Mobile devices

ARobot - Mobile Robot for Hobbyists

Powerful yet affordable robot platform designed for the serious hobbyist or the budget-bound teacher. ARobot is a completely programmable mobile robot with an onboard processor, whisker sensors, LEDs, speaker and buttons for user input. Programming is performed by connecting ARobot to your PC and writting programs in the easy-to-understand PBasic language. Programs are executed on ARobot with the Basic Stamp II microcontroller from Parallax. ARobot sports an all-metal chassis, a real DC gearmotor with optical encoder, and rear-wheel steering. Expansion is easy using the on-line project files or with the 'Robot building for Dummies' book.

Trilobot - Mobile Robot for Research

Trilobot is a full-featured platform for the serious robot enthusiast or research project. Trilobot utilizes 3 processors for distributed control of motor and sensor control. All-metal construction with pan-tilt head, gripper, differential drive motors and sensors galore. High-level programming is performed by a user-supplied processor that communicates with the Trilobot via a serial connection - either tethered, on-board, or wireless. Sensors include sonar range finder, 4-directional light level, temperature, 8 whiskers, Passive infrared motion detector and a 2-degree digital compass. Trilobot has been featured on TV and on the front page of Scientific American's website and has been used by numerous research teams around the world with published papers.

Innoc.at


* Team name: INNOC (Austrian Association for Innovative Computer Science).
* Boat Name: ASV Roboat
* Length: 3.75m
* Weight: 260kg
* Mast: Aluminium.
* Hull type: Fibreglass monohull based on a Learling dinghy.
* Power source: 2x 12V 230 amp hour lead acid batteries.
* Sail type: Traditional fabric sails in a Bermudan Sloop rig.
* Actuators: Linear actuator for rudder control and DC motor for driving a chain for sheet controls.
* Sensors: GPS, tilt compensated compass, tilt sensor, ultrasonic wind sensor and a camera.
* Communications: 802.11 (wifi) and GSM (mobile phone) * Computers: miniature PC.
* Other Features: Bilge pump and foghorn.

Some Terms About Robots

Automation Products:--

MD-2 Step Motor Systems Automate easily with our MD-2 step motor system. Complete with 2 motors, drive electronics and software - all designed to work together without a hitch. Connects to a PC and comes with software that gives the operator complete control over the speed, direction and travel distance of each motor. Source code is also provided in Visual Basic and C for custom applications. Two sizes are available offering different torque capacities. X, XY Linear Positioning Tables Use our cost-effective linear positioning tables to automate pick-and-place operations, dispensing, cutting, drilling, and sensor positioning. Available in single axis (X) and dual axis (XY) configurations. Use our MD-2 step motor control systems to create a plug-and-go system. Several sizes to choose from including 9", 18" and 30" of travel. Combine with our Z-2 positioning table to create a 3-axis system. Rotary Positioning Tables The RT-12 rotary positioning table provides precise rotary motion for automating tasks for factories and laboratories. Also useful for test fixtures, research projects and even camera positioning and media applications. Use with our MD-2a step motor system for complete control over the rotary motion. Z-Axis Linear Positioning Table The Z-2 offers 2" of precision linear travel perfect for a 3rd axis of an XY table. The lead-screw design works well against gravity or horizontally. Z-2 tables can be stacked together to create small X, XY, XYZ systems and can be placed on top of the RT-12 rotary table. Use our MD-2a step motor system to provide intelligent position control for the Z-2. 3-Axis Robotic Workcells By combining our XY positioning tables, Z-2 linear positioning table, our MD-2 step motor control systems, and a gantry stand - a complete 3-axis robotic workcell can be created. Perfect for automation of lab processes, small parts assembly, pick-and-place operations, sensor positioning, despensing, and research projects. Easy to set up and cost-effective to use. Pulley Reducers The PR23 pulley reducer offers a way to improve the performance of our belt-driven positioning tables. When used with our MD-2 step motor systems, the PR23 increase torque, increase resolution, and decrease vibration and noise. Speed may also be increased to due to better usage of the motor's torque curve. The PR23 is compatible with any NEMA size #23 step or servo motor.

USED OF ROBOTS

One gray squirrel, its bushy tail twitching, barked a warning as another scrounged for food nearby.

Researchers hope "Rocky" the robo-squirrel will help them learn about how animals interact with each other.

1 of 2

It was an ordinary spring day at Hampshire College, except that the rodent issuing the warning was powered by amps, not acorns.

Dubbed "Rocky" after the cartoon character, the robo-squirrel is working its way into Hampshire's live-squirrel clique, controlled by researchers several yards away with a laptop computer and binoculars.

Sarah Partan, an assistant professor in animal behavior at Hampshire, hopes that by capturing a close-up view of squirrels in nature, Rocky will help her team decode squirrels' communication techniques, social cues and survival instincts.

Rocky is among many robotic critters worldwide helping researchers observe animals in their natural environments rather than in labs. The research could let scientists better understand how animals work in groups, court, intimidate rivals and warn allies of danger.

In Indiana, for instance, a fake lizard shows off its machismo as researchers assess which actions intimidate and which attract real lizards. Pheromone-soaked cockroach counterfeits in Brussels, meanwhile, exert peer pressure on real roaches to move out of protective darkness. In California, a tiny video camera inside a fake female sage grouse records close-up details as it's wooed -- and more -- by the breed's unusually promiscuous males.

