For my rough crit, I have a prototype of the mechanical “worm” that can move in a couple of dimensions and is actuated by the Arduino. Moreover, I have also ensured that I can get data from an IR sensor and a microphone, but will need to choose which sensor to use based on the final form of my tank.
The mechanical form took a great deal of prototyping to figure out a good mix of flexibility (especially in multiple angles) as well as durability, as I found out rather painfully that many of these patterns broke rather quickly. Moreover, another trade off became very apparent with weight and movement, as not only did it require more strength to move but also it means I have to tamp down the other part of the board.
Additionally, I had originally planned to actuate the system using muscle wire, but it ended up being too weak to move the worm. Therefore, as a work around, I actuated the worm using string and servo motors – the servo motors pull up the string, which are attached to specific points around the worm and then pull up the worm accordingly.
However, I’m trying to get a more natural movement, so I might have magnets on the underside of the wood so that way there is only a small part of the wood that peeks up with every string.
Code: prototype