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Archive: Robotics
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February 28, 2008
Simple walking bot
Matt Mets made this simple servo-controlled walking bot which uses a Barebones Arduino to walk, one leg at a time. Source code included. - Link.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Feb 28, 2008 09:00 PM
Arduino, DIY Projects, Electronics, Robotics |
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Vibrobot from a speaker and pull-cord toy
Randy made his own version of the Bristlebot, but with a speaker and pull cord. Excellent, and with renewable propulsion! I like the little resistor antlers/feelers - Link.
Related:
HOW TO - Make a Bristlebot a tiny directional vibrobot made from a toothbrush! - Link.
Bristlebot racing snail - Link.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Feb 28, 2008 07:00 PM
DIY Projects, Robotics, Toys and Games |
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Readybot will clean your kitchen
Dishwashers are so last week. I want a Readybot! Not only will this robot clean the dishes, it will tidy up the whole kitchen and you don't even have to give it an allowance. Hopefully this will become a reality soon, because I need one...NOW! - Link
Posted by Marc de Vinck |
Feb 28, 2008 04:00 PM
Robotics |
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Claytronics nanoscale robot designs
You may know of Claytronics (aka programmable matter) - the use of reconfigurable nanoscale robots to form shapeshifting objects.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have proposed several basic robotic designs as possible foundations for claytronics, including:
- Planar catoms test the concept of motion without moving parts and the design of force effectors that create cooperative motion within ensembles of modular robots.
- Electrostatic latches model a new system of binding and releasing the connection between modular robots, a connection that creates motion and transfers power and data while employing a small factor of a powerful force.
- Stochastic Catoms integrate random motion with global objectives communicated in simple computer language to form predetermined patterns, using a natural force to actuate a simple device, one that cooperates with other small helium catoms to fulfill a set of unique instructions.
- Giant Helium Catoms provide a larger-than-life, lighter-than-air platform to explore the relation of forces when electrostatics has a greater effect than gravity on a robotic device, an effect simulated with a modular robot designed for self-construction of macro-scale structures.
- Cubes employ electrostatic latches to demonstrate the functionality of a device that could be used in a system of lattice-style self-assembly at both the macro and nano-scale.
Videos and detailed info @ Carnegie Mellon - Link
Shape-shifting robot forms from magnetic swarm @ New Scientist - Link
Related:
Claytronics - Link
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Feb 28, 2008 03:00 PM
Robotics, Science |
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Robotic dream playback
"Sleep Waking" by Fernando Orellana and Brendan Burns presents a new way to look back on one's dreams. EEG, EKG, REM, and various other physical data is logged during the subject's sleep and then later used as the script to direct robotic action -
The eye position data we simply apply to the position the robot's heads is looking. So if my eye was looking left, the robot looks left.What? No electric sheep? - Link
The use of the EEG data is a bit more complex. Running it through a machine learning algorithm, we identified several patterns from a sample of the data set (both REM and non-REM events). We then associated preprogrammed robot behaviors to these patterns. Using the patterns like filters, we process the entire data set, letting the robot act out each behavior as each pattern surfaces in the signal. Periods of high activity (REM) where associated with dynamic behaviors (flying, scared, etc.) and low activity with more subtle ones (gesturing, looking around, etc.). The "behaviors" the robot demonstrates are some of the actions I might do (along with everyone else) in a dream.
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Feb 28, 2008 02:00 PM
Robotics |
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Ladybug maintenance bot
She may look like one, but don't call her a "bug" - The "Lady Bird" autonomous robot was introduced to Western Japan's highway rest stops in November of 2007 to maintain restroom cleanliness as well as friendliness -
In addition to cleaning, Lady Bird can engage in simple conversation with restroom users, thanks to microphones in its "antennae," speech recognition capabilities and a voice synthesizer. The robot has access to the latest information about traffic conditions on nearby roads, which it can relay to anyone comfortable enough to ask.I believe I might feel less than "comfortable" if I met Lady Bird during a late night, highway bathroom break. - Link
Related:
Jumbo cleaning robots - Link
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Feb 28, 2008 01:00 PM
Robotics |
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Rules for Roboticists
In honor of Robot Day here on MAKE, I've posted my "Rules for Roboticists," from my 2004 book Absolute Beginner's Guide to Building Robots. It's a playful list of operating principles, rules of thumb, and words o' wisdom about bot building. The piece is accompanied by robot scientist "trading cards," illustrated by Mark Frauenfelder, for the book.