The research may even help explain similar instinctive behaviors in humans, researchers say.

"Animals and humans are all affected by behaviors, body postures and signals from each other that we may not be aware of," Partan said.

The use of fake critters to infiltrate real groups of animals is so new that few companies build or sell such tools to researchers.

Many of the scientists using animal doppelgangers have modified toy animals or, like Partan and her students, cobbled together their own with fake fur, small motors, circuits and other material. Partan, who created Rocky a few years ago with students when she taught at the University of South Florida, is constantly refining its actions and updating its technology.

Rocky's movement is controlled by basic computer programs, and it has tiny speakers inside that play recordings Partan purchased from an animal-sounds library at Cornell University.

One recent afternoon, she and students Maya Gounard, 20, and Andrew Fulmer, 19, brought Rocky out for field testing and placed him near real squirrels. Mounted on a board, he was shielded by a camouflage hood and a long cord connected him to the researchers' laptop.

After the computer's program flipped the hood open, Rocky went into a sequence of tail-flagging, barking and other motions squirrels recognize as warnings of danger.

The most successful experiments are when the real squirrels respond by "flagging" their own tail, halting their foraging to check for danger, scamper up a tree or take other actions that show they picked up on the signals, Partan said.

"We watch for a trade-off in their behavior," she said, pointing out a squirrel that jerked to its hind legs and froze, its eyes scanning the area as it heard Rocky's barks. "He gave up foraging to focus on being vigilant, so that's something we'd note as a discernible response."

They focus on whether squirrels react more strongly to Rocky's noises or movements or a combination that researchers call multi-modal signals.

Although animal behavior has been studied for years, much remains unknown about instinctive responses.

A particular sound may be the courting equivalent of, "Come over here, you sexy beast." But a tiny change can alter the message entirely, making it something akin to, "You're about to be torn to shreds if you don't get out of my territory."

"Whether it's a bunch of squirrels in a field or humans in a mall, there are general principles of behavior that seem to hold up across species lines," said Greg Demas, director of Indiana University's Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior and an associate professor of biology.

Robot critters also can help researchers discover how far a species can be pushed beyond its survival instincts.

Researchers at the Free University of Brussels, for instance, found that fake roaches doused in familiar pheromones became so accepted among their cockroach compatriots that the real bugs succumbed to the interlopers' peer pressure to move out of dark areas into the light.

In other experiments, a robotic lizard developed by Indiana University researcher Emilia Martins uses energetic push-ups to trigger similar displays of courtship, power and machismo among real lizards.

Depending on the fake lizard's prompting, the real critters react as if they're being taunted, threatened or titillated -- all of which gives researchers a chance to study the tiniest movements of their legs, eye flaps and other quirks.

"There's been the old, classic trade-off for years between the ecological relevance you get (researching) in the field, versus those studies in the lab where you can control the environment while knowing they're not going to react as much," Demas said. "Having these models out in the field is taking us to the next steps of the research."

Researchers say the applicability of fake animals in research can depend on the intelligence, size, eyesight and sense of smell in the real species.

"The bigger the animal is and the more complicated it is, the harder it is to have a proper robot that mimics the signals and has the right visual cues," said Cornell ornithology professor Jack Bradbury.

Bradbury's research has ranged from vocal mimicry in wild parrots to the sexual choices of hermaphroditic sea slugs. He hasn't used robots but does use sound cues -- emanating from speakers hidden in bushes -- to manipulate animals in the wild by "talking" with them or playing noises they recognize.

"Wild parrots are pretty smart, but I've gone on for hours interacting with them that way," he said. "They come up to the bush and look at it and don't see the birds, but they keep communicating with the belief there's another parrot in there somewhere."

He said mechanical animals aren't used "just to be clever."

"The real issue from a scientist's point of view is, 'Can I come up with a robot that will help me answer a question that I couldn't answer otherwise?"'

