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Roomba + Tablet PC = ?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the because-you-can dept.

ptorrone writes "Using "off the shelf parts" I have constructed another pretty good mobile robot for my home. A Tablet PC is the brain and the Roomba robot vac is the locomotion. I'm currently working on sending the IR commands from the pc to the Roomba and having the robot "do a tour" and post photos / video automatically to the "roblog" (my robot photo blog). So yah, the Tablet PC sucks ;-]"

5 of 116 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Infa-Red? by duffbeer703 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    He probally bought a tablet PC, figuring that he would organize his life and be able to run faster and jump higher.

    Then he found that he never used it. Plus, it's hard to run with a pocketpc in your pocket.

    Same thing with the roomba. Sure, it looks cool... but its just plain easier and quicker to use a real vacuum.

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    Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK
  2. Something similar by lxt · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I tried something similar once for a student computer competition. It was basically a basterdised 486 laptop with the screen flipped 180, with web cam, set in acrylic with some servos linked to a serial port. The biggest problem was communication (it being a) when Wi-Fi was way too much, and b) this laptop not having a PC card), so in the end I ended up with a hack whereby the robot communicated with a wireless mouse :)

  3. Re:cost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    The tablet PC is useless. Just possibly a bad purchase.

  4. Re:What is significant about it? by xanthines-R-yummy · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Yeah, I was referring to those actually (The speed control for the motor and the servo control all fit into a nice little package small than any MP3 player could be). I'm sure a competent engineer could modify that thing to accept command from a Palm/iPaq/tablet/whatever. In fact, they are all radio-controlled so someone really clever could probably find a way to use 802.11a/b/g operate the thing.

    If I knew anything about physics, engineering, science, or computers, I might have given it a try!

  5. Re:Infa-Red? by rebelcool · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Using a suitable video application (streaming server?) it would be possible to look through the webcam and steer around the house

    For real autonomous steering you're going to need a couple of cams for stereoscopic vision, plus some badass software to handle it, of your own creation.

    stereoscopic navigation is still fairly new, even in the research world..i don't think there are any software packages out there you can go grab to work with. a quick google seems to support this since "stereoscopic robot navigation" returns mostly research papers..

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