During a recent hackathon at Ohio State University, Team Robottermilk Puncakes decided to create a life-size RC vehicle. As absurd as this idea may seem, a remote-controlled car of this magnitude has some practical applications, which range from delivering supplies in disaster situations to leading a military convoy in potentially dangerous areas.
The system, which goes by the name MagiKarpet, is essentially a floor mat replacement capable of commanding the throttle, brake and steering of a Chevy Cobalt using a makeshift joystick controller. According to the team, “The goal was to be able to drive the car from a third person point of view. It can be used to easily retrofit existing vehicles for remote control. Installation takes about 15 minutes, and it’s pretty cheap.”
At the heart of MagiKarpet lies an Arduino Mega (ATmega2560). A camera mounted in the back provides the video game-like view, which is displayed on a monitor. A linear actuator — attached with a band of Shapelock (they didn’t have access to a 3D printer) that slips around the pedal — is responsible for the brake. The throttle is pushed by a lever hooked up to a car window motor, while another motor connects to the steering wheel with two cables that turn it left and right.
Impressively, this whole project was completed in a 24-hour time period. Unfortunately, the judges wouldn’t allow them to drive it around so they had to hoist it up onto a jack instead. In case you were wondering, MagiKarpet came in second place.