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Windows-based Robot and Development Platform
Monsieur La Vigne writes "I found this Robot running Windows, based on a STM 486 chip, and 802.11 connectivity. Apparently, the critter has a C++ , Matlab (?) based SDK and some proprietary bus for extension. Not sure what it does, but it looks cool. Has anyone ever heard of these guys or seen the SDK? Seems ripe for a linux port!" It's a little bit expensive.
From the home page, it seems that the development environment runs on Windows, but nowhere does it imply that the actual thing runs on Windows.
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Now you can literally watch windows crash
Right out the box it's got a camera, wireless networking and an SDK. Probably wouldn't last 30 seconds against Rocky Botboa, but sure would make a cool roaming security camera in a paved area. And all prices in Euro!
A vacuum cleaner running windows. Wonderful.
An 802.11 robot.. does that mean I could get it to bring food to me while I'm programming? :D
Also, it could be useful around the house.
Wonder what this means for competition environments though...
*robot crashes into a wall at full throttle*
*competitor grins evilly while innocently removing 802.11b card*
Where's the robotic arm (for fetching beer), and the catapult, the bowel loosening sonic alarm?
Wake up, people, and give us what we want!
(from Cambridge International Dictionary of English) robot noun [C] a machine used to perform jobs automatically which is programmed and controlled by a computer. I guess the question here is what is a "job" defined as. If you want the technical answer its really anything that happens to or in direct relation to an action that the robot takes. This can be from direct input from an operator or from a command placed by the onboard computer. In most peoples eyes this won't cut it as a "robot". People will define a "job" as a task that makes their life easier in some way like mowing the yard or doing the dishes. That being said I think that this on in it's "off the shelf" state won't be very popular with most people but as a development /prototype platform it looks great.
It says...
"Wany Robotic Software Lab for writing custom applications and
3-D simulation in Microsoft Windows.
It does not say that it runs on Microsoft Windows.
From excellent karma to terible karma with a single +5 funny post...
At first I was invisioning swarms of evil robots run by Windows XP (xterminate People edition). Chasing the poor children and trying to run them down, only to tell them that Open source is illegal (well if they had thier way...). They would be the ears and the eyes of big brother. Then I realised that a bunch of script kiddies would just take them over for the obvious pornographic potential (locker rooms). On a side note, ignore me I confused my paxil with vicadin again...
Sigs? We don't need no stinking sigs!
The article says, that the development was done on Windows. not that the robot itself is running on Windows.
Combine this with the fact, that they're using Matlab and C/C++ and this means that they're using the great API Matlab has, for tuning Matlab code in C++ and vice versa. They're also using Matlab for the reason that it's _the_ application for simulation and generally scientific computing from a whole range of sciences.
What I don't get is, why don't they use Matlab in Unix? A Unix version exists, costs the same, but I've never seen a simple copy of it ever. And I've been using Matlab for 6 years now...
/. Where the truth
All "windows crashing" or BSOD -jokes are declared "not funny"!
You slashdotters are gonna have a field day with this one..
There is an optional "Pekee Expert Programming Kit" with these features:
* Reprogram the Pekee motherboard's Mitsubishi micro-controller
* Programming card
* Serial cable
* Flash application (updates, direct access to M16C)
* Mitsubishi M16 compiler (4 month evaluation version)
Though I found nothing that says you get source code or documentation about interfacing to the hardware.
Anybody up to porting a linux kernel? You have 4 months to get it done!
"Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever." --Napoleon Bonaparte
...how long before it will sing and dance on one wheel while serving maritinis http://www.jefbots.com/rosie.html though?
Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
So it should be pretty easy to use. Plus, it seems to be able to plug in up to three cartridges. (The camera comes on one and the 802.11 wireless module comes on another, but that still leaves one for you to use for whatever) And it looks like you can buy blank boards to test your own cartridges on.
Cogito ergo sum in Slashdot.
I'd rather go for the Pino and the GPLd Open Pino Platform Pino
The platform is far more impressive.
"Between strong and weak, between rich and poor [...], it is freedom which oppresses and the law which sets free"
http://saveie6.com/
- only cost a few hundred bucks to build
- doesn't look like an insect
- RUNS LINUX.
see it hereIf you want a robot for lab experiments or teaching robotics, get the Lego Mindstorm and use the open source LegOS OS & compiler. Under $200US and you can contribute to the OS or compiler development.
there is an excelent clone of matlab under GPL. it is called "octave". octave does not have all feautres of the later matlab version.. but those are mostly not necessary for numeric simulations anyway... i love octave...
