Programming the Mecanum Robot with Block Coding in PictoBlox

The Quarky Mecanum Wheel Robot is a type of robot that uses a special type of wheel to move. The wheel is made of four rollers mounted at 45-degree angles to the wheel‘s hub. Each roller has its own motor and can spin in either direction. This allows the wheel to move in any direction, making it an ideal choice for navigating around obstacles and tight spaces. The mecanum wheel robot can also turn on the spot, allowing it to make sharp turns without having to reverse direction.

The robot is programmable with PictoBlox. PictoBlox is coding education software that uses both graphical block-based coding and Python programming.

With PictoBlox, you can program the Mecanum Robot to move, grip, and perform pick & place actions!

If you haven’t installed PictoBlox, please follow the instructions:

Windows Installer (.exe)

STEP 1: Download the Pictoblox Installer (.exe) for Windows 7 and above (Release Notes).

Windows Installer 64-bit

Windows Installer 32-bit

STEP 2: Run the .exe file.

Some of the device gives the warning popup. You don’t have to worry, this software is harmless. Click on More info and then click on Run anyway.

STEP 3: Rest of the installation is straight forward, you can follow the popup and check on the option appropriate for your need.

 

Your software is now installed!

macOS Installer

STEP 1: Download the Pictoblox Installer (.dmg).

macOS Installer

STEP 2: Run the .dmg file.

Mobile App Installer

STEP 1: Open Google Play Store on your Smartphone and and search for PictoBlox or visit the link here to head over to the Google Play Store. You can even scan the QR Code below from your Smartphone to head to the PictoBlox App.

Mobile App Installer

STEP 2: Install the PictoBlox App.

Connecting Quarky with PictoBlox

Let’s begin by first connecting Quarky to PictoBlox. Select your preferred type of device i.e. either the desktop/laptop or your smartphone and follow the instructions.

Desktop

Follow the steps below for connecting Quarky to PictoBlox:

1. First, connect Quarky to your laptop using a USB cable.
2. Next, open PictoBlox on your desktop.
3. After that, select Block as your coding environment.
4. Then, click the Board button in the toolbar and select board as Quarky.
   
5. Next, select the appropriate Serial port if the Quarky is connected via USB or the Bluetooth Port if you want to connect Quarky via Bluetooth and press Connect.
   
6. Click on the Upload Firmware button. This will upload the latest firmware in Quarky.
   
   Note: If your device already has the latest firmware, then PictoBlox will show the message – Firmware is already updated. For learning more you can refer to this tutorial: https://ai.thestempedia.com/docs/quarky/quarky-toubleshooting/updating-quarky-firmaware-with-pictoblox/
7. Once the firmware is uploaded, Quarky starts the Getting Started program. This runs only for the first time. Run through it.

And voila! Quarky is now connected to PictoBlox.

Mobile

Follow the steps below for connecting Quarky to PictoBlox:

1. First, power ON Quarky.
2. Open PictoBlox on your smartphone. Go to My Space and make a new project by clicking the ‘+(plus)’ button in the bottom-right corner.
   
3. Then, tap the Board button in the top-right corner of the toolbar.
   Select board as Quarky.
   
4. Next, tap the Connect button:
   Select your device from the list.
   

And voila! Quarky is now connected to PictoBlox.

Quarky Mecanum Extension

The Quarky Mecanum extension in PictoBlox allows you to control the robot. It has blocks for specific applications. To add the Quarky Mecanum extension follow the instructions:

1. Click on the Add Extension button and add the Quarky Mecanum extension.
2. You can find the Quarky Mecanum blocks available in the project.

PictoBlox Blocks for Quarky Mecanum

The following blocks are available for the Quarky Mecanum:

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The block activates the RFID sensor to read any nearby RFID tags for the specified time. Once identified, the value of the reading is stored in the local system which can be used from the other blocks. The block also reports whether the operation is completed or not. If any RFID tag is scanned the block returns 1, else it returns 0.

The block reports the selected field data from the last read request from ThingSpeak.

The block resets the timer running for the oscillator to 0.

The block executes the oscillator according to stored parameters for the servo motor and the current angle specified in the block.

The block sets the Gripper Robot’s gripper servo motor angle for the open or the close position to the specified value.

This block defines the angles at which the gripper of the robotic arm will open and close. The block ensures that the robotic arm will open and close the gripper at the specified angles.

The block returns the value of “hours”, “minutes”, “seconds”, “date”, “month”, “year” or “weekday” from evive’s RTC. 

This block opens and closes the gripper of the robotic arm by setting the gripper servo motor the opening angle and the closing angle set by the user using set gripper open angle to () & close angle to () block.

The block checks to see if its sprite is touching the edge of the screen with the move steps block — and if it is, the sprite will point in a direction that mirrors the direction from which it is coming. It uses a line perpendicular to the edge to determine the reflection angle.

This block resets all 7 graphic effects.

The block will report a specified value of the specified sprite or the Stage.

The block reports how many characters the given string contains.

The block checks if any items in the specified list are equal to the given text—if at least one of them is, the block returns true; if none of them are, it returns false. The item must contain the exact text; for example, “abc” would not work if the item contained “abcde”. This block is case-sensitive.

This block is used to check if the input image belongs to one of the classes previously defined. The class to be checked with can be set using the drop down menu.

The blocks add a force to the sprite with the defined value in the specified direction.

The block reports the data stored from the last RFID scan.

The block makes the specified type of HTTP request (GET, POST, or DELETE) on the specified URL. The request can have a body or not.

The block reports the time passed from the reset for the oscillator.

The block executes the oscillator for the complete cycle for the specified cycle times. The cycle time is the maximum time period assigned for the oscillator for the individual servo motors.

This block sets the angle of the robot’s gripper servo motor to a value you specify.

This block is used to open and close the gripper on a robotic arm by setting the gripper servo motor to specific opening and closing angles set by the user.

The block gives the value of the voltage sensed on the sensing ports of evive. There are 2 ports red (voltage range -30 to 30V) and blue (voltage range -5 to 5V). 

This block reports the value of the angle of the selected servo of the robotic arm.

The block changes the Rotation Style of the sprite in-project. Regardless of the style, the variable direction will still change.

If the block’s sprite is hidden, it will show the sprite. If the sprite is already showing, nothing will change.

It reports either the current local year, month, date, day of the week, hour, minutes, or seconds, depending on the argument. The block gets the data based on the user’s computer’s clock and set in 24-hour clock.

The block reports the remainder of the division when the first value is divided by the second. For example, when 10 is put in the first input and 3 in the second, the block will report 1; 10 divided by 3 gives a remainder of 1.

The block shows the specified list’s Stage monitor.

This block is used to get the class of the input face detected from the analysis. 

The block adds a spin force to the sprite with the specified value.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, the Quarky Mecanum Wheel Robot is a powerful and versatile robot that can be programmed using PictoBlox. With its Mecanum extension, it can be programmed to move in any direction, grip objects, and perform pick & place actions. With the help of PictoBlox, users can easily program the robot to perform their desired tasks.