It is a lot more complicated than that. I have a self propelled lawn mower. I have some very clearly defined boarders and have practiced many times trying to guide it along in a straight line parallel to where I am walking. There are several techniques I have used. A really thick rope stretched tightly along the ground can be followed by the feet, a very straight line but the front wheels of the mower are at least five feet in front of the operator's feet. The machine can be several inches off of line before the operator can detect it.
It doesn't get a whole lot better walking along beside the handle of the mower, close enough to be able to operate the clutch handle and retain the safety shut-off but still at least two feet closer to the wheels, it is still very difficult to calculate and adjust to keep the machine running straight and parallel to the rope I am walking along. As a dedicated mobility device though, there are already many. Aircraft have very accurate directional devices, it would be possible to calibrate already available technology for the purpose but again, without the ability to recalibrate according to small changes like maybe walking around a tree, just following a straight line has quite limited value. Robots can go in a very straight line if necessary but mostly it isn't a very useful ability. ----- Original Message ----- From: Tom Fowle To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 9:59 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Re: following straight lines: Max, We just bought some from U.S. digital that resolve to ten thousand divisions per revolution they're about $95.00 each without the counting electronics. Somebody who remembers trig would have to decide how far you could travel before getting signifficantly off course with that kind of resolution available <GRIN> I think a 64 step per rev unit might doo pretty well, or maybe a 256. I think they'd cost in the neighborhood of forty bucks. Maybe the tape and winder or some simpler windup string might be cheaper! <GRIN> Tom On Sun, Aug 16, 2009 at 09:20:53PM -0500, Max Robinson wrote: > I was thinking more along the lines of a shaft encoder but they can get a > bit pricy. > > Regards. > > Max. K 4 O D S. > > Email: [email protected] > > Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net > Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net > Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com > > To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, > [email protected] > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Tom Fowle" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 8:34 AM > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Re: following straight lines: > > > > Max, > > I suspect you'd have some trouble with the tape join to the presumed pot > > on > > the helmet, and with the resolution of the pot. I actually think you'd > > get > > better resolution of the angle with my second idea, having a pointer on > > the > > digger, in front of you, to check against the tape. > > > > At work, we've actually talked a bit about studying techniques for > > following > > straight lines. Might put this in the hopper. Paper in a few years or so > > <GRIN> > > > > Tom > > > > On Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 09:51:53PM -0500, Max Robinson wrote: > >> Interesting. An extension of this would be to use an angle sensor that > >> will > >> control a tone generator like the auditory gimmick. When the tape is > >> straight ahead or behind the tone would be at it's lowest. If you got > >> off > >> line the tone would increase. You could easily tell which way to turn by > >> experimentally turning your head to see which way you are off. > >> > >> Regards. > >> > >> Max. K 4 O D S. > >> > >> Email: [email protected] > >> > >> Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net > >> Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net > >> Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com > >> > >> To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, > >> [email protected] > >> > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: "Tom Fowle" <[email protected]> > >> To: <[email protected]> > >> Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 8:56 AM > >> Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Re: following straight lines: > >> > >> > >> > Actually I wonder if a self winding tape could be put on a hefty stake > >> > beyond the eventual end of the proposed ditch. Then fasten the free > >> > end > >> > of > >> > the tape to your helmet, everybody working with heavy equipment wears a > >> > helmet of course, and just reach up once in a while to see that the > >> > tape > >> > remains straight ahead of you. It winds up as you follow it along. > >> > > >> > For even more accuracy, fasten a stick to the digger so it points at > >> > the > >> > tape where you can reach it to check. > >> > > >> > Tom Fowle > >> > > >> > > >> > ------------------------------------ > >> > > >> > Send any questions regarding list management to: > >> > [email protected] > >> > To listen to the show archives go to link > >> > http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=33&MMN_position=47:29 > >> > Or > >> > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > >> > > >> > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > >> > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > >> > > >> > Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From > >> > Various > >> > List Members At The Following address: > >> > http://www.jaws-users.com/JAWS/handyman/ > >> > > >> > Visit the archives page at the following address > >> > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > >> > > >> > If you would like to join the JAWS Users List, then visit the following > >> > address for more information: > >> > http://www.jaws-users.com/ > >> > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > >> > list just send a blank message to: > >> > [email protected]! Groups Links > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > > > Send any questions regarding list management to: > > [email protected] > > To listen to the show archives go to link > > http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=33&MMN_position=47:29 > > Or > > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > > > > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > > > > Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various > > List Members At The Following address: > > http://www.jaws-users.com/JAWS/handyman/ > > > > Visit the archives page at the following address > > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > > > If you would like to join the JAWS Users List, then visit the following > > address for more information: > > http://www.jaws-users.com/ > > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > > list just send a blank message to: > > [email protected]! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
