He is using the Mindsesors Multiplexer for NXT Motors coupled with an Arduino Compatible Seeeduino in order to control a small robot made from Lego NXT parts, read NXT encoders, and more.  The code for the Arduino can be found in the NXT I2C Devices For Arduino Project Page.

The possibilities that this enables are almost endless.  Especially when considering that now Arduino Shields can be used in order to extend the capabilities of the Lego NXT parts.

Via RobotShop Blog.

While doing my morning reading, I came across this gem of a device. It’s a DB9 pin-compatible USB port. That means for every board you have that originally took a DB9-style serial port, you can now drop in this device and have USB access instead. Inside the connector is FTDI’s ubiquitous USB-to-serial converter chip. Too bad it’s taken so long for something like this to show up. I can recall about 5 years ago when just about every robotic kit needed a serial port instead of USB. Thankfully things have begun to change, but this could be a great add-on to any legacy boards you find around the house or lab.

You can read the datasheet here.

[Via Electronics-Lab]

RobotBox user jbot added a nifty blog post today about using his robot to paint with light. Inspired by images of Roomba’s with LEDs, he added a set of LEDs to his robot, PlexiBot and took some long exposure photos as PlexiBot traveled around. The results are quite beautiful.

Gåågle - It’s not as weird to pronounce as you’d think. It’s actually pronounced like Google and you’ll begin to see why soon enough. Gåågle Bot is a modified remote-control Roomba that bears a webcam, fueled by real-time AJAX calls that zips around taking pictures and indexing the real world as it sees it. Vacuum, index. I love efficiency!

!

The name GåågleBot is a play on the words gÃ¥ and google bot. The Swedish word for go is gåå. Googlebot, is the name of Google’s web indexer. If you don’t know what Google is, you are either lying or out of luck. Hence GåågleBot is a “going” indexer, indexing the real world around us while vacuuming your home at the same time! Can’t find that library book that is due tomorrow? Relax, just Gåågle it!

Excited about this bot? Head over here and give it a try. There is also a pretty nifty video as well showing the bot in action. The main site has all of the components listed, the source code, and other tidbits to get you started building your own remote-control crawler.

Matt Bunting’s story should be inspiring to anyone out there who builds robots. You see, Matt was just your average robot builder (well, maybe above average), until Intel (yes, that Intel) spotted one of his creations and decided they wanted to use it as a showcase item for their latest push into embedded Atom processors. Bunting’s hexapod robot, or the Intel Hexapod now, is now a bit of a celebrity and tours around the country with Intel strutting its six-legged stuff.

Keep reading for the rest of the story.

Matt’s creation started off as a class project for a Cognitive Robotics class at the University of Arizona, with the goal of exploring coginition to train the robot to walk correctly. Matt said,

I do not want to program any walking gait into the system using inverse kinematics or any other method. Instead, based on sensory input, the robot will figure out on it’s own what the best method is to control the motors to move straight forward.

The body of the hexapod was constructed several years ago and was slowly rebuilt over the course of the project into the sexy beast it is today. In order to train the robot how to walk, an optical flow technique was used to reinforce the robot’s behavior.

Matt’s efforts paid off and he earned an A in the class, along with a research position:

I was able to implement a learning algorithm with off-board processing, and the hexapod did learn to walk. I did have to constrain each leg to a mere three states/positions per leg though, and it took about four days for learning to almost complete. Unfortunately, I burnt out the pololu servo controller after resetting it by unplugging the power cable and accidentally plugging it in shifted by a pin. This means that I couldn’t continue on with the learning, but I built my reward matrix to 99.65% complete, which fortunately was enough to get an efficient walking gait.

Continuing work after the class, Bunting switched to a low power, small size, platform with an Intel Atom Z530 1.6 GHz processor along with the Open CV computer vision software. Using the new procesor and Open CV he was able to achieve much higher performance for the robot. The robot’s mechanical components were also replaced and recreated using a 3D printer (nice shot of the printer in action here).

Finally, in November, Matt uploaded this video to YouTube, which was spotted by Stewart Christie, an Intel employee working with the Embedded Atom Platform. Intel wanted to use the robot in promotional material. So, Intel paid for two new robots – one of which Intel keeps – in exchange for being able to take the robot to trade shows and the like.

