In honor of the 1 year anniversary of the official Pleo website, PleoWorld , Ugobe is offering a steep discount on Pleo’s purchased through the website. By using the online offer code, "PLEOWORLDISONE", at checkout, you can get a Pleo for the incredibly low price of $235. Keep in mind that the sale only lasts through JULY 11th, so order fast.

You may also notice, that Ugobe now offers replacement batteries for Pleo. Be sure to pick up an extra if you’d like extended play (or experimentation time) with you new robotic dino-pal.

Ugobe has also released a new update for Pleo,  Pleosarous Rex, which makes Pleo act like Godzilla.

Pleo is a great toy and is ripe for hacking. Getting one for $235 is a steal, so I highly suggest you take Ugobe up on the deal. Now, I just have to convince my wife that I need two …

I get a lot of emails and comments posted from folks asking questions about robotics. Unfortunately, most of them are rather specific and I just don’t have the time to answer them all individually.

Thankfully, that’s where a few cool products, books, and websites come into play. Back when I first got started in robotics (back in 1998 or so), there were very few books on the subject and even fewer websites or nifty products.

But, times have changed folks! Robots are now almost as cool as iPods and Emo.

I’ve put together a small list of items that you can use to 1) start your journey into robotics and 2) enhance your knowledge. Feel free to leave comments on other useful items. This is meant to be a starting point. It’s also a good place to find good gift ideas … hint hint hint.

Kits

1. LEGO Mindstorms

The venerable granddaddy of all easy-yet-powerful robotics kits, LEGO Mindstorms now comes in two flavors, the old version RIS 2.0 and the new version Mindstorms NXT. LEGO Mindstorms NXT sports an impressive array of new features, like ultrasonic range finders, powerful graphical programming environment based on LabView, and bluetooth, the old version Robotics Invention System 2.0 is still a good buy. You can pick up a set for under $200 off of eBay or perhaps find it on clearnace at your local toy store. Either way, LEGO makes outstanding building systems, and no roboticists shop is complete without it.

2. VEX Robotics Development System

I don’t personally own a VEX system, so I can’t say based on person experience, but I’ve heard lots of good things about them (if someone at Innovation First is reading this, hook me up). The kits are similar in design to an erector set of bygone years, and are very sturdy and well constructed. Vexlabs.com sells a wide array of addons and expansions that make the possibilites vast and varied.

3. Viper Robotics Development System

I recently did a complete review of the Viper robotics development system from Microbric. The kit is unique in that it has various modules that connect up to the central motherboard via little plastic connectors that also form the electrical connections. The kit is attractively priced and is well worth it, for the components you get.

The system is programmed in Visual Basic syntax and is based on the Atom processor from Basic Micro.

Books

Why learn the hard way, when you stand on the shoulders of others? These books will expand your knowledge and give you confidence about moving to the next level. Check your local bookstore, or use the links below to order off of Amazon (and help GoRobotics.net out!).

1. Robot Builder’s Bonanza, Third Edition (Robot Builder’s Bonanza)

An oldie-goldie. Gordon McComb does a bang-up job of introducing robotics to the real world. Check out our review of the 2nd Edition, here.

2. Build Your Own Robot!

Karl Lunt wrote for Nuts and Volts (more on this later) for years. Afterwards, he assembled all his articles into this fabulous book, filled with nifty ideas on how to build a robot. This is great for your bookshelf. You can read our review, here.

3. Intermediate Robot Building

This is David Cook’s second book, in which he covers the topics of robotics in a bit more detail than his previous Robot Building for Beginners book. 

Magazines

Books are great to have, but it’s always nice to have a steady stream of new information coming your way. This is a great motivator, and there’s no better way that by subscribing to some of these magazines.

1. Robot

ROBOT Magazine is a new magazine that focues on the educational and hobbiest market. The high-quality magazine always has interesting and informative articles for both the advanced user and beginners.  You can read our review of the first issue here.

2. Servo Magazine

Servo Magazine covers all things related to robotics. Not nearly as pretty or well layed out as ROBOT Magazine, but still informative.

3. Make: Technology on Your Time

This is one hefty magazine! Published quarterly, you can expect to find over 150 pages in this high quality "mook" (magazine + book). They cover all things related to hacking and making things, including robotics and electronics. Well worth the price.

4. Nuts and Volts

A great hobbiest magazine related to all things electronic.

5. Circuit Cellar

This is a bit above most beginners heads, but a great addition for the more advanced user.

Websites

Obviously, since you’re reading this, you’ve discovered the power of the web. Amplify that power by visiting these websites to learn about robotics.

1. GoRobotics.net

Of course we’d list ourselves first! Features robotics news, projects, and reviews.

2. The NXT Step

This a resource site for all things related to LEGO Mindstorms NXT (the first item on our list).

3. Robots Dreams

This site covers all the great robot news from Japan. Gives a fresh perspective on the other side of the world, and it’s in English!

4. Robot Gossip

More robot news to ease your cravings.

5. MAKE Magazine

Hackery and making from all around the internet. TONS of information.

6. Hack-A-Day

New hack every day. A must visit. Submit your hacks.

7. Engadget

All things gadgets. They also frequently link to us, so give them some love!

