Palm Powered Robots, Again 48
Okay, we give up. Even though we ran this story a few months ago, it seems that Reuters has picked it up and slathered it all over the world, and now everyone is submitting this New! Improved! Palm Pilot Robot. Read the current story anywhere that has a Reuters feed. The design was purchased by a company called Acroname, which has a few neat pictures on their website. Personally, I'm putting in my application to be Goodlife as soon as possible.
Re:Goodlife, not me! (Score:1)
Specifically, the story "Teardrop Falls" in the collaborative book "Berserker Base".
See this [berserker.com] for an official image of the book's cover.
Re:Palms are too expensive for this. CYBIKO!!!! (Score:1)
Personally, I think the screen is too small (160x100), I think the flash mem is too small (512k). Does NiMH develop memories like the NiCd's? Not that I'd turn one down.
However, I can see that schools are probably gonna ban these given the 900mhz "whos-close-enough" network they have. Be good to be a student and convince the prof its just a fancy calculator though!!!
I second that! (Score:1)
Like Greg, I'm also a freshman at CMU. He is in (or was in, just remembered the semester's over) my calculus in 3d, programming, discrete math, and physics II courses. I've hung out with him a bit, and he's quite a cool guy, and smart to boot.
I remember him asking me to keep up on his courses for him whilst he was off at some palm conference to give a speech or some-such on his work. Unfortunately, I overslept through most of the classes, and was only of minimal assistance.
I also second that all cute available girls in Pittsburgh call Greg -- he's a good guy, if a little quiet. And once he's no longer available all those girls should call me; I'm so in badly need of a date it's only marginally funny.
(^o^)
Re:for the $300 price (Score:1)
Re:Weren't the plans for this free before? (Score:1)
you can get 3 servos for $8.00 each.
Modify them yourself, save gobs of cash.
The controllerboard. Build your own from a 16f84
(if you can program a palm pilot you can shlepp C for a 16f84)
The wheels-- Expensive little buggers. Find some kind of replacement that is affordable.
everything else - free or dirt cheap
I dont understand (Score:1)
It amazes me that this is considered a technical marvel.. It's just a EE students plaything. most every EE student has made something this simple in their spare time.
Anyone that buys this $300.00 kit likes being robbed.
spend that $300.00 on picbasic and a programmer and make something better.
interoffice courier service (Score:1)
"Rover! Take this to Bob on the fourth floor!"
"Thanks, Rover. Now go back to Helen."
Interesting, but why? (Score:1)
For example: Go to fridge (requires internal map of house), open it (requires arm and gripping hand), get me a beer (requires vision system), and bring it to me (requires knowledge of my location and route planning).
I suppose it's a nice basic platform for trying robotics algorithms and research. I can't see the normal person doing much more than saying "Hm. Looks cool."
Re:Goodlife, not me! (Score:1)
You're thinking of Fred Saberhagen.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Good start (Score:1)
Barclay family motto:
Aut agere aut mori.
(Either action or death.)
Re:Weren't the plans for this free before? (Score:1)
Re:Palm robots? bah (Score:1)
You're so sexy, Phox!
Easy to make your own... (Score:1)
It's very easy (and cheap) to make your own robot based on the SV203 board that the PPRK is based on. Greg Reshko has some good instructions, but you can make a version for a lot cheaper. Here's what I'm doing: I got the SV203 from Pontech (www.pontech.com) ($60), and two HS-303 servos from ServoCity (www.servocity.com) ($18). The PPRK instructions tell you to get $18 servos, which are way too expensive, and he buys extremely high quality wheels, etc. which make the price go up. The rest of the robot I'm making out of some very cheap gears, timing belts, and a wooden base (could've used angle aluminum). Sensors will get added later.
Goodlife, not me! (Score:1)
My ambition, if that universe comes to exist, is to be the human downloaded into a computer, in possession of Berserker hardware that Larry Niven wrote about... The Ultimate Badlife
Palm robots? bah (Score:1)
if anything gimme a transformer that can be palm controled.
Now that would be sweet!
wow, this guy cant even troll properly... (Score:1)
he screwed up his goatsecx link...
.brad
Drink more tea
organicgreenteas.com [organicgreenteas.com]
these seem expensive.... (Score:1)
especially when you compare them to mindstorms. with a few extra expansion packs and some creative hacking mindstorms can do anything. im working on one thatll sweep my floor (it scares the heck outta my cats too).
.brad
Drink more tea
organicgreenteas.com [organicgreenteas.com]
Palmwars (Score:1)
Re:Palms are too expensive for this. CYBIKO!!!! (Score:1)
BattleBots (Score:1)
very nice but... (Score:1)
Re:Weren't the plans for this free before? (Score:1)
New ways for WinCE to crash (Score:1)
Re:Palms are too expensive for this. CYBIKO!!!! (Score:1)
http://www.egroups.com/group/CybikoDev --cybiko egroups dev board, lots of cool coffee talk here.
http://www.devrs.com/cybiko/ --main site for underground cybiko development.
http://fuji.sourceforge.net ---my little project, check the discussions to see how far we got.
http://www.cybiko.com/layout.asp#Hardware ---skip the flash and go straight to the specs.
