So I'm trying to build a star wars droid which can follow me, "the user". After searching the web, I found a youtube video from the Ben Heck Show from 2012, which uses precisely what I want to make. However, I lack a knowledge of circuitry. In this video - Video Link, at timestamps: 11:52-12:22 (he explains concept), 15:52-18:07 (more explanation and prototype), and from 19:29-end (shows the ping module in action).
Could someone who might understand this more help design a schematic to which I can actually build one?
In the video Ben uses a xbee module, however those can be quite expensive, so if someone knows an inexpensive route to making this that would be great!
Also this link should have some useful information. I just need an easier explanation for this.
Thanks to anyone who can help and Happy Holidays!
You could use nrf24L01+ radios for timing/triggering instead of the xbees.
Regarding the larger picture: start small. Buy three HC-SR04s and learn how to use one of them the "normal" way. Learn how they work. There's plenty of information on this forum and in the Google-able world to do that on your own. Then get two of them pointed at each other to measure the distance between the pair, using wires from your Arduino to the trigger and echo pins (using one HC as the TX and the other HC as RX). Then buy a pair of radios and learn how to use the radios to communicate between two Arduinos (just send a message with one and receive it with the other). When you're done with that, you will probably know enough to figure out how to use those components together to control your follow-me robot.
See post #3 here for more info and the two links in post #1 for self-education on how the HC-SR04 works.