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Cover.qxd 3/6/2008 11:23 AM Page 1
Let your geek shine.
Meet Leah Buechley, developer of LilyPada
sew-able microcontrollerand fellow geek. Leah
used SparkFun products and services while she
developed her LilyPad prototype.
The tools are out there, from LEDs to conductive
thread, tutorials to affordable PCB fabrication,
and of course Leahs LilyPad. Find the resources
you need to let your geek shine too.
2008 SparkFun Electronics, Inc. All rights reserved.
Sharing Ingenuity
S P A R K F U N. C OM
Full Page.qxd 3/5/2008 4:10 PM Page 2
Check out the RoboNova-1 and all the other Hitec Robotics products at
www.hitecrobotics.com <http://www.hitecrobotics.com>
Check out the RoboNova-1 and all the other Hitec Robotics products at
www.hitecrobotics.com
12115 Paine Street . Poway CA 92064 . 858-748-6948
April 25-27, 2008
University of Phoenix Stadium
Glendale Arizona
Visit EFExpo.com For Details
JOIN US AT
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Model Gear Type Torque(oz) Speed(sec) Bearing Dimensions Weight Protocol
6V / 7.4V 6V / 7.4V L x W x H (oz)
HSR-8498HB ........ Karbonite.......... 103 / na........... 0.20 / na.......... Dual BB........ 1.57 x .78 x 1.45........ 1.75 ...... *HMI/PWN
HSR-5498SG ............ Steel............. 153 / 188......... 0.22 / 0.19 ........ Dual BB........ 1.57 x .78 x 1.45........ 2.10....... *HMI/PWN
HSR-5980SG ............ Steel............. 333 / 417 ......... 0.17 / 0.14......... Dual BB........ 1.57 x .78 x 1.45........2.36 ...... *HMI/PWN
HSR-5990TG.......... Titanium.......... 333 / 417 ......... 0.17 / 0.14......... Dual BB........ 1.57 x .78 x 1.45........2.39 ...... *HMI/PWN
HSR-1425CR.............Nylon .............. na / 57.............. 16 rpm........... Dual BB........ 1.59 x .77 x 1.44.........1.6 ............PWM
*HMI Is Hitecs Multi Protocol Interface which allows the programming of our servos via a PC using the optional
interface kit (Part No. 78206) PWM is the standard R/C protocol and allows the programming of the
robotics servos using the HFP-20 field programmer (Part No. 44430).
9
C|e|ess C s Vey
3
C|e|ess Vey
Dont let your robot take a fall, make sure it can go the distance by using one of Hitecs high powered robotics servos.
From the sport level HSR-8498HB to the stump pulling torque of the Titanium geared HSR-5990TG,
Hitec has a servo for your robotics project.
Hitec Goes
The Distance!
p p p g q p p g q g ,
Hitec has a servo for your robotics project for your robotics p t.
Hitec Goes
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Hitec Goes
The Distance!
Hitec Goes
The Distance!
Full Page.qxd 3/5/2008 4:19 PM Page 3
36 Designing and Building a
Robot From Scratch
by Brian Benson
Part 2 covers the actual design where
you determine what you need for
parts and how to choose them.
42 The Gecko Vampire
by Fred Eady
Build from scratch a PIC-based step
and direction controller that will act
as an intelligent front end to a
stepper motor drive.
50 The Making of Apis
Mellifera: When PICs Fly
by Tony Pratkanis and Bob Allen
This build is the bees knees in
homebrewed autonomous
flying robots.
56 Turn a Kids Ride-on Car
into a GPS Guided
Autonomous Robot
by John Overstrom
Follow Johns first venture building a
prototype vehicle that he ultimately
hopes to expand into a robotic
lawn mower.
64 The Appliance of Science
by Peter Smith
A report on the first annual Franklin
Institute event.
67 Reviving an Androbot BOB
by Robert Doerr
BOB gets a co-processor and the
gift of gab.
74 BasicBoard Robotics
by William Smith
Using this new development platform
will make quick work of building
your own bot.
PAGE 50
PAGE 36
Features & Projects
4 SERVO 04.2008
TOC Apr08.qxd 3/5/2008 4:23 PM Page 4
04.2008
VOL. 6 NO. 4
SERVO 04.2008 5
Features
24 Form vs. Function: Does art have a
place in combat robotics?
