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 writes the message to the RFID tag. It will wait for the specified time to scan an RFID tag and write the value on it. The block also reports whether the operation is completed or not. If the write is complete the block returns 1, else it returns 0.

The block defines the value of the body.

This block allows the Gripper Robot to open its gripper.

This block is used to get the angle of a selected servo connected to a robotic arm.

The block gives the value of the current sensed on the sensing ports of evive in mili-Ampere.  

The Music module allows you to play tones, songs and other recorded audio files from your phone’s storage as per command send from the hardware device. This block is used to play the audio file for the key entered in the text box of the block.

This block reports the current position of the end effector in the selected axis.

The block holds its sprite’s X position. This block can be displayed as a Stage monitor.

If the block’s sprite is shown, it will hide the sprite. If the sprite is already hidden, nothing happens.

It reports the number of days (and fractions of a day) since 00:00:00 1 January 2000 (UTC).

The block rounds the given number to the nearest integer. It follows the standard rules of rounding; decimals that are .5 or higher are rounded up, whereas decimals less than .5 are rounded down.

The block hides the specified list’s Stage monitor.

The block reports the x velocity of the sprite.

The block set the last scanned RFID tag to the master RFID tag. This can be used for authentication.

The block sets the body content type to the specified value.

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

This block allows the Gripper Robot to close its gripper.

The block reports the current position of the end effector along the X, Y, and Z axes.

The block returns the time passed since the device is turned ON or since the timer has been reset. This block returns time in milliseconds.

The Camera module allows you to use your mobile camera for different activities like recording videos, capturing images, color detection, and face detection. This block sends commands for clicking an image, starting the video, and stopping the video in the camera module.

The Notification module of the IoT module triggers a notification in your Smartphone based on events occurring on your hardware. This block is used for clearing the previous notifications from the phone.

The block holds its sprite’s Y position. This block can be displayed as a Stage monitor.

The block will place a sprite in front of all other sprites. It does this by changing the sprite’s layer value.

The block performs a specified function on a given number and reports the result. The function can be changed by clicking the down arrow and selecting a new function from the drop-down menu.

The block reports the y velocity of the sprite.

The block reports if the last RFID tag scanned is a master tag or not. If it is the master RFID tag, then it returns true, else false.

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

The block sets the timer’s value back to 0.0. Usually, the timer must be reset at the beginning of a project for the Timer block to hold the right value.

The Oscilloscope module allows you to visualize the input and output signals of your hardware device on your smartphone. This block for setting the baud rate of the Bluetooth module that you have connected to Arduino Mega.

The block holds its sprite’s direction, measured in degrees.

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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.