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Linux-Controlled Segway Robot
ptorrone writes "It was just a matter of time until the Segway technology would be used as a robotics platform. University of Southern California Robotics Lab's Segway RMP (Robotic Mobility Platform) has a lot of great information if you're looking to convert a Segway to a robot. On the site there are videos as well as instruction on how to build your own." Update: 07/13 21:30 GMT by T : Dr. Andrew Howard writes with an important clarification about the project: "This is *not* a standard Segway HT that we have
converted to robotics applications. Rather, this is a customized, limited
production unit that has been specially modified by the manufacturer.
The web-site does *not* show how to convert an existing Segway HT into a
robotic platform."
Are you laughing at the economic woes of other Americans? Have plenty of money to blow?
This THIS is the toy for you!
....if there's still someone who's not seen the original presentation vids........You don't know what you're missing;o))
1. No sig. 2. ???? 3. Profit!!!
I particularly enjoy the shot of it falling over.
Seriously, though. Why would you use a Segway instead of, say, a four-wheel RC car?
Like this one?
....it's ten times cheaper than the RC??
see, why you'll use a Linux segway, that's the real question....
1. No sig. 2. ???? 3. Profit!!!
Can this thing mow my grass? I wonder if the segways have enough torq to push a lawn mower.
Anybody that has know know the answer to this? If they do, you could make a little device that it goes and attaches to which fits a lawn mower onto the segway. Add some voice recognition, and you're one "Segway, please mow my lawn." away from enjoying a lime and tonic while your grass gets cut.
http://tinyurl.com/4ny52
I better add another Segway to my Amazon.com wishlist: that way I can have one to drive around myself, and I can train my linux-robot-segway (I'll name him Frank) to follow me around, and guard my segway when I leave it outside as I shop. Unless I can take it into the store, in which case I'll just have to make Frank into a self-propelled grocery cart.
Excellent!
Yeesh. Build your own balancing bot and have at it. This isn't even a hack worthy of mention - it's more like a Segway sales pitch targeted at overbudgeted academics with too much time on their hands.
it doesn't CRASH
People will be dying in droves if the stability of my own Linux box is any indication.
Yep, wasn't doing much this afternoon. Looks easy enough. Guess I'll just try it out.
Oh! oh! oh! can I mod this "posted last week"? You got that little speech stuck in your clipboard?
..since the only really impressive thing about the segway is the way it interacts with human balance. If you take the human out of the equation, the problem is just so much simpler. True, balance in a robot is a challenge in itself, but I just wouldn't start with a system whose design centers around maintaining balance with a human rider (at least if money was a factor), since you have to throw away so much of their technology.
Have a how-to on turning a Segway into something that doesn't suck.
If this isn't simply a troll, try enabling DMA on your drives. Though, since you've state that you've been waiting for 20 minutes, I'm inclined to believe that you've made this scenario up and are merely trying to hook some rabid 10-year-old linux fan.
/dev/"
DMA being disabled on any operating system means a significant amount of CPU time gets spent on reading and writing to disk. You can either enable it in your kernel config (I can't see why your distro provider wouldn't have done this in the first place), or you can use hdparm in this manner, "hdparm -d1
A 17 MB file should take seconds unless significant additional processing of file data is necessary regardless of operating system.
To cite a recent sign of the lack of robustness in the windows operating system (or cygwin) I attempted to back up a linux machine to a windows machine using cygwin and rsync. With about 700,000 files to consider the windows machine took literally days to get through simply dealing with the list of files before even transferring. Attempting the same, later, with a linux host (after augmenting disk space to allow for the process), considering the list of files took about 2-3 minutes, and the transfer took several hours (20 GB, compression enabled).
I used Visual Basic .NET to build MY Segway robot. These people who use Linux are nuts!
Paint.NET, a Free Image Editor, with Source Code Available!
Please, humour me...
Is the fact that this thing runs on Linux so important that it should lead the headline? Really, is the story about the robot or the OS it uses?
Would there be a similar headline if it used XP or OSX?
I'm just wonderin'.
RTFM; please, I beg you.
(insert obligatory Beowulf cluster comment here)
YHBT. YHL. HTH. HAND.
stupid slashdot filters:
/dev/[hdd device]"
"hdparm -d1
A how-to for not looking completely gay while riding a Segway?
I think it would be very cool to use this as a platform for a robot battle. It could provide something unique over the plethora of wedge-bots that everyone seems to use now. Call it the weeble-wobble-bot. Not only could you drive it around, but you could add in intelligence to react to events (though I'm not sure if it's legal in the games). The price is suprisingly reasonable if you are aware of what a lot of the competition bots cost.
--Today's food: Asparagus, salt, pepper, lemmon olive oil on the grill.
These files are encoded in a properitry formant. Now I can't watch it. And don't mention mplayer, as I have gcc 2.96 installed so i can't use it and don't mention xine, as you have to violate the DMCA to install it.
Whenever there's a story about a Segway on /., some troll asks "Yeah, but does it run Linux?" Well, buck up, buttercup, the answer is YES!
