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Remember The Heathkit HERO? Check Out '912'
moorley writes "The 912 Mobile Platform built by White Box Robotics based on VIA motherboards as part of their PC Bots program. Still in prototype but they are projecting to have it out by Summer 2004. They have no prices yet, but estimate 'building or buying the 912 for about the cost of a decent PC.'"
And the Rev. B "security" models will contain combat programs to rid your business of unwanted Time Lords, just like real Daleks... Exterminate! Exterminate!
This sure wouldn't fit anywhere in my house.
No that I'm big on interior decoration, but still. Ew.
Treehugger? Treehugger... Treehugger!
Is there an add-on kit so I can use this to complete my dream of building a robot.....a GIRL robot/
This is Slashdot, do you expect me to click links?
So this thing is a toaster, correct? Will it finally solve the problem that is switching between toast and Pop-Tarts? I don't want to give either of these delicious foods up and I don't have space in my dorm for two toasters set to different levels.
True story.
If it can move around a vacuum cleaner it would be of some use..
Do anyone know the actual features of this robot?
Is it programmable, what kind of AI does it have etc?
The "HMV" patrols your home or office, recording any disturbances and e-mailing your PC, cell phone, or even the authorities!
Great, so by the time you check your email the intruders are already gone and have your TV, jewelry and other valuables.
WWJD.... for a Klondike bar?
Other than looking like C3P0 and R2D2's bastard child, what exactly are these for?
-CowboyNick
Because I really need to hug my DVD player ...
..."
Wait a sec. "The 912 "MP3" also features fighter jet technology "video glasses" to view e-mails
Ignoring the "fighter jet video glasses" for a second, isn't this some sort of jwz corollary? All home appliances expand until they can read e-mail.
Xbox reviews.. We think they're funny.
Cause, as we all know, large grills (Especially on robots) make them more durable.
But...
Does it run Linux?
If my answers frighten you, stop asking scary questions.
Their pre-order page says "Estimated retail cost on a "bare bones" platform should fall between $599 to $699."
HIV Crosses Species Barrier... into Muppets
"READY"
it looks like all you have to do to stop these is to tip the thing over. The other question... what would an intruder actually have to stop it from doing? running into its legs?
Bee-dee-bee-dee-beep save me Buck!
Wow, this story brings back a few memories. That HERO robot was the coolest thing I'd ever seen when I was a kid. I remember there was an episode of that "whiz kids" show where they built one. Of course I've never seen one in real life so don't anyone shatter my dreams!
A robot needs to be more then a computer on wheels. The essence of what makes a robot neat is the idea that it can interact with its surroundings.
For this to be really fantastic, it needs an arm, and by arm I mean something better than a piece of plastic with a cupholder on the end of it.
For something really interesting, offer to put a mounting point on the front for an arm to attach to and an industry standard servo controller. Total investment, $100, and now your users can build their own arm. This is assuming that the company doesn't have the expertise to make the arms themselves.
...to counter the 912 "MP3" model, with a robot of their own.
As for that garish, yellow "HMV" model: yuck. Who wants a robot that looks like a 'Sports' Walkman or a droid from a Vogon Constructor Fleet vessel (assuming they'd match the color of the ship, of course)?
~Philly
Please put down your weapon, you have 90 seconds to comply /wanting one
[insert weak nerd laugh here]
Just wait until something like MyDoom or Sobig hits it, considering it is running Windows XP ;) especially if it is controlling your security bot.
I would probably start with some very cheap circuits. You can program them to do simple movements or simple lcd displays. If you want a "brain", you could add it on. Most of these circuits can be connected to by a serial cable.
If anyone is interested, there is a ton of information here: http://www.rentron.com
Rosco: "If brains were gunpowder, Enos couldn't blow his nose."
So when can I get my version with a cockpit and some nice turbojets? I mean, with an add-on kit you could turn it into a gundam or a macross :) Or am I the only wishing he had a real gundam in the backyard ... ?
Veni, Vidi, Velcro!
If it can move around a vacuum cleaner it would be of some use..
The least
Trolling is a art,
A now that I see what the Robot looks like, I vaguely remember it. Looks cool but just the computer would have been enough. And I don't remember goot girls hanging around with kit robots either. That photo is mesleading!
