1965 – Hexy – a light-seeking robot – G. Draper (British)
'HEXY' – a real sexy homing device. Published in Radio Control Models & Electronics, March 1965.
This simple light-seeking device is novel in that it scans when the drive motor is reversed.
Posts Tagged ‘Light-seeking Robot’
1964 – “Fred”, a light-seeking creature – Peter Holland (British)
Fred – a light-seeking robot by Peter Holland.
from Radio Control Models & Electronics, December 1964.
Fred is a light seeking elictrically propelled tricycle with a light sensitive automatic homing device. The basic principles of light sensitive circuits have been combined with a simple scanning device to give proportional automatic steering to a single driving wheel.
see full pdf here 
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See David Buckley's version here.
A design by Peter Holland, Radio Control Models & Electronics, December 1964.
Probably the first published design for a phototropic vehicle which didn't follow Grey Walters design of a scanning turret coupled to the front wheel. Instead Fred's turret independently rotates and a sensor integrates the light level over the Port and Starboard sectors and directs the steering to head to the brightest sector.
Photos show David's version, May 1990.
1984 – Moth , a light-seeking robot – Gene Oldfield (American)
Extract from the book "Everyone Can Build a Robot Book " by Gene Oldfield and Kendra Bonnet, 1984.
"The concept behind the Moth is very simple. When you turn on the robot in a dark room, the photocells have a high resistance rate that blocks the flow of electricity. The Moth does not move. When exposed to light, however, the resistance is diminished. Current flows through the photocells to the transistors. The transistors act like amplifiers and increase the amount of current. The collectors send this boosted signal directly to the motors, which drive the Moth.
Each motor is connected to the opposite transistor. The reason for this is that when you shine a flashlight at the right cell, you instinctively expect the Moth to move to the right (or toward the light). But it is actually the left wheel that pushes the Moth to the right, and vice versa. The brighter the light source, the faster the Moth moves."
pdf of article.