This project competition isn't really due until March 2026, but here come the holidays in November and December pushing out project build time.
My Fun & Games project entry will be part of a fun STEM presentation called "Ducks with Hammers" at the Mysticon scifi convention https://mysticonva.com/ in late January 2026.
It needed to get fleshed out now, so here are the specifications:
1. The RC Hammering Duck in the Tub is a radio controlled truck chassis using an Arduino Nano to translate the radio receiver's servo PWM signal to a PWM signal & direction bits to control the H bridge.
The Nano also controls a DFPlayer Mini for the sound effects. When the Duck is moving, it quacks. When the hammer swings, a tilt switch wired back to the Nano will fire the HAMMER IMPACT audio file.
The Hammer is controlled by a third channel on the RC transmitter/receiver.
The Nano also limits the FWD & REV speeds because the main power is a 11.1 V Lipo battery , and the original truck chassis was 6 or 7 V . The chassis steering is upgraded from a hi impedance DC motor to a standard high torque RC servo.
The design includes a main fuse, a main power switch, and a motor power switch so the Duck can be turned on without any chance of the wheels turning. There will be several buck P.S. for 11V to 6V for servos and 11V to 5V for DFplayer.
The Rubber Duck will be illuminated from underneath to make sure it is seen from a distance. There are a couple pushbuttons hidden so the DFplayer can play "Disco Duck" and "Rubber Duckie".
Kids will have fun driving and hammering with the Hammering Duck in a Tub........
.....but thats not all.........
2. The Hammering Duck is accompanied by an autonomous HERO vehicle (or a VILLAIN vehicle depending on your viewpoint of a hammering Duck as virtuous or as a scoundrel) called the PixyCam Rubber Duck Chase Tank .
The PixyCam Rubber Duck Chase Tank will autonomously seek out the RC Hammering Duck in the Tub via PixyCam. Can the Tank find the Duck ? Can it catch it ? What will the Tank do to the Duck ?
Will the Duck Hammer the Tank ? That all remains to be seen. The PixyCam will provide the relative location of the Duck and its pixel(block) size from front center. Havent decided if tank steering will be by bang-bang regulator or PID.
The Tank speed is alot slower than the Duck, but the Tank will not stop unless it detects an object in front of its treads (using ping sensors). I'm thinking the use an Arduino R4 for the tank CPU, using the R4 LED matrix to show when its locked in to the Duck or searching for the Duck.
The Duck Chase Tank in continuous and relentless pursuit of the Duck will be entertaining.
Now that I've spilled the beans, what kind of crazy features do you folks think could added to these robots for more childish sparkle to the STEM show ?