Human-robot interaction

• In recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and especially in robotics we can observe a tendency towards building intelligent facts that are meant to be social, to have ‘human social’ characteristics like emotions, the ability to conduct dialogue, to learn, to develop personality, character traits, and social competencies. Care, entertainment, pet and educational robots are conceptualised as friendly, understanding partners and credible assistants which communicate ‘naturally’ with users, show emotions and support them in everyday life. Social robots are often designed to interact physically.
• Upper and lower limb robotic tools for neuro-rehabilitation are effective in reducing motor impairment but they are limited in their ability to improve real world function. There is a need to improve functional outcomes after robot-assisted therapy. Improvements in the effectiveness of these environments may be achieved by incorporating into their design and control strategies important elements key to inducing motor learning and cerebral plasticity such as mass-practice, feedback, task-engagement, and complex problem solving.
• Examples include research conducted in JPL's , including such disciplines as , and In addition, there are several areas in technology research, including , and Planetary Protection.
• In 1970 only two manufacturers existed in the United States, namely the American Machine and Foundry (AMF) Versatran and the Unimation, Inc. Unimate. These robots, still in the forefront today, were just emerging and gaining acceptance in 1970, with approximately 200 industrial robots at work in the U.S., and an amassed 600,000 hours on the job, a negligible amount considering that the total U.S.blue collar work force puts in 200 million hours each day. However more than seventeen types of robots are now available in the U.S. at least twelve of which are manufactured in this country. They range from minirobots with payloads of only a few ounces and reaches of less than a foot to the larger universal robots which can handle payloads of up to 150 lbs., reach 3 ½ ft., and move at speeds up to 3 ft./sec. Recent additions to the U.S. arsenal are the Burch Control robot with a payload capacity of 6000 lbs. Industrial robots are easily reprogrammable, operatorless handling devices that can perform simple, repetitive jobs that require few alternative actions and minimum communications with the work environment. They are well suited to handling parts that are red hot or feezing cold, and they can function in corrosive, noxious or extremely dusty atmospheres that would be injurious to human beings. Passage in the United States of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 has provided strong impetus for the use of industrial robots. As discussed in a recent article in Assembly Engineering Magazine (Ref.1), the Act currently states that a human being cannot place his hands within punch press dies to load or remove parts, and it is imminent that OSHA standards will be extended to cover other fabricating and assembly machines, such as staking presses, spot welding machines, riveting machines, holding and clamping equipment, electron component Inserting equipment, and automatic screwdriving machines. In many cases the cost and time to retool an existing operation to conform to the standards will be prohibitive compared to the cost and time required to purchase and program an industrial robot to perform the potentially dangerous operations.
• This special issue presents nine articles. Novel strategies covered in this issue encourage more natural movements through the use of virtual reality and real objects and faster motor learning through the use of error feedback to guide acquisition of natural movements that are salient to real activities. In addition, several articles describe novel systems and techniques that use of custom and commercial games combined with new low-cost robot systems and a humanoid robot to embody the " supervisory presence" of the therapy as possible solutions to exercise compliance in under-supervised environments such as the home.
• A great set of design and construction articles awaits the curious robot builder at where discusses theory and implementation of line tracking, dead reckoning, drive trains, motor drive, motor control, and microcontrollers. Tossed into the mix are articles discussing basic electronics including understanding how resistors, current, and voltage are related, how transistors work, mechanical switch debouncing, DAC construction, and ideas about projects cases. Ibrahim's articles are well-written and include theory right along with the nuts and bolts of schematics, source code, and troubleshooting.
• An summarizes recent developments in the electronic noses. The latest variety sensors to give machines a sense of smell are based on conducting polymers that produce electrical signals in response to certain chemicals. The human nose, which is not particularly capable, as noses go, can detect about 10,000 different chemicals, known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Often, a single unique scent is the combination of hundreds of different VOCs. Early electronic sensors could only detect single chemicals. The most recent polymer noses are printable organic semiconductors that can "differentiate between basic classes of odors, such as acids, alcohols, amines, and thiols" allowing them easily sniff out the difference between wine and vinegar. There are still some bugs to work out before this technology becomes commercially available. For more, see our older articles on the the NIST Nosend the Northwest builders will be testing their metal Saturday and Sunday at the North West Model Hobby Expo, where Western Allied Robotics will be holding its annual local tournament. Cash prizes of $100 will go to winners in the 1-, 3-, 12- and 30-pound categories.
  
• 
  

DID YOU WANT TO WHAT KINDS OF ROBOTS ARE COMING

ROBOTS ARE COMING:

Intelligent robots are among us, albeit mostly still confined to labs. But it won't be long before they are out and about and part of the workforce. And like all oppressed populations, they will inevitably rise up one day. How should we respond? In this extract from his new book, robotics specialist Daniel Wilson has some tips how to deal with a robot rebellion

HOW TO ESCAPE A HUMANOID ROBOT

One minute you are strolling across an empty parking lot with arms full of groceries and the next minute two tonnes of steaming bipedal man-bot is bearing down on you. A humanoid robot may look like you, but it is probably faster, stronger and much better at chess. Drop the groceries; it's time to learn how to run away.

Run toward the light

Vision sensors are confused by sudden changes in lighting. Forcing the robot to follow you into the sun may slow down its pursuit.

To save a comrade: first merge, then separate

Run to a comrade, deliver a quick bear-hug, and then dive in a random direction. A vision-based target tracker might temporarily lose track of your identity during the hug, especially if you are wearing similar clothing. You can gain precious seconds while the tracker reacquires its target.

Don't run in a predictable line

If you follow a simple velocity trajectory, it will be easier for a robot to track your progress, even through significant clutter. Zigzag erratically or, when hidden from view, change direction suddenly in order to throw off predictive tracking systems.

Use rough terrain

A humanoid robot can run faster and for far longer than you can. Take pride in your primate heritage - humanoid robots are not as good as you are at scurrying over walls, climbing hillsides or clambering over and under parked cars.

Find a body of water

Most robots will sink in water or mud and fall through ice.

Find a car and burn rubber

Theoretically, a humanoid robot could sprint as fast (or faster) than an automobile, but the resulting heat and stress would likely overheat or injure the robot pursuer.

HOW TO FOOL A THERMAL IMAGING TARGET TRACKER

Thermal cameras reveal heat patterns in which hot objects appear bright over cold backgrounds. People are easy to detect - human skin temperature predictably hovers around 33 °C . As a hot human being, you need to know how to evade that merciless robot tracking you thermally.

Think heat, not vision

Thermal imaging routinely reveals otherwise invisible details: warm footsteps in cool grass, the cool shadows of people who have since walked away, the warm hood of your stolen car.

Stay out of sight

Avoid wide-open spaces and skylines by day or night. A thermal camera is not an X-ray eye, so hide behind buildings, walls and thick vegetation.

Lose the human heat signature

You can change your characteristic human heat signature by smearing cool mud and leaves over yourself. Crouch into a small position and sit still; the motion of small bits of warm skin will mark you as human.