26 Non-Kinetic Energy Weapons
29 Manufacturing: Milling With Robots
Events
31 Results and Upcoming Competitions
32 Robots at Thinktank
Robot Profile
34 Roadbug
SERVO Magazine (ISSN 1546-0592/CDN Pub Agree#40702530) is published
monthly for $24.95 per year by T & L Publications, Inc., 430 Princeland Court, Corona,
CA 92879. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT CORONA, CA AND AT ADDITION-
AL ENTRY MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SERVO
Magazine, P.O. Box 15277, North Hollywood, CA 91615 or Station
A, P.O. Box 54, Windsor ON N9A 6J5; cpcreturns@servomagazine.com
Departments
06 Mind/Iron
20 Events Calendar
22 New Products
40 Robotics Showcase
73 Robo-Links
81 Menagerie
87 SERVO Webstore
97 Advertisers Index
Columns
08
Robytes by Jeff Eckert
Stimulating Robot Tidbits
10
GeerHead by David Geer
Rovio, Robotics House Sitter
14
Ask Mr. Roboto by Dennis Clark
Your Problems Solved Here
78
Lessons From The Lab
by James Isom
NXT Packbot: Part 4
82
Robotics Resources
by Gordon McComb
Power Tools for Robot Construction
90
Appetizer
by Dan Kara
Robotics Events Reflect Hot Market Segments
93
Then and Now by Tom Carroll
Robot Shows
PAGE 10
This Month In
THE COMBAT ZONE ...
TOC Apr08.qxd 3/5/2008 3:59 PM Page 5
Published Monthly By
T & L Publications, Inc.
430 Princeland Court
Corona, CA 92879-1300
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FAX (951) 371-3052
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PUBLISHER
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display@servomagazine.com
EDITOR
Bryan Bergeron
techedit-servo@yahoo.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Jeff Eckert Tom Carroll
Gordon McComb David Geer
Dennis Clark R. Steven Rainwater
Fred Eady Kevin Berry
Bob Allen Tony Pratkanis
William Smith Pete Smith
Brian Benson Robert Doerr
John Overstrom Dan Kara
James Baker Mike Jeffries
John Frizell James Isom
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR
Tracy Kerley
subscribe@servomagazine.com
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WEBSTORE
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Debbie Stauffacher
Copyright 2008 by
T & L Publications, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
All advertising is subject to publishers approval.
We are not responsible for mistakes, misprints,
or typographical errors. SERVO Magazine
assumes no responsibility for the availability or
condition of advertised items or for the honesty
of the advertiser. The publisher makes no claims
for the legality of any item advertised in SERVO.
This is the sole responsibility of the advertiser.
Advertisers and their agencies agree to
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and all claims, action, or expense arising from
advertising placed in SERVO. Please send all
editorial correspondence, UPS, overnight mail,
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Corona, CA 92879.
Machine Pains
Place a drop of noxious fluid
next to an amoeba and it swims
away; place food particles nearby
and it engulfs them. These instinctive
or innate behaviors are critical for the
amoebas survival. In humans and
other higher organisms, pain
avoidance and pleasure seeking are
translated into layers of complex,
learned behaviors. By virtue of
feedback mechanisms that include
skin temperature sensors and our
visual system, for example, we learn
that a gas flame is hot and painful
to touch. Through learning, we
associate pain with objects recently
in contact with the flame and
avoid damage.
Although you probably dont
dwell on the survival value of your
ability to avoid extreme temperatures
or similar painful situations, only the
most advanced autonomous robots
have been endowed with these
capabilities. Truly autonomous,
learning robots have mechanisms for
recognizing and avoiding pain.
Recognition infers sensors of
some type, and avoidance suggests
an ability to associate behavior with
particular combinations of sensor
values. For example, a rescue robot
that seeks out heat sources
presumably to differentiate injured
humans from surrounding rubble
should not advance if the
temperature of the heat source is
above body temperature or if there
is a crackling sound that increases
in intensity as the robot approaches
the heat source. Otherwise, the
robot may move into a crackling
wood fire or roaring natural gas
fire and destroy itself.
Sensors, then, are necessary but
insufficient for learning. Moreover,
the capabilities of sensors define the
limits of learned behavior. In the
case of the heat-seeking rescue
robot, a simple IR detector would be
less useful than a pyrodetector alone
or, preferably, in combination with a
directional microphone. In addition
to sensors directed at the external
environment, an autonomous,
learning robot can benefit from
internal sensors. The ability to
monitor, for example, motor and
battery temperature, battery voltage,
current drawn by motors, servo or
joint position, and servo or motor
speed can be invaluable in avoiding
internal damage.
Its non-trivial to build a robot
Mind / Iron
by Bryan Bergeron, Editor
Mind/Iron Continued
6 SERVO 04.2008
FIGURE 1. The
CrustCrawler
Smart Arm.
Mind-Iron Apr08.qxd 3/4/2008 6:52 PM Page 6
with a matrix of internal and external
sensors because of space and weight
limitations and the limited I/O
channels and processing power
provided by a typical microcontroller.
One solution is to use smart
actuators with built-in sensors, such
as the Dynamixel Actuators
(www.robotis.com). As described
in the March 2007 issue of SERVO,
these smart actuators have built-in
sensors for position, speed, load,
voltage, and temperature. Moreover,
the actuators are designed to be
networked through a single, three-
conductor cable that carries data,
voltage, and ground.
The AX-12+ and considerably
more expensive and more powerful
RX-28 and RX-64 smart actuators
provide an auto-shutdown mode
that responds to temperature and
load extremes. Moreover, the
embedded sensors can be read by a
microcontroller or computer attached
to the actuator network.