Consensual sex is boring.
Just get VLC! It runs well on my Power Mac G3.
I meta-mod all positive moderation Unfair, because it's abuse of the system.
VideoLan Client played them fine for me. DivX is much more efficient than MPEG; the real question is why they didn't use MP4.
I guess that reduces the platforms that don't run Linux to what, Toasters and Pencil Sharpeners?
If your theory is different from practice, then your theory is wrong.
YHBT
1: Geek commuter toy.
2: Toy robot.
What next... I guess if you lie it on its side you could sell it as a pottery wheel.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
Dean Kamen is a robot.
Haven't you seen his house? He has a machine shop next to his kitchen. The only plausible explanation for this is that he eats nuts and bolts.
..actually for the last month /. has been more like a : ;o))))
SCO lawsuits,DMCA is baaaad,SCO lawsuits,DMCA is baaaad,SCO lawsuits...
a story of how Linux is used in the real world and then we go again with the
SCO lawsuits,DMCA is baaaad,SCO lawsuits,DMCA is baaaad,,SCO lawsuitsSCO lawsuits...
(here I was going to put an "a", as well, but it seemed impossible;oP) Windows security flaws,
SCO lawsuits,SCO lawsuits,SCO lawsuits,SCO lawsuits
1. No sig. 2. ???? 3. Profit!!!
A typical 200 pound adult riding a segway is centered directly over the axle and actively balancing to stay there (so I understand, I've never ridden one). On the other hand, a typical lawnmower is located several feet away from the same axis of rotation. Big difference. Will there be enough weight on a typical segway to provide enough torque to actually accomplish the horizontal push you need? Easily fixed with sandbags or redesigning to put the blades directly under the wheels I suppose, though.
I give an off-hand estimate that my lawn mower weighs 75 to 125 pounds. It is self-propelled, but the self-propelling gear ratio is not enough to move it by itself: you still have to push. Automatic mowers don't really need self-balancing like the Segways have, but kicking back and watching the robots attack your low grass is a savory idea.
http://tinyurl.com/4ny52
What idiot modded this insightful? This is a much better option.
You are none too ready to point out that you are travelling with an iBook. Hurrah for you! But if this means you can't figure out how to play a DivX, that is nobody's fault but your own. Whiny bitch.
On cygwin all file operations have to go through cygwin.dll, and this tends to slow things down a lot. Maybe you should blame cygwin instead.
I can't agree or disagree with this because I don't use Linux often, but not being able to avoid crude jokes and other negative comments about Windows, Microsoft or Bill Gates does get annoying. I don't always disagree with the comments, but several of them are incredibly immature, and I often find myself rolling my eyes and wondering why 'whoever posted that' is a Slashdotter. But personally, I like Windows. Okay, I'll admit that 98, ME and 2000 could be very problematic at times, but XP is great as far as I'm concered. I'm not saying it's better than Linux, because I don't think it is, but it's a good, easy to use OS. Last time I posted something like this, I was flamed, so we'll see what happens this time. I guess it's the price I pay for surfing a great site like this - there's really no better source for tech news, but it's not perfect.
Mplayer also works very well with AVI files. It gives you a little more control over the playback, but doesn't play VOBs or OGM files, so I keep both on-hand and use whichever works best.
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
You're missing the most interesting fact about the segway, in that the rider doesn't activly balance, the segway does. The trick to riding the things is to stop trying to balance.
I always thought the segway looked like a push mower, and was picturing a design with the blades around the body. It'd be much cooler to just strap a segway to a regular mower though. For both designs the auto balancing isn't needed.
"A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing" - Alan Perlis
somebody put their SHT to good use;) *ducks*
Creationists are a lot like zombies. Slow, but powerful and numerous. And they all want to eat our brains.
You don't want the /. effect taking a few walls and shelves with it as a rouge segway careens down the halls... unless they put a webcam on it :)
webpage
Why the fuck would someone want to tear apart an umpteen thousand dollar toy and, in the process, make it even more useless?
Because it puts us one step further towards the dream of robots that drink alcohol and steal things.
Ergonomica Auctorita Illico!
Al Quida or Saddam must be behind this.
Table-ized A.I.
Even if it was controlled by Linux, do you think George Bush would be able to stay on top of it still and not fall? Check out my forums.
Automatic solar powered lawnmower: http://www.solarmower.com/
FIGHT ON!!!
He who controls the past, commands the future... He who controls the future conquers the past.
She can't, your too busy with linux.
THe other day, I read this EXACT same troll under an Apple-related story, but substitute MacOS everywhere for Linux. Just a troll.
Cantankerous old coot since 1957.
I know your problem, your P4 3200 is really a Powermac 8600.
I'm using its gyro circuits to stabilize my 17-ton powersuit.
If you control something via Linux, then hackers can interfere with it, no? Thus somebody riding Segway is suseptable to hacking, and could fall down like W did.
Stupid moderator!
Well... an Athlon 800, anyway.
Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, will be quoted out of context on
Or a remote-controlled mower. I thought of fully automating my mower, but dealing with the safety issues of an unattended 5hp motor spinning a sharp blade isn't worth the effort for something I do about once every 10 days. However, by radio control, safety is easier to deal with and it goes from being an annoying, sweaty chore to an entertaining one. The only problem I foresee is steering -- at the end of a strip, I turn my mower around by pivoting it on its rear wheels. To emulate this, I'd need skid-steering or other turn-in-place method.
What I really need is to find a cheap $30 mower I can work on so my regular one isn't out of commission while (if
While they aren't a useful and sensible mode of transport (yet), they are very good fun. Jeremy Clarkson crashed one, and swore (quite entertaining), while shortarse Hammond at the end improvised the Segway equivalent of the sand dance.
The best thing on the show, however, pissed on the Segway in all departments - a totally mad bike-car tilting hybrid from Holland, the Carver.
Kamen's still cool though - I saw the wheelchair thingie last week, and was impressed.
oh brave new world, that has such people in it!
Hmmm... this is not the only group doing this. I put my hands on another group doing exactly this couple weeks ago.
Also got to ride a segway. I thought they were pretty lame before I tried one. Especially off road.
too bad you got marked troll cause you have a legitmate point
and pottery wheels are always funny
like ducks
well, since it doesn't seem like an "off the shelf" segway will work with what they're doing. i'm going to make my own, most like with the combination of 2 rc devices one to turn the handle the other one to shift weight forward and back on the platform, making in autonomous will be tough, but that will be a fun puzzle once i can rc control it.
i'll post it up on the segway journal in the articles section, when i start.
cheers,
pt
If that is the case, its time to ditch the segways and buy friggin' STAIRMASTERS.
perl -e 'print $i=pack(c5, (41*2), sqrt(7056), (unpack(c,H)-2), oct(115), 10)'
Considering this company also makes those electric scooter-style wheelchairs (which may even cost more), I think Segway's goal is to increase obesity in the world so they can sell more of these darned things.
If you want to cruise to work and not look like a complete loser, try a skateboard, one of those scooters, or a variety of human-powered modes of slow transportation. At the very least, go on a televator strapped to a snowboard. More surface area on a televator means more traction, which means a higher top-speed. No shoes to catch, plus a stable base means no transition problems. And, when you are on a snowboard, falling down is cool anyway.
Any way to get a better picture
Diplomacy is the art of saying "Nice doggie" until you can find a rock. Will Rogers
Forget about the crappy Segway robot and check out the Segway Texas Edition
Stairmasters is IMHO one of the stupidest thing in the fitness arena today.
,i close the door, i open the door
To quote Denis Leary:
guy walking up to a guy on a stairmaster and asks : Where are you going?
"i'm going up and i pay for it too, i can stay here as long as i like"
what's next the Doormaster? i open the door
... my brother is the DARPA project manager for the Segway stuff. In fact, it was his idea to explore the uses of Segway as an autonomous robot. He bought a couple dozen and spread them around to various universities, etc.
He's been doing distributed robotics and autonomous robots for years. He's also in charge of MARS, another USC robotics project. Some pretty wild stuff!
You're gonna get tooled on big time. :-D
--- I wish I could hear the soundtrack to my life. That way I'd know when to duck.
? Yeah, maybe you haven't checked lately, but with each generation humans are getting bigger. Hence why my dad is taller than grampa and I'm taller than my dad.
I don't have a gut, I'm 5'11" and 200lbs. In fact most of my friends are all between 5'5" and 6'4" and are an average of 200lbs.
So, even though I consider myself atypical, I am infact the typical North American caucasian adult male. *shrugs*
Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
I thought the entier point of a hobby was to spend time with it. Your statement just furthers the point that yes, virginia, this is nothing more than a sales pitch.
Linux powered segway robot
Doesn't that describe all segway owners ?
The reason to use a segway is for the cool factor. Period. It's worse than other platforms in many ways, including the ones you discuss.
As you note, it's better to use an RC tank than a car (or the higher-grade equivalent). Compared to a standard differential drive though, the Segway looses big. Consider having the robot just sit there, stationary. The segway doesn't. It must move it's wheels to maintain balance; a modeling nightmare. In any case, if you want a precise match between model and movement, with maximum flexibility, but aren't dealing with rough terrain, you should use some form of holonome. If you are dealing with rough terrain, you're not going to get precise modeling in any case.
As far as a stable platform for vision/sensors: The typical solution (e.g. a compass, two levels and some cheap servos) is going to cost a few hundred bucks if you want to do it really well. Nowhere close to offsetting the segway. And the segway is only getting you one axis; you still need the usual solution for the others. And it's not doing that axis very well. The Segway probably has some wobble, and needs to lean forward when moving in any case.
This is being done because balancing on two wheels is cool.
>> In fact most of my friends are all between 5'5" and 6'4" and are an average of 200lbs
Especially the women!
Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
he really does. :(
segway sucks too.
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