One of my long range plans was to put some type of actuator on the Nomad. I really didn't plan on this for quite some time (I really planned on just getting the thing to walk on it's own first). Fortune has smiled, and I came to have an SG6-UT arm sooner than I thought. This is one nice piece of hardware. It fits perfectly on one of the top deck insert plates I had made (see the Top Deck page).
I am not sure if I am going to keep this working off a Basic Stamp 2p, or move it to a Propeller. Most likely I'll do a little work on how to integrate the operation of the Arm with the rest of the Nomad system, but not focus too much on Arm operations with the robot for a while.
I will be working with the Arm to make an automatic fish feeding system for our "fry tanks". We like to do some camping, including a couple week+ long trips per year. For "the big" tanks, we use automatic fish feeders. For the fry (baby fish) these feeders don't work, as they don't have a fine enough control on the amount of food dispensed per feeding. Fortunately, the fry tanks are small (2-5 gallons) and all in a group. I should be able to position the arm where it can reach a food supply(ies), and measure out the correct amount of food for each tank. Pictures and details to follow.
Here's a picture of the Nomad with the Arm in place. Note that the electronics are currently "hanging off the back". They will be placed on the bottom side of the top deck insert, so that with a simple "twist lock" the Arm can be swapped out for other devices.