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

Is it linux based or RT linux based

[Angry White Guy]

I thought that robotics apps usually picked RT Linux for their core? Does RT linux still offer additional benefits to robotics?

Looks interesting

[Timesprout]

I'm wondering though since they are not actually all that interested in the physical capabilities of the robots, concentrating instead on group intelligence why do they actually build the robots?(OK I know geeks and their toys).

Surely the robot controller code could be emulated purely in software to determine how the robot will respond, a much more sophisticated version of the recent Java battle bots if you will.

Is there some benefit to physically building the robot when researching group intelligence ?

Re:Looks interesting

[Anonymous Coward]

Is there some benefit to physically building the robot when researching group intelligence?

Yes - you get to see what an actual group of robots do, instead of what some simulation says they might do.

WLANs and Linux...

[jkrise]

Intel isn't very clear with Linux on Centrino, their WLAN offering - funny to see them offering exotic stuff on Linux. Intel seems to resemble MS more and more these days. Time to clip wings, perhaps?

offloading the brain

[bloosqr]

I've been thinking about this for a while. The whole thing about stamp/robots is that they run on CPU's that most of
us are no longer used to. What would be excellent is if you could "offload" the brains via high speed wireless. 45mb wireless to high speed processor(s) I would think offer a much different version of robot programming than the current set. I would also think this would use less power than lugging a laptop around on the robot like the kit you can buy at compusa (let alone minaturization possibilities)

-avi

Intel + WLAN + Linux == unsupported

[SilverSun]

I find this article very interesting, especially since I just recieved an e-mail from Intel custumer support, telling me that my centrino based laptop's wireless network adapter (Pro100) is not supported with linux. After asking when I can expect drivers, I got a friendly e-mail, telling me that linux support is not planned in the near future....

I think this is symptomatic for many big companies. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand does...

Cheers, Peter

I've been doing this for 3 years now!

[MrJerryNormandinSir]

I run redhat on a TriM systems embedded controller and I use a Siemens 802.11 adapter. Gee...
If Intel tries to patent the idea it will piss me off. I did not feel this was worthy of a patent.
I'm driving servos with a pontech controller, I've monitoring Analog ports, I'm processing ultrasonic
ranging data. I've got some of my robots at
www.nfnnet.org