Like I said, 200 bucks for two of these and you have a remote and another one for your bot. BTW good luck searching elsewhere for this stuff, it seems cybiko has employed some web monkeys just to make fake sights filled with BS.
--toq
Re:Palms are too expensive for this. CYBIKO!!!! (Score:1)
I'm not too sure about the NiMH, i've only had one for like two days or so. But the 160x100 screen although small, is good enough, remember most 8-bit computers (atari mode 7 comes to mind) could only do this res at 4 colors, so its not that bad.
Point is there has been a need for something like this for quite some time, I think palm missed the mark by "applelizing" their product i.e. people will pay for the name brand. At least the cybiko is cheap, expandable, and pretty snazzy looking. It doesn't take a lot of processing power to control a server, read your e-mail, simple arithmatic, ect. All these Pentium 4's 1.4 gigahertz are nice, but to me seem a little overpowered for what I need. Why should I need a computer that requires a 300watt power supply, heatsink, fans, a fat CRT monitor just to read e-mail? It's like renting a train to move one of your bedrooms, way too much overkill.
I can tell your a geek with $99 bucks to spend, just get one for kicks, BTW they plan to have a GPS reciever for the thing eventually, not to mention memory expansion, ect.
--toq
Re:umm (Score:1)
OT- Repeat submissions (Score:1)
The entire concept of "newness" on
This goes for Slashdot Editors, too.
A three-month old story may have gathered enough analytical moss to be useful to slashdot readers. Why not post a story along with all its analysis- all the links that agree with, disagree with, analyze, correct, or update a story?
I would find such "old news" valuable. How about an "old news" section on slashdot? We could even make a graphic of a crumbling newspaper, or something.
Re:Good start (Score:1)
I Love Robots, but... (Score:1)
Re:Weren't the plans for this free before? (Score:1)
psycho chick-o (Score:1)
Re:Weren't the plans for this free before? (Score:2)
Re:I wouldn't mind .... (Score:2)
Right now, you can get clamps and stand and such for handhelds to be mounted in a car so you can keep for hands (mnostly) on the wheel.
-J
Re:I wouldn't mind .... (Score:2)
-J
Whoah, Nelly! (Score:2)
A ``barebones'' kit is available for $40 less, but requires such actions as gluing connectors and wiring a cable.
Sounds like someone's catering to the PHBs. Imagine selling them an OS:
Me: Well, Linux is available if you want, but it requires such actions as reading text files and editing them.
PHB: You make a good point. Windows it is, then.
(Yah, I know, -1 MS-Bashing...)
Re:Palmwars (Score:2)
Acroname (Score:2)
Re:I wouldn't mind .... (Score:2)
could be fun. and at the rate they are improving ....
I wouldn't mind .... (Score:2)
Then I could program in a set of directions etc, with appropriate feedback, maybe through beeps, or whatever.
heck, it would be cool for programming other elements of my car as well (cd mixes, etc), and then it could walk with me when I leave the car....
but this would be a bit more advanced compared to simple kit for a palm robot.
The possibilities stagger the imagination.
hey, there might even be money in it, somehow.
Ignore the Submissions! (Score:2)
So what? Ignore the submissions. Isn't that what the system is for? It's not "news" if it's not new.
--
for the $300 price (Score:2)
That way, I won't wince when my 4 year old daughter gets rough with them.
Palms are too expensive for this. CYBIKO!!!! (Score:2)
I've been finding out all sorta info on this little bugger, for 99 bucks you pretty much get a toy as powerful as a 386, problem is the platform is not fully open sourced as of yet, we're still trying to get a bunch of info out of the damn thing (like HTF does the serial port work?) At least there is a free SDK for it.
I'd really recomend you slashdot readers take a look at this thing, big deal, its not a palm and your other geek freinds will probably tell you its gay, but isn't that a little like the pot calling the kettle black?
There are a lot of little projects going on with the thing right now, people have allready gotten stuff like a offline web page reader going for it, a linux synchronizer, me is working on getting an atari emulator working on it. From what I do know of the hardware, these are much better canidates for making robots. The built in 900mhz RF on the thing is instant remote. The cartridge port on the bottom is a bus connection so you can add whatever CPU you want to the thing (only cybiko has done this so far with the MP3 player)
I'd like to get some feedback from other
--toq
Battle Bots (Score:2)
int kill() { sense_moving_object(); while(chase_and_kill()!=OPPONENT_DEAD); do_victory_dance(); }
$300 too much? try these (Score:3)
Robert Jordan hacks up a toy to use as a robot base.
excellent book discusses mid-level robotics. Practical robots made from everyday components are featured in a realistic manner.
Good discussion, with in-depth instructions on building a few robots from simple materials.
Weren't the plans for this free before? (Score:4)
Credit is due (Score:5)
Greg Reshko [cmu.edu] made this when i was still in high school with him. He wasn't even a cmu student then, although he was working with the robotics department. This kid deserves more credit than the blurb '...developed at Carnegie Mellon University
Give greg another pat on the back, and if you are a cute girl in pittsburgh give him a call, i think he is still lonely.
JustinC
-- note: greg: it's now official, you owe me lunch.