Looks like I got the short stick. I have to pay my parents!
That's not a sentence you retard, it just might work with a verb.
It's a Banana Jr! Will it worship the TV?
And the ad will read "The computer that follows you everywhere you go!"
Why not buy a roomba and stick a Linksys WRT54g or Belkin wireless router on top of it with a web cam attached (linux is already installed out of the box!) and have a lot more fun, along with a clean house.
How about some of you robotics guys make a robot that goes around my yard and gets rid of weeds?
I went to CCOC for a brief stint in my education for an electronics class. Our lab had 2 Hero's in it.
This was around 1989, 1990. I'm not sure if anyone else had battled robots before (maybe japanese anime?) but one day we when the teacher went out for a phone call we got it in our heads to arm the Hero's grip arm with hammers, and have gladitorial style combat.
By the time the teacher got back one Hero drove victory circles around the disabled hero. Couldn't warrenty the thing because of physical damage, so the teacher locked both hero's up in a closet for the rest of the semester.
Just a warning.. Geek teenagers + 2 > Robots - Teachers Presence = destruction.
Clicky...
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
... I remember when this came out and I wanted it SO bad- as bad as any 8 or 9 year old kid who's learning electronics can want. I think it was about 300$ or so for the kit- big money back then.
;P)
Most of the comments i've seen so far are jokes poking fun at the way it looks, features, etc. Must be those 'youngins' i've heard so much about. Why, the HERO is the great grand-daddy to that fancy schmancy SONY robot that can walk on two legs. The joke being, "In my day Robots ROLLED around- there wasn't enough hard radiation to mutate them into ones with legs".
Etc.
I've watched ebay for a few heathkit robots to come across but to no avail (at my pricepoint, that is
Anyways, pretty sweet. To those of you that enjoy mocking it, go get your stupid AIBO and bitch about it when Sony changes the firmware... because you didn't actually build it yourself.
I can see the FAQ list for this robot...
1) How often should I perform "Windows Update"
to get the service packs required to keep
my robot "functional"?
2) What happens when my robot crashes? Will
it shoot me or commit suicide?
3) What brand of Virus Scanner Software is
compatible for my robot? Also how often
should I update the Virus Software?
4) How ofter should I change the
"administrator" password?
5) Can I reformat and install Linux?
if (!sig) { printf("Signature Unavailable\n"); }
The child of C-3PO and R2-D2 will not be a bastard, as these two droids got married in San Francisco last week. The child will be legitimate.
They were in line behind Jason Biggs, who was marrying a pie.
Or else this guy will e-mail the authorities! OH NO!
You wouldn't even need a router. Wi-fi webcam.
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
Can anyone tell me what that stereo looking component in the front is? Looks like something sweet I could put in my MythBox.
The more you know, the less you understand.
Cause, as we all know, large grills (Especially on robots) make them more durable
According to Hank Hill, the grill alone will not make the robot complete: it needs propane, and a place to hang the grill tongs. The propane-powered BBQ robot. Hank and his brother Junichiro can agree on this one!
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
The price? $599-699 for preorders. That's cheaper than an AIBO...
.: 2+2 = PI SQRT(1+N)
Come on it had to be said!
I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
So if I get this and a Honda Human, they could be the parents. Then if I get some Sony Asimo and Aibo's I have the collest premise for a family style reality show ever.
I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
why do i need three robots to do something one of them should be able to do?
Am I the only one that sees this?
I'm sorry, but this is just gay...
Even Tomytronic had better marketing than this!!
Also that rentron company doesn't sell very interesting stuff.
Build your own AVR starter kit is going to be a better price than any PICbasic thing and you can program it in C, asm or basic.
Basic Stamp is extremely weak. A robot desigened around a basic stamp is going to be as primative as your first LOGO program. (Turn left here.. weee).
A VIA C3 800 board, despite being an ugly evil x86 is going to have some serious power behind it. You can then have some of the following features on your system:
The processing power, expandability and cost make the x86 an ideal canidate for a robot like this. Of course a cheaper robot becomes attractive when you want to have multiple robots that communicate. Really the average budget for a hobbot robot project runs around $1000. So if you drop $700 on this chassis and a motherboard you're set. If make AVR or PIC based robots that cost $50 to build you would probably build like 4 or 5 of them and have them work together. (or worse, build 4 or 5 revision until you were satisfied with it and have three robots that don't really work very well and one good one)
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
Police Chief Wiggum : Hello? No, you've got the wrong number, this is nine one..... two.
