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Fujitsu Releases Specs For Hackable Robot
S. Allen writes: "According to this article, Fujitsu will release the specifications to their RT-Linux based humanoid robot next week to encourage development and research. The article states, 'The software used to program Hoap-1 will run on RT-Linux -- a version of the open-source operating system that is designed for robotic applications, as well as data acquisition and systems control functions. Simulation software will let users test their code before letting it loose on Hoap-1'"
So instead of a bluescreen or a kernel panic message, this thing will just flail its arms about yelling "Danger Will Robinson"?
Check out this link for more info. This one is from MIT (quite a bit old, but it's still interesting read). And then of course there is the Humanoid Project.
28,000 pounds? You could by enough Aibo's to have your own football team of them.
Still, maybe that's a bargin to robotics researchers, would-be world dictators and the robot-porn industry. I think it's priced well beyond the reach of most OS developers.
Of course, it would make a great entry for BattleBots.
All you need to do is combine that robot with this thing, and you'll never need a real girlfriend again!
And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
To mold a new reality... closer to the heart
It may be "the world's first attempt to sell a humanoid robot that users can program freely", but it surely is not the first robot that users can program freely. Researchers at universities want robots that have all/most of the hardware or software specs open. Like data sheets of electronic parts and source code of control software. And this has been the case for a long time. For example, these research robots have always been freely programmable.
48cm?! How am I going to get it to reach the stuff at the top of the fridge? Does it come with go-go-gadget legs/arms?
these go very well together don't you think?
I want Linux used in business and science applications, but not when a firm is likely to restrict the most media-genic and lucrative uses, such as this robot, to a closed Linux.
This will popularize Linux, but the visibility, and the profits, will go to a particular group of Linux developers who tend to stand apart from the rest of the community.
In other words, the nerds who fall in love with this robot will also drift further away from the open Linux cultures; any use RTLinux gets is an attack on the open Linux culture.
Goat sex free since 2001
U-Mass has a cool collections of Robot videos here from their Laboratory for Perceptual Robotics: http://www-robotics.cs.umass.edu/robotics-mpegs.ht ml
-- a must see for those interested in robotics.
here. Postercomment compression filter? WTF?
Of course we know that childern provide a better value work force than robots, but what about those pesky adults, in the western world it won't be hard to cut expences....
I used to love the idea of making a bipod robot when I was younger, now I they seem scarey... are we making suicide bombers for the west? I'm going to stop now...
M0571y H@rml355.
I don't know that I'd want to buy a robot if I knew hackers could take control of it. The consequences of hackers infiltrating a robot could range from the merely annoying to the catastrophic (especially if the robot in question is equipped with a rotary saw, a la BattleBots).
As well, has anybody assessed the national security risks associated with hackable robots, in light of the recent terror attacks?
If you have a problem with my views, REPLY, don't moderate!
the fujitsu site has abit more info and a picture
http://pr.fujitsu.com/en/news/2001/09/10.html
- MbM
It's a CD changer for a CD burner. (My sincere appoligies for slashdotting their webserver.)
My original goal was to create a cheap robot that:
can lift a fresh CD using suction cups (not shown in picture)
use eject & eject -t commands to open & close CD tray
burn CD via shell script
when finished, switch CDs and start all over
drive mechanism using cheap rotating threaded rod (worm drive)
wooden frame (cheap & easy to build)
use Jeremy Elson's Parapin program to control the device via parallel port
goal 1 - make it cheaper than $50 to build. using easy to find parts
goal 2 - make it easy for others to build.
The ultimate hack would be to combine it with a MP3 database, napster, perl script,and wget to download and burn the billboard top 40 (or similar concept)
A project like this is not meant to be practical.
Just something fun that hasn't been done before. Yes, I have seen a similar lego robot that works with a home audio system, but it only had about 7 disks available, it looked like a tough mechanism to integrate with a Computer tower, and the basic lego mindstorms sets sell for about $200.00
Comments/suggestions/related links welcome and strongly encouraged.
I noticed some Insecto Bots in a local KB Toys this week. I know B.I.O. Bugs aren't slated to hit stores until 9/30/01, but does anyone have any opinions on them? Does anyone own an Insecto Bot yet?
Any chance either toy might be nifty for more than 15 minutes (unlike the Furby we all bought after that article in Wired before its release)?
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Let me give you the lowdown
I don't think the cost matters at all. Since there's a simulator, you can at least write your own code for it, which can then be used by the people that CAN afford the robot. Isn't this what open source is all about?
RTLinux is a hard real-time operating system that handles time-critical tasks and runs Linux as its lowest priority execution thread. In RTLinux, a small hard-realtime kernel shares one or more processors with standard Linux. This allows the system to run accurately timed applications to perform data acquisition, systems control and robotics, while still serving as a standard Linux workstation. - from RTLinux
I wouldn't say you're stupid, but isn't typing "www.rtlinux.org" easier than posting a question on Slashdot?
RTLinux provides a REAL TIME operating environment. Many people make the mistake of thinking this means "fast." In reality, you have an environment for real time programs to run in, and then a version of Linux run in its own thread. The difference is that Linux only gets PART of the processor time, the rest devoted to programs designed to operated on a real time OS/in a real time enviroment, which is quite different from what Linux provides. Real time enviroments handle memory different as well as their process queues (where the OS hands actual executable code off to the processor).
They also provide preemptive multitasking, where a program can use a interrupt or similar service to get to the head of the ready queue, rather than the back.
Also, the treatment of memory provides for some unique interprocess communications techniques that are ONLY available under certain RTOS environments.
In essence, it's not the LINUX that is real time, but the OS, which gives the LINUX a share of processor time/memory, which allows for a linux style interface to a real time system.
Robots today are like computers were yesterday... We are underestimating their use and capability.
We just haven't figured out what to do with them yet.
The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. - Benjamin Franklin
The reason it is (relatively) cheap, hackable is probably because they are looking for good software to run future robots. For example someone may work out a good algorithm that combine robotic vision and motor control to make some kind of rescue bot that can crawl into small places. Or work out a way for a robot to be able to right itself if it falls down.
:-)
I bet their idea is to have generic robots that can do many different tasks base solely on the software; rather than spending lots of money building very specialized robots that can only do one or two things. Actually this is just like real human! We are more or less the same physically, but we are trained to do many different tasks without growing extra arms or eyes.
So if you work in an university with a good size robotic research group you can probably convince them to send one to you for free
Codeala - Just another mindless drone
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Stiquito for Beginners : An Introduction to Robotics
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Stiquito : Advanced Experiments With a Simple and Inexpensive Robot
And it comes with a kit (attached to the book) that includes the nitinol wires that act as the muscles. You'll have your own creepy crawly insect-bots running in no time...Besides, the laws where suggested for robots that were semi-autonomous thanks to artificial intelligence. We're not anywhere near that yet.
As the press release says they are targeting to sell 100 robots over a span of three years.
Who is going to have the means to purchase these? labs, schools, corporations. not you and me brotha...
"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." - Jack Nicholson
I think it's great, but we need more info.