PopPet – which recently made its Kickstarter debut – is described by its creator as an “expandable, customizable and easy-to-assemble” robot kit powered by the Atmel’s ATmega8 microcontroller (MCU).
Designed by 19-year-old Maker Jaidyn Edwards, the Arduino-compatible DIY kit claims to differ from other platforms as “she is packed full of personality” – yet only slightly larger than a credit card, making the robot easy to tag along.
One of the prominent features of PopPet is its ability to be customized to suit you. You can easily swap out the look of PopPet with interchangeable faceplates and LED holes.
“Ages young and old love the look of PopPet, just a simple smile can do so much for adding personality to a robot.”
The creator reveals that PopPet will be an open source robot, enabling Makers to create their own faceplates, add-ons, wheels and anything else imagined. For those seeking a wider variety, all the necessary files to produce your own will be provided.
“Not everyone has access to a laser cutter, so there will also be slightly modified files available to fit the tolerances found on most 3D printers,” a PopPet rep explains.
According to its Kickstarter page, PopPet is pre-loaded with a basic obstacle avoidance routine.
Aside from Atmel’s ATmega8 microcontroller, key technical specs and features include::
- Input voltage range: 5.4V ~ 9V
- Low dropout voltage: 250mV @ 500mA, 450mV @ 1A
- Onboard high-performance dual 2A independent MOSFET H-bridge motor driver
- PWM motor speed control
- Bluetooth module interface (standard Otani Electronics Bluetooth module)
- Onboard USB to serial chip, compatible with Arduino
- MOSFET anti-reverse circuit
- Power/Signal Interface available on all IO
Interested in learning more about the Atmel-powered PopBet? You can check out the project’s official Kickstarter page here.
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