I had thought of colour markers, or more precisely checking the wall colour so it knows which room it's in (or even what direction in some cases), which would work for my house.

Building off of Rich's idea of using QR codes, and Tech's mention of color tracking, while only using what comes in the EZ-B kit:

(I was typing this up while Rich was suggesting the wall color tracking...I like that too.)

Perhaps a script could be written to utilize both.

Color tracking would be used as a line of sight beacon. QR tracking would be used as a variable update. Ping sensor for collision avoidance.

I took the liberty of using Rich's layout as an example and added some furniture. (You have a piano, right?)
Blue X is the Robot, Red X is the dock.

In each room, a colored object will need to be placed in key areas. The object would have a QR code for each approach angle. I'm assuming just 3 for this example. Exact angles aren't needed as QR codes can be read successfully from some awkward angles (in my opinion and experience). The QR codes would be simple bearing indicators. In this example, I'm using compass points, but they could be anything.

A high level view of the scripting would be something like this:

• Battery power low, activate script
• Script would activate color tracking and rotate robot to find color
  • if no color is found, robot roams...probably in an expanding spiral...pausing every X milliseconds to perform the original rotate search again.
  • if color is found, robot color tracking forward and left/right movement is activated. (Like chasing the ball.)
• Ping sensor is looking for a specific value to stop...assuming the ARC default value 20.
  • When sensor <= 20, then color tracking is turned off and QR tracking is enabled.
  • If no QR is discovered, then bot will adjust position and try again.
  • If QR is detected, QR updates a variable. This variable tells the robot to reposition...either back up X and/or Turn X.
• QR variable is reset to starting value and script loops back to the first color tracking section.

Again, not an ideal set up. It might be one that someone could do with just the basic EZ-B kit, however. Also, during the color tracking movement control, I'm assuming that once the robot sees the color, it has an unimpeded path to the object.

A piano in my kitchen... I never thought of putting one there

That's a lot like the scripting idea I had, but with more on the find the dock part (in fact, low battery script has no find the dock part currently but has low level alert to shut down lamps and space for the find the dock part).

The issue with it would be the roaming and finding it's way, obviously it would draw power so finding the dock quickly would be something of a high priority. But that said, it takes less power to pan the camera than to rotate the wheels (plus would look cool, as if he is looking around properly).

The object avoidance part after it's found the colour wouldn't be too big an issue, it knows the direction to go, if an object is avoided it diverts to go around it (i.e. turn left 30 degrees, move forward turn right 30 degrees, move forwards, etc. to go around it... a simple script using ping and/or IR sensors.

PIANO looks like its in the bathroom with a tub and sink and toliet,but i guess RICH missed that

my house it like that but no piano,but with a lot more rooms and my robot design is able to get to my home base in my workshop area very good,getting around furniture and going from one room to another,,only problem it had till i fixed it was it would run out of juice before it gets to home base

SO you need to work out first where you home base going to be,i like where it cant be seen or step on and then where the farthest point your robot will be ,and see how long it will take for you robot to reach home base before the battery dies.

And set the values in you A to D battery script

I MY house i like my walls very clean without markers of any types or it looks trashy when i have friends over for parties

IT as i idea i tried called fudicals on the wall and place them on a map using a camera my girlfriend it really look bad,i have good pictures on the wall along with wall mounted fish tanks and i try to keep it very clean for company

BUT other if they want to do then great,

i am hopping DJ makes a object recognizer add-on it may work great for navigation

but from the many systems and home base finder designs i tried,seem at least for me is using 2 EZB with WIFI one on home base and another on the robot,that way in any room its in it ,home base self giudes the perfect path for the robot to return to home base

plus it can read its battery voltage,and control the battery charger circuit and a lot more and use the camera to check if a person is in the room ,so it will stop,long list on what a second EZB can do

Josh, can you breed Babel fish? Mine keeps dying.

I don't see how having a second EZB on the base would aid in the first one finding it, without the robot knowing where it is somehow the base wouldn't know, and if the robot knew then it would also know where the base is (unless the base is mobile). How would it work? What else would be needed on the second EZB?

By using its sensors on the robot and sensors on the second board and using a map it self guides like a tractor beam works,same type of idea that another person is using on using 2 basic stamps also it monitors the robot for any problems that might come up.

THE SECOND BOARD has a map and it locates where the robot is in the room , also does a lot more functions then guiding the robot,can have camera on the top of charging design to watch out for people before he enters the room and so many other stuff,like connecting and disconnecting the circuit,, and setting current for different robot designs witch i made

Sensors on the charging design it guides it in to make a good hook up to charging plates ,tell robot a right turn or left turn or come straight using 2 sensors at a angle and one sensor in the center

Sensor in the center would be the middle of the charging plates

same idea is used on 2 robots also,i think robosapien model has it built in,it knows how the robot makes a move and dances with her

another problem i have seen ,it it needs a second source to keep the board on,while charging,not a good idea to charge and run the circuit at the same time,so there is a relay on my board that disconnects main battery and uses a backup,second idea is using 2 different charging sources.one as a charger and second to power the robot

main reason to disconnect battery from the robot,all charging circuits monitors the battery if it has a load on it it wont charge it correctly ,because of the sense circuit on the charging design

That's not much clearer. What sensors on the second board are needed? What is this map? Is it part of ARC? How does it know where the robot is? Can it see through walls and around corners?

Wouldn't the sensors on the robot be used by the robot's EZB and able to line up correctly without the second board?

I charge my battery while it's connected to the EZB and have experience no problems with charging. I don't doubt it charges slightly slower but it charges fine and balances fine. After all, the robot can switch to low power mode and wont be doing anything while charging so it will pretty much only be the EZB being powered and what's the current draw on that?