DIY: turtle play

"Turtle draw" by Valiant Technology Ltd, Wikipedia

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According to the Wikipedia article on Turtle (robot), we've been playing with Turtles since the late 1940s. The Valiant Turtle "was sold from 1983 to 2011. It was controlled by infrared." In checking to see if a Turtle robot using the Logo programming language is still available, I came across c2.com's message: 

You can still buy the Valiant Turtle (http://www.valiant-technology.com/usa/turtle1.htm) although the price is steep. There is also Roamer (http://www.valiant-technology.com/usa/roamer1.htm) [same URL as Valiant Turtle] which can be controlled by a computer, and with a pen attachment can draw pictures on paper on the floor, but doesn't seem to be able to pick up or put down the pen.

I've been looking for a cheap (under $100) tethered turtle for a while now. LegoMindstorms (about $200) can do the trick, but it is major overkill if all you are trying to do is draw pictures on butcher paper in LogoLanguage.

While checking out the site, c2, I came across this intriguing piece of information in a paper titled A Laboratory For Teaching Object-Oriented Thinking:

The most difficult problem in teaching object-oriented programming is getting the learner to give up the global knowledge of control that is possible with procedural programs, and rely on the local knowledge of objects to accomplish their tasks. Novice designs are littered with regressions to global thinking: gratuitous global variables, unnecessary pointers, and inappropriate reliance on the implementation of other objects. 

Because learning about objects requires such a shift in overall approach, teaching objects reduces to teaching the design of objects. We focus on design whether we are teaching basic concepts to novices or the subtleties of a complicated design to experienced object programmers.

O.K., now I'm distracted. For an overview of what object-oriented programming (OOP) is, check out the link to Wikipedia's article. Here's a C++ snippet from the Code Project:

class Human {
   private:
      std::string nameC;
   public:
      Human(const std::string & name) : nameC(name) { }
   };

According to neONBRAND, with OOP it's easier to maintain and modify existing code; ease of development and portability are better; and efficiency is improved.

Returning to the turtle and robotics, Wikipedia has a Robotics Portal that looks like fun to explore.

-- Marge

Dancing, self-assembling robots and more

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Recently I discovered Gizmag and signed up for a subscription.  Today's email had this headline: "Self-assembling multi-copter demonstrates networked flight control." The article describes the self-assembling action thus:

The sequence starts with an arbitrary group of robots on the ground. Each robot has three omnidirectional wheels that allow it to rotate and drive in any direction. The robots are programmed to seek a common spot, for example, a brightly lit area. As the robots approach one another, one robot spins in a circle while the other drives around it in a pirouette. Interlocking tabs on the outside of the robots make a physical connection, while infrared light beams carry data between the modules.

Once all the modules in the area are connected, there is a brief calibration of sensors while nothing is moving, and then the entire group start their propellers in unison and take to the sky. Half the modules need to have clockwise propeller rotation, while the other half rotate counterclockwise, in order to cancel out torque.

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This illuminating statement was also in the article:

Professor D’Andrea has several similar groundbreaking projects on his very impressive resume. He is one of the founders of Kiva Robotics, the distributed mobile robots that help make Amazon.com warehouses efficient. A whole fleet of small robots go out into the warehouse and find product on shelves and bring it, shelf and all, to pickers – humans – who place items into boxes. The robots then take the shelves back to the warehouse. For efficiency, the most picked items are placed closest to the packers, making the warehouse self-organized for speed.

I was unable to find any information about the size of the self-assembling robots.  They look like 5-inch computer fans.

Another article asked "Could graphene switches lead to 100-times faster internet?." The answer is yes.  In the reading you'll get a nice description of  how a doped semiconductor works.
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And then there's the orange retro telephone -- "Retro telephone gets 21st century update."  It offers "rotating lights and sound effects during dialing."

No, I'm not an employee of Gizmag, just like to see innovative ideas.  The idea of self-assembling robots is a little scary, though....shades of Skynet!

-- Marge

DIY robots

In recent history engineering colleges around the world have sponsored robot competitions, often where robots battle each other and the last robot standing wins.  Now ordinary citizens, and their robots, can take part in one (not necessarily a fight to the death).  Here's a list of competitions from NASA's, Robotics Alliance Project, last updated today.  IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, read I-Triple-E) Spectrum has a page reporting DIY robots news.

Kits and parts are available for purchase in building your own robot.  A sampling of retailers is dfRobot, "drive the future;"  Machine Science Inc., which offers parts and tutotials for all types of electronics projects; and, of course LEGO.  Just take a look at LEGO's latest product, Mindstorms EV3.

Genomicon, "the crowd-sourcing of intelligent-design," has a do-it-yourself robotics page.  Here are some gems from it.

3d printed flying flappy thing:

Your hair is scribble:

The rising tide of smart s**t (a must see):

Taking the cue from the video about Paul the robot drawing Patrick at tenderpixel gallery ("Your hair is scribble"), robotics appear to be moving into the arts.  From TechCrunch there's news of "A French Artist Is Posting DIY Robot Parts So We Can Print Our Own Androids," an article by John Biggs.

Forward, Ho!

-- Marge