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The solar panel can follow the sun.

Physics Engineering students Esteban Gutiérrez (left) and Ángela María Gómez.

The automobile can follow any spectrum of light.

The prototype is triggered by applause.

The solar panel uses two photoresistors which capture the radiation from the sun.

Luis Gabriel Ponce, UNal Physics Engineering student.

The solar panel prototype was redesigned with two photoresistors on each side which detect the radiation level and change resistance according to the amount of light they receive.

“When the photoresistors receive light, information is passed on to an electronic control board which sends a signal to the servomotors which move the panel towards the light,” said UNal Physics Engineering undergraduate Esteban Gutiérrez Correa. 

The application will help exploit the maximum level of sunlight. Furthermore it was manufactured with economical materials making it available for any household. 

Then Luis Gabriel Ponce, another UNal Physics Engineering undergraduate, developed a vehicle model which moves when it detects light. “We thought of a prototype which followed the light source but we didn’t want it to do it continuously but triggered remotely. For this we used a sensor which would activate with a strong applause sound and from that moment on to follow the light,” said Ponce. 

The vehicle also has a microphone sensible to strong sounds. Right now it cannot distinguish between a strong and a soft sound, but the students are hoping to improve the sensibility of the microphone. 

The prototype uses two photoresistors which capture light and control the polarization circuit which acts like an electronic switch which turns on the wheels. 

At this moment the automobile can follow any light source, including a laser and the sun. However they will continue working in improving the application and for the sensor to only activate with a certain wavelengths and a smaller spectrum. Basically the photoresistor uses almost all the light spectrum, therefore we would need a more accurate photoresistor so the car can more with infrared, ultraviolet or visible light,” said Ponce. 

These types of vehicles that follow the light and are triggered by sound could be used as explorers, for instance in caves or places where a human cannot enter.