Try to disappear completely

You are invisible to a thermal camera if you can maintain the same temperature as your background. Defence companies have developed infrared camouflage suits that are designed to match the ambient temperature, making soldiers invisible to electronic eyes.

HOW TO SPOT A ROBOT MIMICKING A HUMAN

It is common for an enemy to create confusion by wearing friendly-looking uniforms. The robots are bound to follow suit, only they will be sheathed in human skin, able to bleed, breathe and sweat.

Spot-check the facial features

Humans are extremely good at reading faces - so good that we see faces in everything from corn tortillas to rock formations on Mars. Look for facial imperfections like freckles, scars and overall asymmetry. Watch for natural movements like breathing and blinking. Pay special attention to the eyes and mouth (the most expressive parts of the face).

Examine the face over time

Motion is more important than facial features alone when it comes to detecting a faux human. Ask an innocuous question, and during the reply, observe the subject's skin, lips and teeth. Even if the robot is almost perfectly human-like you will get a creepy feeling. Your gut reaction is a human survival trait and a well-known phenomenon that Japanese researchers call the uncanny valley.

Test those social skills

Humans unconsciously acquire a vast amount of social knowledge, such as how to stand in line, the concept of personal space and why men should wear pants to work. If the guy standing on your porch doesn't follow these rules, don't let him inside - whether he is a robot or not.

Examine a thermal camera image of your guest

Mount a thermal camera over any key entryways. The heat signature of a human face looks like a skull, not a piece of sheet metal.

HOW TO DETECT ROBOT SPEECH

Smooth-talking robots could imitate friendly people over the radio or telephone. Recognising a robot voice can be harder than you think; text-to-speech systems have already taken over telephone operations for many major corporations.

Don't trust the caller, even if he or she sounds familiar

With enough recorded samples a robot can sound like anyone. To be absolutely sure, ask a specific question that only your loved one could answer, or agree upon a code word beforehand.

Listen for hard-to-pronounce words

The more common the word, the more likely it is to have been included in the robot's original voice database and the better it will sound. Uncommon words will have to be synthesized anew. The word yes may sound perfectly human, but how does your caller sound when it utters the word "flibbertigibbet"?

Try to evoke an emotion

Does the speaker mind when you intimately discuss the promiscuity of his mother? If not, you may be dealing with a very polite human or a non-human. Either way, it's a good idea to hang up the phone.

HOW TO DEACTIVATE A REBEL SERVANT ROBOT

You have discovered that your extremely submissive, lovable and expensive servant robot has turned "rebel." This can feel like losing a member of the family. However, if the situation is not dealt with properly, it may feel more like losing every member of the family, plus a few neighbourhood kids.

Pretend everything is normal

To forestall a mechanised killing spree you must act as though nothing is amiss. When your servant hands you an old tyre half full of rainwater and mosquito larvae instead of an iced tea, simply sip politely, nod and smile.

Send the robot on an arduous task

Not only will sending your robot on a long, tiring task drain its power reserves, it will give you time to formulate a plan.

The power drain plan

Instruct the servant robot to clean the house, landscape the yard, and assemble several major pieces of Ikea furniture. Then, when your robot is power depleted and attempts to recharge, shut off the power to your house. Now, simply wait until the robot runs out of batteries. If it tries to move, apply pressure with a crowbar.

SHORT NEWS

SHORT NEWS OF ROBOTICS

*Astronauts to work on giant robot

• *After linking up with the international space station, Endeavour's astronauts got right to work Thursday unloading the parts they'll need to build a giant robot that will help maintain the orbiting outpost.

  astronauts Robert Behnken and Gregory Johnson were using the station's robotic arm to pull a pallet containing the Canadian robot, named Dextre, from Endeavour's cargo bay and install it temporarily on a station girder.

Intelligent arm wrestling robot
*An intelligent arm wrestling robot may sound like a contradiction but the Koreans have built one anyway. Geeks at the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent System (IRIS) of Konkuk University have created ‘Robo Arm-Wrestler’, and gave it its first public outing at the recent Future Tech Korea 2005 show. The robot makes you feel like you are arm wrestling a real person, without the face-full of spittle, of course. The ‘smart’ robot considers your attitude, will-power and tenacity in deciding who wins. In other words, it lets you win sometimes, but it could really snap your arm off like a twig. Built to help old people exercise, I can see this baby getting beaten daily by walking sticks and Zimmer frames owned by grumpy, sore-loser geriatrics. Just build one that makes them tea and wipes their arses, would you? Arm wrestling –

*Astronauts for Spacewalk

*With power now flowing to the international space station's new robot, the astronauts aboard the linked shuttle-station complex started preparing Saturday for a spacewalk to assemble the giant machine.

On Friday night, astronauts used the space station's mechanical arm to grab onto and energize Dextre, bypassing a faulty cable that wasn't able to transmit power to the robot.

