Fire Bird IV

Fire Bird IV will give you good exposure to the world of robotics and embedded systems. Thanks to its
innovative architecture and adoption of the ‘Open Source Philosophy’ in its software and hardware design,
you will be able to create and contribute to, complex applications that run on this platform, helping you
acquire expertise as you spend more time with them. Fire Bird IV is designed by NEX Robotics and
Embedded Real-Time Systems lab, CSE IIT Bombay.

As a Universal Robotic Research Platform, Fire Bird IV provides an excellent environment for
experimentation, algorithm development and testing. Fire Bird IV is an evolved from Fire Bird II which is
being used to teach four courses in IIT Bombay. Its modular architecture allows you to control it using
multiple processors such as 8051, AVR, PIC and ARM7 etc. Modular sensor pods can be mounted on the
platform as dictated by intended applications. Precision position encoder makes it possible to have accurate
position control. The platform can be upgraded to tank drive and Hexapod insect or any other desired form
very easily. It is powered by Lithium-Ion batteries with excellent recharged time of one hour. A 2.4 GHz
ZigBee module provides state of the art secure and multi-channel communication over wireless channel up to
range of one kilometre.

Unique Features:
• Hands-on learning platform
• Covers wide range of subjects like Microcontrollers, Embedded Systems, Mechatronics, Sensor
Networks, Image processing.
• Detailed tutorials help in interactive learning.
• Ideal for doing research in the areas of robotics, embedded systems, artificial intelligence and sensor
networks etc.
• Modular Design: Unique layered design gives versatility in design

Fire Bird IV Specifications

Hardware
Microcontroller: ATMEL ATMEGA128

Sensors:
Three white line sensors
Five GP2D12, 80cm IR range sensors
Five digital IR proximity sensors
Two position encoders
One directional light intensity sensor
Battery voltage sensing
Servo mounted sensor pod (optional)
Wireless colour camera (optional)
Ultrasound scanner (optional)
Gyroscope and Accelerometer (optional)
Magnetometer (optional)
GPS receiver (Optional)
Indicators:
2 x 16 Characters LCD
Indicator LEDs
Buzzer
Smart battery monitoring circuit (protects battery form deep discharge)

Operational Modes:
Standalone
PC as master and robot as slave
Distributed (multi robot communication)
Communication:
USB
Wired RS232 (serial) communication
Simplex infrared communication (From infrared remote to robot)
Zig Bee (IEEE 802.15.4) (Wireless)

Dimensions:
Diameter: 16 cm
Height: 12.5 cm (including sharp sensor)
Weight: 750 Gms.
Power:
7.4 Volts, 660mAH Lithium ion batteries with 1 hour of operation
Auxiliary power supply for extended operation

Locomotion:
Two DC geared motors and caster wheel at front as support
Top Speed: 20 cm / second
Wheel Diameter: 52mm
Position encoder: 30 pulses per revolutions
Position encoder resolution: 5.44mm
Software Support
Microsoft Robotic Studio
MATLAB
SCILAB
GUI Based control

Integrated Development Environments

WIN AVR
AVR Studio
ICC AVR
Code Vision AVR

Avatars of Fire Bird IV

Fire Bird IV Basic version

Imaging options for the Fire Bird IV robot
Fire Bird IV robot can be upgraded with the wireless cameras mounted on the servo motor
pods for pan and tilt action.

Fire Bird IV with wireless camera pod

Analog wireless camera

It is a low cost simple wireless colour camera which transmits video and audio information
on 2.4GHz. Video information is received by video receiver supplied with the camera itself.
Camera works on 9V battery while receiver works on the 12V adaptor. Receiver gives
composite video and audio out. To capture this video on the PC a USB / PCI TV tuner card
is required.

Wireless camera set Pinnicle USB TV tuner card

 Fire Bird IV with IP camera pod

IP camera
This IP camera from the Linksys uses Wi Fi (IEEE 802.11) protocol for the video
transmission. Video can be obtained from directly from the LAN if Wi Fi router is there. In
absence of the Wi FI router USB Wi Fi dongle is needed to connect to the PC to acquire
video. IP camera comes with the specially designed rechargeable power pack which is
mounted at the back of the robot.

USB Wi Fi dongle for PC

Tank Drive upgrade for the Fire Bird IV

Fire Bird IV Tank Bot with camera pod

Fire Bird IV Tank Bot with IP camera pod

Fire Bird IV Hexapod

Fire Bird IV Hexapod

Fire Bird IV Hexapod robot's round body symmetry makes this a very unique hexapod
walker. The three DOF (degree of freedom) leg design provides the flexibility required to
walk in any direction! The robot uses 18 HS-645 servos for the legs. The kit includes
everything you need to make a functional robot including 6V, 2000mAH, NiMH
rechargeable batteries and smart battery charger. Robot can be controlled with 2.4GHz
wireless Sony PS2 remote control. Fire Bird IV Hexapod robot is perfect for college robotics
labs.
Fire Bird IV Insect
It’s a low cost walking robot. It has 3 servo motors controlling pair of legs each. It can
navigate itself using Sharp IR range sensors. It can also be controlled by remote using XBee
based remote control.

Fire Bird IV Insect

Fire Bird IV Omni bot
Omni direction robot has three omni wheels mounted 1200 apart. By changing velocity of
each wheel it can move in any direction even without changing its orientation.

Omni Directional robot

Wireless communication
All the Fire Bird series robots have optional onboard XBee wireless communication module.
Using this module you can communicate with other robot or with the PC. In order to
communicate with the PC you also need USB XBee module. Communication is as simple as
simple serial port. Example codes are provided with the documentation.

XBee wireless module for robot XBee USB module for PC

Robot programming using Microsoft robotic studio
Nex Robotics in collaboration with ERTS Lab, CSE, IIT Bombay has added support for Microsoft's robotics
development studio on its robotics development platforms. Microsoft® Robotics Developer Studio 2008
(RDS) is a Windows-based environment for hobbyist, academic and commercial developers to create robotics
applications for a variety of hardware platforms. RDS includes a .NET-based REST-style, services-oriented
runtime consisting of two components: Concurrency and Coordination Runtime (CCR) and Decentralized
Software Services (DSS). The Concurrency and Coordination Runtime (CCR) makes it simple to write
programs to handle asynchronous input from multiple robotics sensors and output to motors and actuators.
The DSS application model makes it simple to access, and responds to, a robot's state using a Web browser or
Windows-based application. Microsoft Visual Programming Language (VPL) enables anyone to create and
debug robotics programs very easily. The Visual Simulation Environment (VSE) enables a novice user with
little to no coding experience to develop interesting applications in a game-like environment. NEX robotics
has developed simulated models for it's robots for use in VSE.

• Non-programmers can create robot applications using a visual programming environment.

• Simulate robotics applications in 3D physics-based virtual environments Interact with robots using
Windows or Web-based interfaces

• Lightweight REST-style, services-oriented runtime

- Makes Asynchronous Programming Simple
- Real-time Monitoring of Robotics Sensors and Response to Motors and Actuators
- Reuse Modular Services Using a Composable model
Visual Programming Language in Microsoft Robotics Studio
Simulation in Microsoft Robotics Studio