Inside the BeatBot an Arduino reads 9 infrared sensors for line detection at 100 samples a second. A digital servo controls the Ackerman steering mechanism to follow the line on the track or floor.

As a line following robot, the performance is pretty crummy. However, as a robot programmed by an AI, it does pretty okay.

But the BeatBot is a programmable, self-driving, line-following robot made to push runners by giving them a real visual target to beat. Kind of like dog racing for humans.

The augmented board runs micro-Max source code, enabling chess logic to be executed on an Arduino Mega with room for control functions for a 6DOF robotic arm.

Looking for a small robotics project over the Easter weekend? Try swapping an RC car's motors for an Arduino board instead!