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How Do You Get Into Robotics?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the from-robot-arms-to-robot-wars dept.

Chosen Reject asks: "With Voyager I passing the 100 AU mark, and the Mars Rovers continuing to work longer than expected, there's been a lot of talk about robotics. There are cars that can park without humans, the DARPA Grand Challenge, the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition, and even the X-Prize. NASA has the pros, the others have all levels of amateurs, but where does a newbie go to learn about robotics? Obviously I can't start out with the next Mars Rover, but where do I go to learn how to make a simple robotic arm that can hold my can of Root Beer?"

3 of 118 comments (clear)

  1. FIRST by Sinryc · · Score: 5, Informative

    F.I.R.S.T. did it for me. :-) http://www.usfirst.org/

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  2. Re:Mindstorm by AKAImBatman · · Score: 5, Informative

    I don't get it. What's so funny about the parent? He's quite right, actually. A Lego Mindstorm control module gives you a programmable computer hooked up to electromechanical parts. The legos provide a rapid prototyping tool for the robot's body. So it's a "real" robot, even if the Legos limit the extent to which you can take the final product.

    Seriously, this isn't rocket science. It's all about making a machine, then programming it to do something that we humans think is intelligent. (Or at least, not too stupid.) :)

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  3. Re:Mindstorm by LordVader717 · · Score: 5, Informative

    You'd be surprised at the amount of lego used by scientists in quick setups.

    There's a surprising amount of things that can be done with Mindstorms. You can even use a wide variety of alternative programming languages such as robotC or leJos a form of Java. These are just two of many different projects.

    Just have a look around and you'll find lots of different pages about modding, and making custom bricks. It's much more potent than any of the "build your own robot-arm" type of kits. (which you can also do with Mindstorms)