Matt has since then added several features, like foot sensors, 3D balance gestures, and the hexapod also has a 3DOF camera for doing face tracking. Awesome!

So for anyone out there that thinks that nobody cares about the robots you make, you’re wrong. Let Matt’s story be an inspiration to you to build more great robots! Oh, and when you do, don’t forget to add them to RobotBox (shameless plug, natch). You can keep up with Matt and the latest adventures of the Intel Hexapod, via Twitter.

[Via BotJunkie, CNet, and HexapodRobotForums.com]

A french company, named Parrot, unveiled an iPhone controlled, wifi-enabled, quadrocopter at CES 2010.  The robot, called the AR.Drone, is a sophisticated and snazzy quadrocopter that is controlled via an iPhone or iPod Touch over a wifi connection. The AR.Drone has two onboard cameras, one of which streams live video back to the iPod screen, an ultrasonic altimeter, and a gyro/accelerometer based stabilization system. The drone also has a neat “augmented reality” system that overlays computer generated graphics and objects on the video feed, to allow users to play games or compete against each other with multiple AR.Drones. CNet says, “You’ll get about 15 minutes of battery-powered fun on a one-hour charge”, and reports that the vehicle will retail for around $500.

The most interesting part of the AR.Drone is that the wifi interface will have an API! This means that there is significant potential for building complex robotics projects using an inexpensive flying system (robot swarms, anyone?). Parrot has already created a developers website and has uploaded demo code for getting started with programming for the AR.Drone.

Update: Chris at DIYDrones has some unboxing photos of the AR.Drone.

More images after the jump.

Parallax Scribbler – $99

The Scribbler robot from Parallax has been around for a few years but makes an excellent starting point for jumping into robotics. The solid design and lots of ability for expansion make it a good choice for someone that has basic computer skills or someone that has limited electronics knowledge and wants an easy way to get started. The robot features a basic stamp brain, several sensors – like light, floor sensors, and stall sensors – and has two hefty motors, along with a speaker and LEDs. The robot comes with several demo modes, or can be programmed using the regular Basic Stamp programming software.

Roboni-i Game Robot – $189

Roboni is a neat robotic game that uses wirelessly controlled robots. The robots can be used individually or in combination for cooperative gameplay. Roboni’s clever design also makes it tempting for the hacker in me. The Roboni has 12 IR sesors that it uses to track the other Robonis in the playing field, the basestation, and various obstacles. The robot exhibites complex behavior and actually “plays” with you. It’s a relatively new toy, so take that as you will.

LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0 – $271

When LEGO released NXT in 2006 they were coming off nearly 10 years of huge success with the RIS. Many people wondered if they could repeat the trend. It looks like they did, with tons of NXT related books being released, and lots of use in education settings. LEGO has updated the NXT and released the 2.0 version, which once again raises the bar. The NXT 2.0 set features a new color sensor, which can detect 6 different colors, or be used as a RGB light emitter. LEGO also dropped the sound sensor in favor of adding a 2nd touch sensor. There is also a different selection of beams and gears and a greatly improved programming interface. The NXT Step Blog has a comparison chart of new pieces.

Pololu 3Pi Robot – $119

Similar in price and usability to the Scribbler robot, the 3Pi from Pololu has meet with favorable reviews. The 3pi has two high power (and high speed!) DC motors, a LCD screen, and has built in sensors for line-following. The robot uses an Atmel Atmega168 chip and can be programmed in C or using the Arduino firmware and programming language. 

Phoenix Hexapod Kit – starting at $969

This exceedingly impressive kit from Lynxmotion will knock your socks off! The powerful inverse kinematics engine allows for a huge array of natural walking gaits and very “creepy” looking motion. Each leg has three DOFs (degrees of freedom) and the completed kit is wirelessly controlled via a transmitter. The parts are laser cut aluminum with black anodization. So, if you’ve got some spare change lying around, this is one slick robot to purchase. Nothing says, “I love you” like a beautifully walking hexapod robot!

Terminator Salvation DVD – $9

The continuation of the Terminator saga. Reviews were mixed, but there was some definite epic robot action. Totally worth $10.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen DVD – $21

Yet another continuation. Again, epic robot battles and mixed reviews. Certainly a “fun” movie. Check your brain at the door (or couch) though.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – The Complete Second Season – $37

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (TSCC) was quite possibly the best Sci-Fi show of the past several years. Take Battlestar Galactica off the table and you have to go back to Firefly to find something comperable. Even wtih Fox (wantonly, stupidly, foolishly, idiotically, … ) canceling the show after the 2nd season, the two seasons of the show are still well worth watching and are both intellectually stimulating, fun, and heartwrenching. The first season is available new for $17.