*robot pet "dog"

Do not afraid of dogs.If want a dog that doesnot bite and can play with you then this is the good news for you. A German university technische universitat Dramstadt has been working on the robot pet that can play with you.It is the robot with extra loaded artificial intelligence power.
*Robotics Taxi
RobuCAB is, a '4 seats automated people mover' developed by a French company and built from a 4 wheel-drive electric chassis with on-board PC. This autonomous vehicle follows the kerb and carries several embedded systems, with one camera on the path edge, another device tracking the angle and direction of the kerb, while others control the gearing and acceleration. robuCABs are not totally

*The violin-playing robot
This robot is a part of Toyota’s Global Vision 2020. The 152-centimeters (5-foot) tall two-legged robot is capable of playing violin. It makes use of its mechanical fingers to push the strings and plays the bow with its other arm. It touts 17 movable joints that endow it with the capability to conduct domestic duties and assist in nursing. The violin-playing robot responds to voice commands and boasts of advanced face recognition

*New Military Robot

Big dog is the mechanical mutt developed by Boston Dynamics with funding from the U.S. military, the BigDog prototype is arguably the world's most ambitious legged robot. Its stability and awareness of its own orientation make it the first robot that can handle the unknown challenges of the battlefield. The Great Dane–size 'bot can trot more than three miles an hour, climb inclines of up to 45 degrees, and carry up to 120 pounds—even in rough terrain impenetrable to wheeled or tracked vehicles. But this one is just a puppy; Boston Dynamics expects the next iteration, ready this summer, to be at least twice as fast and carry more than twice as much.

*Robot psychologist

People affected by emotional problems are often reluctant when they're told to see a psychologist. Now, they can confidentially consult onlineIt will cost them €4.95 for one hour session (or about US$7.65 as of today). MindMentor has been developed by two Dutch psychologists specialized in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). The system was tested on 1,600 'customers' from over the world and 47% of them said they were satisfied after only one session.

*Squawkers McCaw Robot Parrot

Squawkers McCaw is the latest Fur Real friend and a robotic parrot. It is very realistic and a ton of fun. Extremely realistic movements.Very good voice recognition.Fullycustomizable with command&responses in your own voice.Looks almost like a real parrot.

*Rocky Mountain goat
The robot goat shown in the picture is to eat away the bad luck and frustration of the unlucky gamblers. It is used at the Edogawa Kyotei boat race course in Tokyo for those gamblers to feed this goat with their losing tickets. The intention behind of using this robot goat is to reduce litter inside the facility. Or else those losing tickets will end up of being thrown on the floor. This Rocky Mountain goat is 1.6-meter tall, has a thick coat of white fur and ticket-detecting sensors in its mouth. It can swallow at a rate of about 500 losing tickets per day.

Robot Dog
Sony launched the new AIBO Entertainment Robot, now taught to understand Spanish as well. Named ERS-7M3, the AIBO is also available in a limited edition Champagne Brown (model ERS-7M3/T) color that looks very attractive. Enhanced software now means that the AIBO can say more than one thousand English words.

It also has a newly introduced short term memory mapping and news reads through RSS. If your pet dog can bring the newspaper every morning, then why not have the AIBO fetch news whenever it's updated? This looks to be the most interesting feature of the new model.

Robot-fish
This one is a robo-carp you can observe at the London Aquarium. It’s a self-guided robot-fish who use artificial intelligence and sensors to avoid obstacles . It’s a 50cm long common carp, swimming with thei living counterparts.

HOW TO BUILT ROBOTS

You know how to built Robots:








Welcome. before we get started, here are some things you should know:

1. For your own sake, read this before you go any further
2. If you are looking for an even cheaper and faster project, this one might have your interest: http://letsmakerobots.com/node/87
3. If you have never build a robot before, the video here might inspire to how easy it is to construct, you do not need special materials to build robots: http://letsmakerobots.com/node/35
4. To inspire to where you can go from here, I have made a part II

OK - Now let´s get started :)

---

How to start a cool* robot for approx

This is cool* because:

• The electronics used are ”real parts” (not little homemade things that wont really work unless you spend hours of tweaking, and not a kit that you just assemble and that´s it).
• It is EASY to do the basics, you have a robot within one hour!
• You can evolve from here, even with the same parts (if you can bare to take your robot apart).
• It is cheap.
• This is serious, but fun. This is the coolest Robot-beginners-project in any way, end of story! :)

---

Links are just where I happened to find the items from a world wide web perspective. You can use any (web) shop you'd like, of course.

Prices are approx. As far as possible, try to get it all from the same shop, and from a shop located in your own country etc to get the best deals and faster deliverance etc.











1 PICAXE-28X1 Starter Pack
The 28 pin project board in this package is like a game of Mario Bros; Fun and full of extras and hidden features, making you want to play over and again. This includes the main brain, the PICAXE-28X1.

This is a little expansive, but it is only the first time I recommend you to get this, it includes a lot of nice basic stuff, you get a CD-ROM with lots of manuals, cables, a board, the Microprocessor etc. Actually it is EXTREMELY cheap. Similar packages cost up to 10 times this price!

Be sure to get the USB-version, images in the shops may not match, and show a serial-cable when you are ordering a USB. When buying the USB-version, it is not necessary to get the USB-cable as an extra item, even though it is also sold separately.

You can get it here

Once you have bought this one time, just buy a new board and accomplishing Microcontroller for future projects, much cheaper, you are a Robot-builder with all the basics done.

---

1 L293D Motor Driver

The name says it all, more about this chip later :)

You can get it here

---

1 PICAXE Servo Upgrade Pack
-An easy way to get a servo topped with some small parts needed for this project.

You can also get any standard servo, the pins shown on the image, and a single 330 Ohm resistor instead of the yellow chip, if you should wish.

