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Ask Slashdot: How To Begin Simple Robotics As a Hobby?
First time accepted submitter nedko.m writes "I would describe myself as more of a 'software guy' rather than somebody who likes to play with hardware much, but I've wanted to start doing basic robotics projects as a hobby for quite a while now. However, I was never sure where to start from and what the very first steps should be in order to get more familiar with the hardware aspects of robotics. For instance, I would like to start off with a simple soccer robot. Any suggestions on what low-budget parts should I obtain, which would provide me, subsequently, extensibility to a bit more elaborate projects?"
Get a kit, start building/programming. Work from there.
A "Robotics" project sounds way to generic, A little more detail on your end goal would help you focus better. If you want a premade solutions with all interfaces I'd start here Lego Mind storms If you want to try your hand at control algorithms without spending a penny I'd start here (sharp learning curve) http://gazebosim.org/wiki/DRC/Install If you want to visually do something with your robot i'd start here, various boards and controls are included. http://www.roborealm.com/ If you want a bit more advanced hardware I'd start here http://www.ros.org/wiki/Robots For pure visual processing fun, this actually is rolled into ROS and DRC sim i believe http://opencv.willowgarage.com/wiki/
Get an arduino, some wire and a cheap motor and start there. Dont worry about going full-blown robotics, jsut get experience controlling the motor, programming the microcontroller, etc.
Good-bye
Everything you need:
http://www.sparkfun.com
http://www.pololu.com/
http://www.jameco.com/
https://code.google.com/p/ardurover/
Robotics generally consists of 3 disciplines -
Mechanical (structures, wheels, chassis, arms, etc.)
Electronics (hardware - resistors, sensors, motors, power, etc.)
Software (the programming)
If you want to focus mostly on the software, since that's where you have experience - then I'd suggest finding something where the mechanical + electrical is already taken care of for you in the form of a kit robot, and you just focus on the software side. Something like a small "Mini sumo" kit is a great place to start. It'll get you used to the whole "Sense-Decide-Act" control loop theory. Other options here are the Lego Mindstorms or the Vex kits, but you might find them a bit annoyingly limited.
If you want to delve a bit into the electronics, then pick up something like the Arduino Inventor's Kit from Sparkfun, which will include all you need (including some instructions) to get you started with basic electronics with a programmable microcontroller. Arduino is REALLY easy to get started with.
Another suggestion is to see if there's a local hobby robotics club. I learned a LOT from the folks at the Atlanta Hobby Robotics Club (botlanta.org). There are several really good robotics for beginners websites out there as well....
Good luck!
VEX is a good place to start.. modular, compatible... worth a look.. http://www.vexrobotics.com/
"The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing
And here's what I recommend to get started on this long and rewarding journey. First of all, if you want to be successful, you need to make friends that are into this subject to learn from, and get inspired by. I teach at the local Makerspace. A Makerspace is where people go who like to build things congregate. Mine is called the Qc Co-lab, and you can view information about us on facebook or at qccolab.com to get an idea of the sorts of things we do. Makerspaces are also often called hackerspaces.
Next, you'll need a point of entry, a place to get started, and parts. Now, you've got a long road with many disciplines to master in order to actually create a soccer robot yourself. You can get started on the programming/electronics side or the mechanical/servo/motor side. In any case, I don't consider a soccer robot a good starting point unless you have help.
If you want to play with the programming and digital electronics, things like sensors and and control, I suggest you get an Arduino ($35). Get an Arduino kit with a good book and some toys to plug in and play with. Learn the electronics. Learn the C programming. "Getting Started with Arduino" is a good foot in the door of a very long hallway.
Next up is the mechanical/servo/motor stuff. Picking up a radio control hobby is a good way to get started with this. Remote control Styrofoam trainer plains can be purchased for $30. A good remote control can be purchased for $30. (Don't let them sell you a $200 control off the bat. By the time you're good enough to want a $200 control you'll decide you don't like the one you bought because of X, where X is some random reason related to your favorite parts of the hobby). Often these plains require you to do some assembly. You'll get experience with servo's, electric motors, batteries, and how all these things come together. Remote control cars are also very fun and exciting if you find those more interesting. (Make sure you get one that requires assembly and is customizable).
If you do want to buy a robot kit to knock around, I recommend the Arduino version of the boebot. I use this as a teach aid because Parallax produces very good documentation and training materials. See http://learn.parallax.com/ShieldRobot. I do not recommend the basic stamp version, because if you get into this hobby you're going to need to learn C, so don't waste your time learning some other language. What I linked is for the Arduino version. The Arduino uses C/C++ on an industry standard chip. It's important to develop skills that are going to give you the most bang for you buck because the rabbit hole you're heading into is deeper than any one person can ever plumb the depths of alone. The downside here is this kit is expensive at $120. For the people in my class I build them a clone of the kit for $40. Maybe your local Makerspace has something similar going on, check them out.
Best of luck. I'll keep an eye on this thread, so if you have questions I'll try to help.