Toys

1. Pleo

While this toy is out yet, come March of 2007, there should be lots of great hackery going on. You can find out more about Pleo at PleoBot.com. Designed by the creater of the Furby, Pleo will learn and grow like a real animal.

2. Robosapien V2

WowWee toys makes a whole line of robots that are lots of fun and great for hacking. The RoboSapien is probably the most popular.



Hopefully, these links should get you started on your journey. If you have anything to add, please leave it in the comments below. Happy robot making!

This post is part of the ProBlogger group writing project!

I was recently offered the chance to review Microbric’s Viper Robotics Development Kit. I always love to try out new robot kits and see what’s on the market, so I jumped at the chance. Prior to Microbric contacting me, I had heard some about the kits. You may have read a prior review of the kit from our pals at robots.net, Sprocket’s Slog, or at Robots Dreams. It seemed like a unique concept and I was eager to see if it played out in reality.



Microbric, based in Australia, promptly shipped me a package containing the Viper kit along with the three main add-on kits: wheel kit, sumo kit, and line tracker kit.


The concept of ‘modules’ are the unique feature of this kit. They are the basic building blocks of a set. Each module is a self-contained unit with at least three connectors on a side, which provide power, ground, and signal to the main motherboard. This creates a modular system of construction that doesn’t require any extra wires or soldering. The modules are attached to each other, or the motherboard, via a ‘bric’. Each bric is a small nylon connector that contains three nuts. Three small screws are threaded into the nuts and connect the modules together. The screws form the electrical contacts between the modules.


To keep users from incorrectly wiring the modules together, each bric is keyed to allow it to be attached in only one way, and each module is marked to indicate which holes to align.


Kit Contents

• Each kit comes with a number of pieces, including

• 2 gear motors, with controllers

• IR sensor module

• 2 bump sensor modules

• 1 button module

• 1 switch module

• 2 led modules

• IR remote control

• 20+ brics

• screw driver

• foam wheels

• battery holders

• misc. connectors and pieces

• Basic Atom motherboard

The kit comes with a nice plastic container that can be used to store the parts. This is much like the original Mindstorms box and is great for keeping track of small parts.

A little bit of assembly is required in order to get started. The manual guides you through this process. This includes placing the small nuts into the brics (which can be tedious), attaching the battery holder to the motherboard, and detaching the various parts from their PCB holders.

The modules, motherboard, and connector pieces are high quality PCBs.


I had a bit of trouble assembling my first robot. It was often difficult to position the screws into the holes, and the nuts tended to fall out of the brics as I was trying to attach things. I imagine that after use the nuts will work themselves tightly into the nylon brics and not fall out as often. Perhaps a little dab of glue between the nuts and brics would also help.


I was also sometimes confused when trying to connect modules and making sure that they were facing the right direction. The keying on the brics is very slight and takes a bit of close examination to determine which side to place on which module. Some sort of indication molded into the bric’s plastic would probably help this.

The wheels form-fit nicely on the shafts of the motors and are easily removed if necessary. The motors are high quality and provide a decent amount of torque. I believe they are, or are very similar, to the GM11 gear motors from Solarbotics. However, keep in mind that Microbrics motor modules also contain a controller. A single line of code (a serial out command) is all that is required to command the motors at a certain speed and direction.

The programming environment for the Viper kit is the standard IDE from Basic Micro for their Basic Atom line of products. The Viper motherboard contains an OEM version of the microcontroller along with power regulation. The Basic Atom is programmed with Visual Basic syntax and is quite simple and powerful. It has hardware interrupts, serial outputs, servo control, and many other features. It should be noted that the Viper motherboard only brings out 16 I/O lines which eliminates the use of the extra A/D inputs.

Microbric also has several add-on kits, including an extra wheel and motor pack, a sumo robot pack, and a line following sensor pack. These kits are pictured below.


To be on the honest side there are some downsides to the Viper kit. For starters, the kit doesn’t come with a printed manual. This is not such an issue now-a-days with ink jet printers, but I always appreciate having something in paper to reference.

Secondly, and far more damaging, is the fact that the motherboard runs on triple A (AAA) batteries, and not double A’s. Alkaline AAA’s generally have a significantly smaller capacity than AA’s (1.1 Ah, compared to 2.8Ah). In addition, it’s difficult to find rechargeable triple A batteries. Microbric would do well to create an add-on pack for different power sources. Perhaps even a lithium polymer battery addition. It would also be nice to have a module that would allow the motherboard to be powered off of a wall transformer.

There are a few other minor complains, like how it’s easy to cut yourself when initially removing the parts from their PCB holders. It can also be sometimes difficult to maneuver your fingers in order to attach certain brics, especially when building upwards. I had to use the screw driver a few times in order to lever a piece into place.


Aside from these minor complains the Microbric Viper Robotics Development Kit is a sound platform for experimenting with robotics. It takes all the difficult out of correctly wiring parts and eliminates the danger of destroying delicate electronics by connecting them improperly. The Basic Atom is a good chip that can be easily programmed and is powerful.

The kit retails for about $140 USD (depending on the exchange rate). And can be shipped internationally. They even have a compact package for international shipping. The price of kit makes it well worth the purchase. $140 is a steal for what you get.

You can find more information about the kit here, and purchasing information here.

Thanks to Josh Richards from Microbric for letting us review the kit.