Intel combines Robots, WLANs, and Linux

An anonymous reader writes "This article by a researcher in Intel's Emerging Platforms Lab details some of Intel's current research into wireless, mobile robotics technology. A key goal of the effort, according to the article, is to efficiently combine the two technologies -- mobile robotics and wireless networks -- so that mobile robots can serve as gateways into wireless sensor networks. The Intel project is providing robotics researchers with a robotics development package that includes standardized silicon, a Linux-based open-source operating system, and open-source software drivers for robotics applications. Additionally, Intel has released a test version of a technical library for building Bayesian networks, which will help advance the ability of robots to navigate their environments, and pilot systems based on Intel's open-source packages are already being deployed in a variety of flexible environments in agricultural, security, and military applications."

Comments

Thought process

[worst_name_ever]

I imagine their thought process went something like this:

"Robots are cool. Wireless networking is cool. Linux is cool. So logically, wireless Linux robots would be the coolest thing ever!!!"

The only downside I can forsee is that imagining a Beowulf cluster of those might lead to a Matrix-esque apocalypse for us outmoded carbon units, which would be less cool.

The Three Laws of Robitcs

[march]

The Three Laws of Robotics....

1. A robot may not install Windows products, or, through inaction, allow a Windows products to be installed.
2. A robot must obey the orders set forth in the GPL except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect the open source initiative so long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

:-)

Kill them now!

[mental_telepathy]

Sorry, just finished watching the preview for T3