You can get the full package here

What is a Servo?
A Servo is a cornerstone in most robotic appliances. To put it short it is a little box with wires to it, and an axle that can turn some 200 degrees. on this axle you can mount a disc or some other peripheral that comes with the servo.

The 3 wires are: 2 for power, and one for signal.

The signal-wire goes to something that controls a servo, in this case that is the microcontroller.

Result is that the microcontroller can decide to where the axle should turn, and this is pretty handy; You can program something to physically move to a certain position.

---

1 Sharp GP2D120 IR Sensor - 11.5" / Analogue
11.5" or another range will do. Only do not buy the "ÃÂDigital version" of the Sharp sensors for this kind of project, they do not measure distance as the analogue ones does.


You can get it here

Be sure to get the red/black/white wires for it. This is not allways included, and it is a non-standard socket!

This is actually not a favorite of mine, I usually use ultrasonic sensors, such as the SRF05 (they also sell it at the picaxe-store where they call it SRF005 and have a picture of the back of an SRF04 in the shop! But it is the right one, and I did tell them but..). Anyway; The SRF05 is much more reliable and precise. It is also faster, but costs a little more, is a little more complicated to write code to, and a little more complex to install - so it is not used here, but if you are fresh, buy one of these instead ;)

If you go for the SRF05, I have made a small walkthrough to connecting the SRF05 here

---

2 Gear Motors with wheels
The higher the ratio, the stronger robot, the lower, the faster robot. I recommend ratio somewhere between 120:1 to 210:1 for this kind of project. The reason the robot on the video is so slow, is that is has a high ratio. Slower is easier or beginners, as it it easier to understand and follow what happens.

Price, total for 2+2: 15 USD
You can get some here

---

You will also need:

• Double sided adhesive tape (for mounting, the foamy sort is best)
• Some wire
• Ordinary adhesive tape (to isolate a cable perhaps)
• Simple soldering equipment (Any cheap kit will do fine)
• An ordinary small nipper or scissor to cut things
• A screwdriver

You could also get, while you're at it:

• Some LED's if you want your robot to be able to signal to the world or make cool flashing-effects
• More servos to make your robot move more..erh..arms? Or servos with servos on etc.
• A tiny speaker if you would like your robot to produce sound-effects and communicate to you
• Some sort of belt-track system. Robots with belt tracks are way cool as well, and the controller and the rest will be the same. Here is an example to what you could take it to with belt tracks TAMYIA makes cool belt-track-systems, and this one is also a favorite of mine Here is more info on belt-tracks
• Any kind of line-sensor-kit, to turn your robot into a Sumo, a Line-follower, stop it from driving off tables, and everything else that needs "a look down".

---

OK! You have ordered the stuff, received your package(s), you want to build :) well.. Let´s get started!

First mount the wheels to your geared motors. And add tires (rubber bands in this case).

---

An easy way to mount stuff for fast (and amazingly solid and lasting) robots is double adhesive tape.

---

Insert the batteries, so you have a realistic idea of weight and balance. Add some double adhesive tape to the button of the server as well..

---

Chose your own design, you can also add extra materials if my “design” is too simple.

Main thing is that we have it all glued together: Batteries, Servo and wheels. And wheels and servo can turn freely, and it can stand on it´s wheels somehow, balancing or not.

---

Take out the batteries, to avoid burning something unintended!

---

And now for the brains.

You should have a project board similar to this.

(and so this may be of interest to you: http://letsmakerobots.com/node/75)

Notice that it has a chip in it. Take it out. The chip is a Darlington-driver that is quite handy placed there on the board, but we will not need it for this project, and we need it´s space, so away with that chip!

It is easiest to get chips out of the socket by inserting a normal flat screwdriver just below it, move it ind, and tip up the chip carfully.

---

A chip fresh, brand new chip usually do not fit into a socket right away. You will have to press it sideways down on a table, to bend all the legs in an angle so it will fit. (Legs go down, into the sockets).

Make sure all the legs are in the sockets.


If you bought the Servo upgrade from Picaxe, you have a yellow chip. Put it in place of the Darlington.

Note that not all holes in the project board are filled out with the yellow chip. We only need the eight to the right in the picture, as this is just simple resistors, we do not need to feed them extra.

This yellow chip is actually just 8 * 330 Ohm's resistors in a neat package. And so, if you should have a resistor, you can just insert it instead in slot numbered “0”, as this is the only one we will use, when we only use one servo.

Also insert the large chip, the brains, the microcontroller, the Picaxe 28(version number) into the project board.

Important to turn this the right way. Note that there is a little mark in one end, and so on the board. These must go together.


This chip will get power from the board via 2 of it´s legs.

All the remaining 26 legs are connected around on the board, and they will be programmable for you, so you can send current in and out to detect things and control things with the programs you upload into this microcontroller.

---

Now insert the L293D motor-controller.

This will take 4 of the outputs from the microcontroller, and turn them into 2. Sounds silly? Well.. Any ordinary output from the microcontroller can only be “on” or “off”. So just using these would (example) only make your robot able to drive forward or stop. Not reverse! That may come in unhandy when facing a wall.

The board is made so smart that the 2 (now reversible) outputs get their own space, marked (A) and (B) just next to the motor-controller (Bottom right on the picture). More about this later.

---

On the backside of the board you may find some strange plastic. This has no use, it is just a leftover from manufacturing. (They “dip” the board in warm tin, and parts they do not want so get tinned is sealed with this stuff) Just peal it off when you need the holes they seal.