I would prefer the Roomba vacuum cleaner... for only US$200 you get a fancy chassis, a pair of wheels, sensores (IR and bumpers), reachargeable battery and a charger... with a pic or 8051 controller board you can write a program to deactivate mine fields, lawn mower, cat persecution... or maybe just something with a keyboard so you can program roomba to go 3 feets forward and back :-)
There already exist robots in the research community that run windows, its nothing too new or exciting. The fact is though, that most do run some form of linux as it allows the researchers so much greater flexibility.
As to the robot itself, it looks like a christmas toy. It doesn't support hardware modifications on the level that most researchers or hobbyists would want. Check out the Active Media Pioneer platform. Its one of the most proliferous among researchers because you can add grippers, laser, speakers, camera, docking tail, wireless, and pretty much ewhatever you want, and none of it has to be in any specific form factor or another. check out robotics.usc.edu\~cres for some sample configurations.
Like I said in an earlier discussion on predictions for 2003. Affordable robotics development systems will be announced late 2003, with delivery in 2004.
This system aint cheap. Check out the prices.
Also, check out the prices on development tools for the microcontrollers.
Infrared as a means of prixomity detection is the bottom of the totem pole in terms of performance, in fact, proimity detection is very poor for even the higher end methods such as sonar ranging.
This is one area where real advancements are needed. I predict somebody will create a module that runs IR, Sonar, and possibly crude Video for proximity detection. The point is, you want to be able to do this with less than an average of 200miliwatts.
These systems are really bad at detecting things like chair legs.
This such an exciting area, robotics. There's so much room for improvement.
Have a look at Evolution Robotics. They sell hardware that gives wheels to your laptop. It also comes with software, unfortunately Windows-based (they also have a Linux version but they don't ship that).
What it looks like they are doing is using Simulink, a program withing matlab. It's a visual design tool. You basicly connect lines between differant boxes. Each box has a function. From this you can build very complex models. It's also used alot for control systems. You can do things like stateflow and other very complicated task with great ease. Also it makes testing your code much easier since you can basicly have virtual hardware and replace it with real hardware as your project progresses.
Once you have your simulink code the program turns it into C code, (also can do Fortran if you like), From there it uses 1 of many compilers on your system to compile the C code. (I don't belive it can use GCC, i have only seen it list some commerical fortran and C compilers like MS Visual Studio and such). From there it complies it and it runs on top of Dos. Also I belive it will work on freedos, and it has an option about running it onto of win98, NT, 2k . This is call xPC. Once it has done this it prompts use to load the code on the target computer, via rs232 or ethernet and then hit +tg and your controller is running. You can also set it up so your controler can boot your code from a disk pretty much anything.
Want to make a change just tweak your simulink file and repeat and a few moments later your back in business. It's very easy, and very nice for working with groups since people can't write there own bits of code and merge them together quickly.
Matlab Simulink xPC is used alot in industry and prototyping since it removes the need for CS majors great in a project. A Mechanical engineer who designed the machine can rather easily do the control system for the machine which reduces headaches all around of trying to explain to the CS how the machine works and such.
It's a very nice program to use. And makes for very reliable controls and is far more freindly than trying to decifer someones C code. We trust it in our prototype HEV's and it is so much better than doing it in the tradition straight C code methods.
In any case, many robots don't require ANY operating system at all, and when they do, a lightweight RTOS often gets the job done. Personally, I avoid building stuff that requires anything as heavyweight as Windows, Linux or any other "real" OS.
The only real advantage of using a full fledged OS is that you might have certain kinds of hardware support that might otherwise be unavailable with something more limited. If you absolutely must do any heavyweight computing (vision processing, voice processing) on board, a real OS and the tools that come with it can be handy, but I try to offload this stuff as much as I can.
I've found that for any robot that needs to get around in the real world, lot's and lot's of available inputs for sensors combined with low power consumption seems to be key to success, rather than a big CPU and a relatively bloated OS.
Roving Web-Teleoperated Robot
I use Matlab under Linux professionally (designing DSP filters).
The reason you don't see it much is that it is more expensive than the Windows version. Also, the Unix version require a license server to be running on the network.
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