| Location | Lab or Class room |
| Tool Type | Educational |
| Safety Concerns | May run into things |
| Owner | ArchReactor |
| Maintenance | Lead Acid Battery Maintenance |
Work in Progress. Update with text specifics and screen shots.
Tool Description
Open Source Telepresence bot made from commonly available parts. The base is a power wheelchair, the controller is a RaspberryPi3 with a Sabertooth motor controller, and the rest is readily available hardware.
Learning to Use It
Plug the big round connector on the pole into the socket on the base and the Pi will power on, turn on the inverter to power the monitor. (if you have a source for a low cost 12V monitor let us know).
Once booted, use the normal network setting in the upper right of the screen to make sure you are on a WiFi network, make note of the IP address(TODO: specifics on how) if you aren’t sure that DNS will work. There’s a [sensibly labeled icon](TODO: replace with exact icon text) on the desktop, double click it to start the bot system. a terminal will open, then a browser window will open, it will appear mostly blank.
Connect a phone, tablet, or touchscreen laptop to the same WiFi and go to the URL shown in the bot’s browser window. You will need to allow audio and video permissions. You should now have 2-way video between your device and the bot, with a “joystick” circle on the screen. Drag the center dot around to drive the bot. If the Kill Switch is in the off position it will not move. If the motor disconnect levers are in the disengage position you will hear the motors but it will not move.
When operating near a crowd, be ready to flip the Kill Switch. If the wifi lags the bot can move for a few seconds in whatever direction and speed was requested last. There are no safeties built in, you must remain in control of it.
Source code https://github.com/ArchReactor/pi-telepresence