---

Take 4 pieces of wire, and solder them to the 4 “A & B” - holes. (or use some other means of connecting 4 cables to the standard sized holes, one can buy all sorts of standard sockets and pins etc)



If you have some of that heat-shrinking plastic or some tape, it may be a good idea to support the wires with this.

The 2 “A” goes to one motor, and the 2 “B” to the other. It does not matter which is which, as long as “A” is connected to one motor, and “B” to the two poles of the other.

---

Now let´s hook up the servo.

If you should read the Picaxe documentation, you will read that you should use 2 different power-sources if you add servos. To put it short; We don´t mind here, this is a simple robot, and to my experience this works just fine.

Yo will need so solder an extra pin to output “0”, if you want to use the standard servo connection. Such a pin comes with the Picaxe upgrade pack (a whole row, actually), but you only need one for one servo, and they can be bought in any electronics store.

If your servos cable is (Black, Red, White) or (Black, Red, Yellow), the Black should be to the edge of the board. Mine was (Brown, Red, Orange), and so the brown goes to the edge.

The hint is usually the Red; It is what is referred to as V, or any of these, used in random: (“V”, “V+”, “+”, “1”). This is where current comes from.

The black (or brown in my case) is G, or (“G”, “0” or “-”). This is also known as “Ground”, and is where current goes to. (the 2 poles, remember your physics-lessons?)

The last color is then “the signal” (White, Yellow or Orange)

A servo needs both "+ & -" or "V & G", and a signal.

Some other devices may only need "Ground" and "Signal" (G & V), and some may both need V, G, Input and output. Can be confusing in the beginning, and everything is allways named different (like I just did here), but after a while you will get the logic, and it is actually extremely simple - Even I get it now ;)

---

Now let´s hook up “the head”, the Sharp IR-sensor.

(If you bought an SRF005 or similar instead, you should look here on how to hook this up, it is different from this!)

There are a million ways to do this, but here are clues:

Red needs to be connected to V1, that is (in this setup) anything marked “V”, or is connected to this.

Black goes to G, anywhere on the board.

White is to be connected to Analogue input 1.

If you read the documentation that comes with the project-board, you can read how to attach the accompanying ribbon-cable, and use this.

What I have done on the picture, is to cut off a cable from an old burned out servo, soldered in a pin, and connected the whole thing just as a servo. You can use it to see which colors of the Sharp goes to which row on the board.

Weather you use the ribbons or “my method” of connecting the Sharp IR, you should also connect the 3 remaining analogue input to V. I had some jumpers laying, and you can see that all 3 connections left are short cut. (The last pair, not touched, are just two “Ground”, no need to short cut these). If you use the ribbon, you can just connect the inputs to V (or ground for that matter) by connecting the wires in pairs.

The reason it is important to shortcut the unused analogue inputs here is that the are “left floating”. This means that you will get all sorts of weird readings where you try to read if these are not connected. (to put it short, this is a fast paced walkthrough ;)

---

Now for some fun! (Or "Let there be life")

Somehow you should get the Red wire from your batteries (+) hooked up to the red wire on the project board (V). And the black (-) to (G). How you do this depends on your equipment. If there is a battery-clip on both batteries and board you should still make sure that the "+" from the batteries ends up to the "V" on the board. Sometimes (though not often) the clips can be reversed to each other, and just putting two matching clips together is no guarantee that + gets to V and - gets to G! Make sure, or you will se melting things and smoke! Do not feed the board with more than 6V (no 9V batteries, even though the clip fits)

As a note; We are only working with one power-supply here. Later you will want to use same Ground, but both V1 and V2. That way your chips can get one source, and the motors etc another (stronger) voltage.

Install the Picaxe Programming Editor on a PC, follow the manuals to get your Jack / USB / Serial hooked up, Insert the batteries in your (still headless) robot, insert the jack stick in your robot.. enter the programming editor, and write

servo 0, 150

press F5, wait for the program to transfer, and your servo gives a little yank (or spins, depending on which way it was).

If something goes wrong here, contact me, or mess with the manuals and ports etc, until no errors are reported, and all seems to work,

To test, try to write

servo 0, 200

and press F5

The servos disc should spin a little and stop. To get back, write:

servo 0, 150

and press F5

Now your robot's “neck” is facing forward.

Stick on the “head” - the Sharp IR

---

Hello world, I am a robot, ready to take your commands and explore the world :)

You're done building the basics!

The design may wary, you may have used other parts etc.. But if you have connected as described, here are some tips to get started programming your robot:





Enter (copy-paste) this code into your editor, and press F5 while the robot is connected:

+++

main:

readadc 1, b1 ' takes the voltage returned to analogue pin 1, and puts it into variable b1
debug ' this draws out all variables to the editor. Set it to “Byte” if it is on “Word”
goto main

+++
Now take your hand in front of the robot´s head and notice how the variable b1 changes value. You can use the knowledge gained to decide what should happen when (how close things should get before..)

Now I advise you to put your robot up on a matchbox or similar, as the wheels will start turning.

Enter (copy-paste) this code into your editor, and press F5 while the robot is connected:

+++

high 4

low 5

+++

One of the wheels should turn in one direction. Does your wheels turn forward? If so, this is the instruction for that wheel to turn forward.

If the wheel is turning backwards, you can try this:

+++

low 4

high 5

+++

To turn the other wheel, you need to enter

high 6

low 7

(or the other way around for opposite direction.)