11. A roboticist should know when to come back later (A.K.A. "The Kenny Rogers Rule")
When you're building anything, especially something as complicated as a robot, the build can sometimes get ugly. If you try to force your way through, you can often dig yourself into an even deeper hole. So here's what you do: "Put the soldering iron down. Step away from the steaming robot entrails!" You'll be amazed at what an hour away, vegging in front of the TV, rolling around on the floor with the cat, or sleeping on your problem will do. It almost never fails. Here's a corollary: The extent to which you don't want to drop what you're doing and take a break ("I know I can fix this, damn it!"), is inversely proportional to the extent to which you need a break. Why is it the Kenny Rogers Rule? Cause "you got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, and know when to walk away..."
Rules for Roboticists - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Feb 28, 2008 11:00 AM
Makers, Robotics |
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Cute bot alert!
From the MAKE Flickr pool
. . . not autonomous, not motor driven, not even powered - just plain cute.
Farnea's Audrey robots #1, - Link & #2 - Link
Related:
Homemade robot costume - Link
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Feb 28, 2008 10:00 AM
Crafts, Robotics |
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Send SMS to control Robosapiens
This project by Tim Redfern allows onlookers to send SMS messages to Robosapien robots who respond with some impressive dance moves. The system uses a custom built, downloadable Xtra for (Macromedia/Adobe) Director called "UIRT XTRA" that is free from the site below. Check out the video.
Dancing Robosapiens - Link, UIRT Xtra Download
Posted by Jonah Brucker-Cohen |
Feb 28, 2008 07:43 AM
Robotics |
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Heathkit HERO
Back in the 1982, Heathkit released the HERO 1 educational robot. HERO 1 had a Motorola 6808 CPU and 4k of RAM on board. He came equipped with motion, light, sound and sonar ranging sensors. You could even add an optional arm attachment and max out his capabilities.
Taking a cue from the success of the HERO 1, Heathkit's consumer division released a simplified version, the HERO Jr - with half the ram of it's predecessor and a lower pricepoint. Later still, the expandable, speech capable HERO 2000 was released to the educational market. By far the most advanced iteration, the 2000 would be the last training robot released by the company. That is until now - Heathkit is planning to release a reincarnation of HERO, the HE-RObot:
Popular Science explains -
Built on a Mini-ITX mobo with Intel Core Duo microprocessor and using Windows XP for its operating system (unlike the model 914 PC-BOT which can be outfitted with Ubuntu), HE-RObot is being built and priced towards the educational market. A market that sorely needs a sophisticated robot platform. The hobbyist DIY market, on the other hand, could suffer from sticker shock. The HE-RObot's 914 PC-BOT counterpart is priced from $5,000 - $8,000 which could make the HE-RObot a tough sell to even the most rabid roboticist.Personally, I prefer the boxy look of the old model anyway. (Instead of this boxy looking new version) - [via] Link
Detailed HERO History on Robotgallery.com - Link
Check out Donnie V. Savage's site for a bunch of relevant build info - Link
Related:
Heathkit schematic diagram archive - Link
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Feb 28, 2008 05:00 AM
Robotics |
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DIY K-9
Here's an excellent recreation of the K-9 (Mk II, I believe) from the BBC's classic Doctor Who series. The maker did a very thorough job on the panelling and used an RC tank for locomotion - unfortunately no design measurements are supplied in the build documentation. - Link
Of course that's not the only K-9 in service, here's one built around a Linux PC to promote a school's robotics class -
