just behind the right wheel (the "on" position is down, not up). You should see a green LED come on. If not, try flipping the switch again, or adjusting the position of the battery to make a better connection with the battery contacts.
Set up a Bluetooth connection to the robot, using the robot's 4-digit ID number as the PIN/passkey number (the ID number is located on the front of the robot). NOTE: this step is only necessary once. After you have paired your robot with the computer, you don't need to do it again.
Click on the Bluetooth Manager icon on the left side of the screen (NOT the Bluetooth symbol at the top of the screen). If the name of your epuck appears in the pop-up window, your robot is already paired, so you can close the Bluetooth Manager and skip to Step 3.
Click Search. After a few seconds, your epuck should appear in the list. When it does, click on it and then click Setup.
Select Pair Device and click Next. Then enter your epuck's 4-digit ID number and click OK. After pairing is complete, choose Don't connect, and then click Next. You should see the message "Congratulations, device successfully added".
Click Close, and then close the Bluetooth Manager.
Create a new Python file with the following lines at the top (replacing 1234 with your robot's ID number):
from epuck import * e = Epuck(1234)
In a Terminal window, type ipython at the Linux prompt to start IPython and then type run filename, where filename is the name of the file you created, without the .py extension. For example, if you named your file robot.py, you would type run robot at the IPython prompt. After a few seconds, the robot's lights should flash, indicating that it is ready to go. NOTE: to exit from IPython, type quit or press Ctrl-D.
NEVER put the epucks on the floor! Use them only on a table or desk top with a clean surface.
Do not let the epucks drive off the edge of the table! If possible, use them in an arena with walls or other barriers, or have your partner "spot" the robot while it is moving.