The servo you have already tried.

All the way to one side is:

servo 0, 75

the other side is:

servo 1, 225

- and center:

servo 1, 150

Here is a small program that will (should, if all is well, and you insert the right parameters for high/low to suit your wiring to the motors) make the robot drive around, stop in front of things, look to each side to decide which is the best, turn that way, and drive towards new adventures.

+++

Symbol dangerlevel = 70 ' how far away should thing be, before we react?
symbol turn = 300 ' this sets how much should be turned
symbol servo_turn = 700 ' This sets for how long time we should wait for the servo to turn (depending on it´s speed) before we measure distance

main: ' the main loop
readadc 1, b1 ' read how much distance ahead
if b1 < then="" body_lturn="" else="" body_rturn="" end="" if="" high="" this="" should="" be="" your="" combination="" that="" turns="" robot="" way="" pause="" turn="" gosub="" totalhalt="" 100="" 200="" look="" to="" other="" side="" 5="" 6="" 7="" low="" on="" 4="" halts="" the="" servo="" 150="" face="" forward="" wait="" 1="" freeze="" all="" for="" one="" second="" return="">
+++

With some clever programming and tweaking, you can make the robot drive, turn it´s head, make decisions, make small adjustments, turn towards “interesting holes” such as doorways, all working at the same time, while driving. It looks pretty cool if you make the robot spin while the head is turning ;)

Look in part II for code on this.

Sound:

You can also add a small speaker to example pin 1 & ground, and write

Sound 1, (100, 5)

- or within the example program above make it

Sound 1, (b1,5)

– to get funny sounds depending on the distance to objects ahead.



You could also attach a lamp or LED to pin 2 & ground, and write (remember LED´s need to turn the right way around)

High 2

to turn on the lamp, and

Low 2

to turn it off

---

- How about a Laser-pen, mounted on an extra servo? Then you could make the robot turn the laser around, and turn it on and off, pointing out places.. you can do anything now :)

Welcome to a very funny world of homemade robots, there are thousands of sensors and actuators just waiting for you to hook them up and make robots out of them.

Some Different Robots

As like Human Nature Robot

Professor Chrystopher Nehaniv and Professor Kerstin Dautenhahn at the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Computer Science are working with an international consortium led by the University of Plymouth on ITALK (Integration and Transfer of Action and Language Knowledge in Robots), which begins on 1 March.Professor Nehaniv said: “Our approach is that robot will use what it learns individually and socially from others to bootstrap the acquisition of language, and will use its language abilities in turn to drive its learning of social and manipulative abilities. This creates a positive feedback cycle between using language and developing other cognitive abilities. Like a child learning by imitation of its parents and interacting with the environment around it, the robot will master basic principles of structured grammar, like negation, by using these abilities in context.”

Robot Development Is Child's Play

The six projects include one from Imperial College London that will explore how ‘mirror neurons’ found in the human brain can be translated into a digital application. ‘Mirror neurons’, discovered in the early 1990s, trigger memories of previous experiences when humans are trying to understand the physical actions of others. A separate team at UPF Barcelona will also work on iCub’s ‘cognitive architecture’.

Robots (a nurse) that can pretend to chat with you are on the way
. You may be fooled. Robots that can genuinely chat wit h you are a long way off, because consciousness, personality, humor, language, even common sense are extremely difficult to replicate. A big reason why robots are so hard to appraise realistically is that sci-fi movies have filled our heads with vivid pictures of what robots are capable of. But robots are a lot like time travel--easy to describe, hard to do! So where exactly are we? I’d say the whole field of robotics is in a state of reassessment. All the early dreams are in ruins. The AI (Artificial Intelligence) crowd is realizing with a shock that ordinary humans are immensely complex and talented--replicating us is akin to building a city on the moon. Replicating even lower life forms is way beyond us at this point.

Cheapest robot
Walkman, a 12.7-cm (5-in) tall robot, was built from the remains of a Sony Walkman costing US$1.75 (£1.15) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, USA, in 1996. In tests the robot struggled to get free when its legs were held without being programmed to do so, and without making the same movement twice.

Smallest robot humanoid
The smallest humanoid robot in production is the Be-Robot, which measures 153 mm (6 in) high and is able to walk, kick and perform push-ups. The robot was manufactured by GeStream (Taiwan) and demonstrated at the Global SMEs Convention on 6 September 2007 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Fastest selling entertainment robot
Sony's AIBO Entertainment Robot ERS-110 (aibo means "pal" or "partner" in Japanese) retails for US$2,066. When Aibo made its first appearance on Sony's website on May 31, 1999, 3,000 were sold within 20 minutes. AIBO is 11-in (27.9cm) tall and can recognize its surroundings with a built-in sensor. It can be programmed to perform tricks or "play" on its own. On June 1, 1999, 2,000 AIBOs became available over the internet in America and the initial rush to buy the robotic pet puppy caused web servers to crash.

Japan developed a tiny robot that can ride a bicycle.

Murata Boy, which weighs just 5kg and is 20cm tall, can travel at 76 cm per second and is controlled by a wireless computer link.

Engineers said the most difficult part of the design process was getting Murata Boy to balance on the bike.

They solved the problem by installing special sensors on the robot, which allows it to judge its angle and speed, and then make balance adjustments. The whole point of developing the robot which rides a bicycle is to show the technology of balancing in the environment, where keeping your balance is tough," said project engineer, Shigeki Fukunaga.