The first robot to roam the halls of GHCA is K9, a robot dog based on the British sci-fi show, Doctor Who. I created K9 myself as a way to jump-start our Robotics program. K9's main purpose is to "ooh and ahh" students, hopefully encouraging an interest in the field of robotics. I used common angle iron and 1/4 nuts and bolts to assemble K9's "skeleton", much like an Erector Set from years gone by. In fact, K9's head was built using an Erector Set from 1971! Sheet metal provides the finished look for our class mascot.Now where's that Gentoo-based Sarah Jane? - Link
Related:
HOW TO - make a Dalek - Link
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Feb 28, 2008 04:00 AM
Robotics |
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How to build your first PICAXE robot
This is a nice tutorial on building your first PICAXE robot. These aren't as easy to build as a BEAMbot, but they can do a whole lot more. The site contains links to suppliers and lots of photos of the build process. - Link
Posted by Marc de Vinck |
Feb 28, 2008 03:00 AM
Robotics |
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Stair climbing robot
This robot is small, purpose-built, and can easily climb stairs. The website has a lot of photos and is a great source of technical information for stair climbing robots. If you are thinking of building something similar, this is a must-read.
StairBOT is a small robot for indoor environments. On even floor it drives like many other small robots with a differential-drive. In addition it can change its length with linear guides mechanism with a spindle-drive. By this mechanism it can - together with its omniwheels (with brakes) and a support - reliably climb up and down regular sized stairs. It was one of the objectives for the design to use as few actuators and sensors as possible.
The StairBot - Link
Posted by Marc de Vinck |
Feb 28, 2008 02:00 AM
Robotics |
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Robot ant with mandibles
Ants are cool, but robots ants with mandibles are really cool. The site has several videos of the robot in action that you might want to check out. You are going to need a really big magnifying glass to burn this one!
The Biologically-Inspired Legged Locomotion Ant (BILL-Ant) is an 18-DOF hexapod with six passive DOF feet for force sensing, a 3-DOF neck and actuated mandibles with force sensing pincer plates (28-DOF total). The robot uses force sensors in the feet and pincers to actively comply with its environment and respond to external perturbations.
Robotic ant - Link
Posted by Marc de Vinck |
Feb 28, 2008 01:00 AM
Robotics |
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February 27, 2008
Robotic security officer is menacing, sprays water
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a piece on a local bar owner who took fending off bums into his own hands:
Rufus Terrill, who owns a bar in downtown Atlanta called O'Terrill's, has grown weary of the drug dealers and vagrants he says frequent the neighborhood. Rather than put the police on speed dial or hire private security guards, Terrill has created his own private one robot security squad to keep the undesirable elements away.
The unnamed robot, affectionately referred to as either Robo-Cop or Bum-Bot by those who have seen it in action, is a hodge podge of off-the-shelf parts controlled by Terrill and a remote control. The four-foot tall, 300-pound body consists of an old smoker mounted atop an electric scooter. He's mounted a spot light, infrared camera, loud speaker, and water cannon inside the chassis, then wrapped the whole thing in rubber and painted it a menacing black.
Terrill sends the bot to the neighboring daycare center while he remains safely positioned up the block. Using a walkie-talkie, he instructs "suspects" to leave and informs them they are trespassing. If they refuse to leave, the bot then lets loose with the water cannon.
