Project update 5 of 7
A Closer Look at Some 3DoT Shields
The 3DoT Board has the unique capability to run a robot with no additional hardware in a size much smaller than existing solutions. Adding other features to the robot is up to you, though, since there are so many different options of sensors and other gadgets. Here’s a list of some of these options.
The 3DoT features a 16-pin top header and an 8-pin front header. The front header is perfect for sensors that face the front of the robot, such as an i2C camera or the first shield on this list, the infrared sensor shield.
Infrared Sensor Shield
The infrared sensor shield (IR shield) is the go-to for students of programming, electronics, and control systems, as it can work on the classic task of building a line-following robot. We have had students at CSULB use the 3DoT board and IR shield to make a robot programmed in AVR assembly to solve a maze.
Inertial Measurement Unit Shield
An Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) is a vital sensor unit on many robots, cars, planes, rockets, drones, etc. The unit combines a gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer to give high-precision data on the movement of a vehicle. More recently, there are an increasing number of mixed reality applications for IMUs.
OLED Shields
Personally, I love adding displays to all of my robots to display information about their status. Others like to add cute animated eyes or faces to their robot. Whatever the case, all 3DoT OLED shields come with a Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) connector that allows unplugging the display and adding an extension flex cable if needed.
More Shields and Custom Shields
We’ve only touched on a few of the existing shields, so make sure to check out the main 3DoT campaign page to see all the shields included at different reward tiers. Since the 3DoT board is open source, it is also simple to design custom shields in the PCB design software of choice. Of course, designers can also plug jumper wires into the headers and wire things up the old-fashioned way. Let us know if there are any specific shields you would love to see!