This robot is doomed to failure. Why? Just read one line.
"The robot is running Windows XP Home as an operating system"
'nuff said.
Homer:Kids are you hugging the TV again?
Bart:It's spent more time raising us than you did.
Hewey, Dewey, or Louie
To put a witty saying into 120 characters, jst rmv ll th vwls.
Buy one of those electric 'kiddy cars' and stick a old pc on it with a controller card....
.. )
Get it used out of your local paper and it wont cost you an arm and a leg ( which the 912 has neither anyway
---- Booth was a patriot ----
This robot seems to be more like a "Hero Jr.", a robot with wheels but NO robot arm. The real HERO version was the first 1, the HERO-1, with the rotating head and arm. I did a search for one a few years ago, but came up with a lot of high priced machines. I guess the problem nowadays would be the lack of memory that the HERO-1 had. It would really need a larger processor/memory to do the kind of impressive things that geeks expect. Of course, for all the "Girl Robot" types, I guess you could always wrap the thing in a dress.
Try here for the bot and here for the arm.
blob tracking or worse, object recognition (you need some sort of memory architecture to handle this to compare features to), requires an intensive scan of pixels in an image. Depending on your image resolution, its easy to run into many mega-ops for even the simplest tracker.
-
So was this the robot that Mr. Wizard used to use?
I'm not that old am I? I built a Hero back in 1984, 11th grade electronics class. I still have pictures, somewhere.....
Ragsman
a. No (or very poor) peripheral vision
b. Headlights to burn the batteries down faster. Use LEDS.
c. You're going to use MS to control a ROBOT?
Like imagine some punk hacking your robot and it murders you in your sleep. Asimov doesn't come into play here, this device is a non seintent device and incapable of self awareness. It's a motorized platform that executes instructions. Mixing MS with such a device is a recipe for disaster..
1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
All those things are blue sky dreams in a non existent world. Reality is reality...
Is there a simpsons reference there? I think there is!
:"You
Chief Clancy Wiggum (watching state lottery draw)
got the wrong number. This is 912." (click)
You are in a twisty maze of processor lines, all alike.
There is a lot of hype here.
None of the links even mention batteries or power requirements. A PC with motors, camera, amplifiers, an LCD screen, and all that other junk is going to consume a LOT of juice. Looks like vaporware to me.
Slashdot quality declines as the number of hot grits posts decreases. - Provolt's Law, Apr-09-2005
They kind of remind me of Huey, Dewey and Louie from Silent Running. I wonder if they will be able to cheat at poker.
I'm not impressed with this new robot. I can't find any detailed info on these new ones, but it just seems to be a PC on wheels. I read somewhere a long time ago the reasons why a PC is not really suitable for robotics. Perhaps someone more knowledgable can explain why. I own a Hero robot with the arm, speech synth, and 24k RAM expansion. He runs an old CPU and is programmable and included a small breadboard area. Here's what HERO can do: 6808 cpu with 32k total. 3 wheel base with one steering/drive wheel allowing a 12 inch turning radius. Experimental circuit board on Hero's head allows direct access to the computer inside the robot. Light sensor that can detect light over the entire spectrum with 1 in 256 resolution. Sound sensor that can detect sound from 200-5000Hz with 1 in 256 resolution. Ultrasonic sensors can detect movement up to 15 feet away and can determine range of an object up to 8 feet. Speech synth can simulate human speech with four levels of inflection. Hero 1's arm can extend, retract and turn up to 350 degrees and can lift 16 ounces. Learn mode allows the robot to repeat steps that were previously shown to it. Sleep mode conserves power. Two seperate power systems (drive/logic) and battery charger than robot can run from whilst batteries charge. Robot can be programmed 3 ways: via remote control, through the serial cassette port using previously created applications on tape, or via hexidecimal keypad on the robot's head. A consumer robot running a nonsecure OS primarily for desktop PC function? blecccch!
-- After all is said and done, more is said than done.