Remember, kids, unprovoked water cannon use can be considered assault - [via] Link.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Feb 27, 2008 07:00 PM
Robotics |
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February 22, 2008
Kondo robot gets rebrained
The Kondo Humanoid Robot just got a brain upgrade, thanks to the announcement of a new controller board, the KCB-1. Robots Dreams has the scoop:
The new KCB-1, which we assume stands for Kondo Controller Board, is a significant departure from it's predecessors like the RCB-1 and RCB-3. For example, it doesn't have two dozen servo connectors packed in tight on the board. Instead, it supports serial servos, specifically the Kondo KRS-4xxx serial servo series. It also features 6 general purpose programmable I/O ports, and 4 of them can be configured for PWM output
Of even more interest, the new controller board has 7 analog input ports. This is an area where Kondo has traditionally been very weak, and the RCB-3 took a lot of criticism because of its extremely limited sensor input specs. Kondo seems determined to respond to, and overcome, that weakness.Kondo has announced two KCB-1 configurations. The first configuration (#03000) includes the controller board, starter CD-ROM including the SDK, and a serial USB adapter. This particular configuration will retail for 12,600 yen (roughly USD$115). The second configuration (#03002) comes without the serial-USB adapter, and will retail for 9,450 yen (roughly US$86).
Kondo Rolls Out New Robot Controller Board - Link
Related:
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Feb 22, 2008 05:00 PM
Robotics |
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Bird vs. robot
From New Scientist:
This could just be the first of many battles to come between natural flying predators, and man-made flyers inspired by nature.Robotic dragonfly toys made by WowWee Robotics are being snatched by birds of prey. One boy had his grabbed by a Red-tailed hawk not long after unwrapping one on Christmas day. You can read his account of the event. Engadget reports that WowWee has been contacted by 45 people about the same issue in the past two months.
Nature versus Robot - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Feb 22, 2008 04:00 PM
Robotics |
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More whiteboard drawbots
It's a monumental week for whiteboard drawbots, here - LadyAda has a version she's been working on for awhile now available for gawking and if you're super ambitious you can make one with her new Arduino motor shields - Link (photos).
I fully expect there to be dozens of these out in the next few months.
Related:
Whiteboard hektor clone - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 22, 2008 01:30 AM
Arduino, DIY Projects, Electronics, Robotics |
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February 20, 2008
Whiteboard hektor clone
Matt Mets made a hektor-esque whiteboard drawing robot for his 19th Thing-a-day project. He drew his favorite Tetris block. Arduino and Python code included - Link.
Related:
Posted by Becky Stern |
Feb 20, 2008 09:00 PM
Arduino, Arts, Electronics, Robotics |
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New from VEX - Wi-fi and VEX mini
@The NYC Toy fair 2008 was a favorite - Innovation first. They make the VEX robots as well as the HEX bugs.
The big news, they announced the Vex-Mini and Vex Wi-Fi... both of these are good additions to their robotics / learning line up. Here are the details...
The VEX RCR Mini, like the Vex Robotics Design System, is an open-ended robotics platform that includes all the parts and accessories inventors need to design and construct a radio-controlled robot. At less than half the size and one-third the cost of the VEX Robotics Design system, VEX Mini will be accessible to even more hobbyists and students at the high school, middle school and now elementary school levels interested in learning about robotics. Vex Mini will be sold as a 300 part kit including gears, motors, wheels, metal and hardware, with additional accessory kits available. The VEX Mini's quarter inch pitch is structurally compatible with all half inch pitch full-scale VEX EDR and RCR robots, enabling builders to design more capable, dexterous and agile robots by mixing parts (cost is $100).
In addition to the VEX Mini, Innovation First extends its leadership in robot control systems with the introduction of a first-of-its kind, revolutionary new control system built on the Wi-Fi 802.11 standard. The patent for the new Control System is pending and the technology will offer a secure, affordable option for education and competition robotics users. The Wi-Fi controller will let users program their VEX robot wirelessly through any computer, including OLPC, running Windows, Mac, or Linux operating systems. The system also facilitates new features like robot to robot communication and even allows operators to drive robots remotely via the Internet.
More:
- Innovation first- Link.
- More photos of Innovation first @ Flickr - Link.
- Giant set of NYC Toy fair 2008 photos @ Flickr - Link.
- MAKE's coverage of the NYC Toy Faire 2008 in one place! - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 20, 2008 03:00 PM
Robotics, Toys and Games |
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