SolarSpeeder Kit – $27

The SolarSpeeder is a great beginner kit to demonstrate the power of solar energy. The kit requires some basic hand tools and a soldering iron, so it’s best for kids over 12.

Pleo Dinosaur – $200

Pleo is back from the ashes of bankruptcy and ready to rumble. With a new update to fix many of the original Pleo’s problems, this Pleo is still his same loveable self – just with a new company backing him. This robodino has a complex personality, can move around, use his built in camea to recognize objects, and has directional hearing. Pleo has instant repor with children and the elderly, and would make an oustanding companion for the diabled – or robot hackers.

Have anything to add to this list? Add it to the comments! What was your favorite robot gift from 2008?

First up Pololu Robotics and Electronics. They’re offering big sales on many items with up to 60% savings from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monady (Nov. 26th – 30th). Their popular 3Pi Robot is being sold for $50 (half off! Use coupon “BF3PI“), which is a fabulous deal if you’re quick.  Or, you could pick up a 6 channel servo controller board for only $10 (coupon “BFMAESTRO”).

Finally, Parallax is offering free shipping this weekend on orders over $100.

Get ‘em while there hot!

Update: iRobot is offering a free Dirt Dog robot with any purchase over $350 – Thursday and Friday only. Robots.net tipped us to BGMicro’s sale – 10% off front page items till the 30th of Nov.

 

A couple of weeks ago we reported on Jon Hyland’s NanoSeeker Micro AUV project. Today Jon posted some more details on his project and he seems to be making rapid progress. With the help of a rapid prototype machine there are now working prototypes of the vehicles in the water. The NanoSeeker has a “3-axis, solid state compass, with an integrated 3-axis accelerometer”, a bluetooth debugging interface, and runs on a ATmega328 microcontroller. The vehicle is steered via two control surfaces controlled by a Solarbotics GM15 pager gearmotor. Oh, and don’t forget that the vehicle is 6 inches long and 1.25 inches in diameter!

Video of the prototype after the jump.

 

Jon Hylands, on his blog this week, posted a link to his NanoSeeker Micro AUV project. The vehicle is 6 inches long and 1.25 inches in diameter. That’s tiny! Jon plans to outfit the AUV with a 6 DOF IMU, a compass, depth sensor and an ARM based microcontroller.  You can see some pictures of the prototype here.

Good work Jon, I hope to see these things swimming soon!

Cornell University has won the 12th annual AUVSI Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition. And, according to Cornell’s tweet, second place goes to University of Victoria and 3rd to University of Rhode Island. Interestingly, these three teams weren’t even in the top 5 of last year’s compeitors (pdf), so they seem to have put in a lot of work. You can read all of the team’s technical papers here. Cornell’s, U.Vic. and URI’s papers will make interesting reading for all the 2010 competitors with an ax to grind.

Congratulations to Nova, Aerius, and Ram-Boat ‘09 and all the engineers behind them on a job well done.

After the jump are two recap videos from the 1st and 2nd days competition.

If you like this story, will you please Digg it? Thanks!

Here’s a neat design by Nils Volker for a spherical rolling robot. The robot propels itself forward by turning about its axis, and can change the direction of motion by dynamically changing the axis of rotation. This seems to be a more efficient design than having a suspended pendulum which causes the sphereical robot to curve to one side or the other – a common design among other “ball” robots. Nils robot uses LEGO Mindstorms for electronics/mechanics and is remotely controlled via a bluetooth connection.

Nice work Nils!

More pictures/video after the jump.

[Via Robots Dreams]

Spherical Robot 01 from Nils Völker on Vimeo.

A few weeks ago, the most excellent company, SparkFun hosted an autonomous vehicle competition at their building in Builder Colorado. The competition was open to all forms of autonomous vehicles and was race around the peremeter of the buildings. Chris Anderson from DIY Drones entered a flying vehicle and won first place.

Below is a most excellent video recap of the event.

L’s chicken walking robot costume

Build notes on L’s chicken walker