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Remember The Heathkit HERO? Check Out '912'

Posted by timothy on from the bring-me-a-drink dept.

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.'"

4 of 143 comments (clear)

  1. One thing missing: Manipulators by Chairboy · · Score: 2, Interesting

    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.

  2. Without Dating myself.... by purduephotog · · Score: 1, Interesting

    ... 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.

    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 ;P)

    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.

  3. Did Anyone notice... by ghost1911 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The price? $599-699 for preorders. That's cheaper than an AIBO...

    --
    .: 2+2 = PI SQRT(1+N) :. All together now, what is n?
  4. Re:virtually unstoppable? by Patrik_AKA_RedX · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Didn't you learn anything from Robot Wars?

    Add circular saw to it. And some sound effects.
    Just imagine such a bot drive after you with a the saw blade spinning, while its robotic voice says things like "destroy all humans", "resistance is futile", "Kill the lifeform"...
    Guess that'll keep the kids out of crime.