One of my latest projects is
exploring how the AX-12 based smart
arm from CrustCrawler
(www.crustcrawler.com) can serve
as the basis of a learning, semi-
autonomous arm. As shown in Figure
1, the construction of the smart
arm is rather simple, thanks to
sensors embedded in the actuators.
In contrast, I found that adding
position, speed, load, voltage, and
temperature sensors to each of
the six servos on CrustCrawlers
conventional SG6-UT arm impractical.
The added weight of the sensors and
stiffness of the cabling significantly
reduce the speed and lifting capacity
of the arm.
Why a learning arm thats
sensitive to pain? If youve worked
with a robot arm, you know that
one of the greatest challenges is
determining the allowable joint
positions for a given load.
Overextend a robotic arm for a
given load and at best the arm
simply stutters. Worst case, the
servo under the most stress fails
an expensive proposition. Just as
with a human arm fully extended,
a robot arm is more susceptible to
injury and overload for a given
load. Fully contracted, the arm is
stronger and capable of handling
heavier loads.
In a multi-jointed robotic arm,
there are multiple allowable and
illegal joint position configurations for
a given load. These configurations
can be programmed a-priori into the
arm controller or computer, assuming
a fixed load and operating conditions.
However, change the load and mount
the arm on a mobile vehicle that may
be on an incline and suddenly the
a-priori calculations are of little value.
Whats needed is an arm in which
the controller monitors the joint
positions and operating parameters
of each actuator and, in real-time,
orchestrates movement that
distributes the load to minimize
changes of damage.
A robotic arm should learn when
not to extend a particular joint any
further before it actually detects an
abnormally high load. You know, for
example, not to attempt to curl an
automobile blocking your path. Your
musculo-skeletal system also employs
lower-level protective mechanisms.
Sense organs in your tendons and
muscles regulate how far and how
fast you can move a joint. This
local feedback allows you to run
without hyperextending your knee
joint. Furthermore, by resetting your
tendon and muscle sensors (e.g., by
actively stretching), you can train your
joints to accept a wider range of
movement. Similarly, actuators in a
robot arm should learn locally and
have the ability to reset or relearn
range of motion and maximum
speed.
As noted earlier, sensors are
necessary, but insufficient for
association or learning. Neural
networks and genetic algorithms
are two often used approaches to
providing robot arms with learning
capabilities. Of course, youll need to
move past a simple microcontroller
to a full PC control platform to fully
exploit these technologies. The
USB2Dynamixel PC interface and
open source VB.NET API available
from the CrustCrawler website is a
painless way to connect the Smart
Arm or Dynamixel-based arm of your
own design to a PC.
Robot arms capable of learning
have been described by researchers
in military and academic research
laboratories for over a decade.
However, thanks to affordable smart
actuators and control systems, you
can build a system of your own. If
youd like to explore learning and
robot arms, Google root arm
learning. A particularly approachable
review is available through the Space
and Naval Warfare Systems Center
(www.nosc.mil/robots/research/
rsmt/learning.html). SV
SERVO 04.2008 7
Mind-Iron Apr08.qxd 3/4/2008 6:57 PM Page 7
8 SERVO 04.2008
Monkey to Bot Interface
Successful
Back in January, history was
made when researchers at Duke
University (www.duke.edu) via the
Network Brain Machine Interface,
connected a monkey brains motor
and sensory cortex to a humanoid
robot located at the Japan Science
and Technology agency. As certain
neurons fired at different phases
and varying frequencies, the signals
were interpreted and converted to
control the robots legs. Thus, as the
monkey walked on a treadmill, the
bot imitated its movements. The
monkey was provided with video
feedback and apparently understood
what was going on.
According to Dukes Miguel
Nicolelis, The most stunning finding
is that when we stopped the treadmill
and the monkey ceased to move
its legs, it was able to sustain the
locomotion of the robot for a few
minutes just by thinking using
only the visual feedback of the
robot in Japan.
The obvious practical application
relates to overcoming severe paralysis
and, in fact, the next goal is to
develop prototype robotic leg braces
for use with humans. The bot, by
the way, is a 200-lb machine with
51 degrees of freedom, developed
by Sarcos (www.sarcos.com).
$30 Million Purse Offered
Lets say its 1996 and youre a
couple of Stanford University students
playing around with a new search
engine concept. A decade later, your
little project is raking in about $16
billion a year and, frankly, you dont
know what to do with all the money.
One solution is to set up a foundation
and offer to give away $30 million
of it; hence, Googles X Prize
Foundation.
The money is divided into a $20
million grand prize, a $5 million
second prize, and another $5 million
for bonuses. To claim the grand prize,
you simply have to land a spacecraft
on the moon and unleash a robot
that travels at least 500 m and sends
video, still images, and other data
back to Earth. The bonus money can
be had by performing additional
mission tasks such as discovering
water ice, roving greater than 5,000
m, and rendezvousing with old moon
landing hardware.
To register a team or sign up
for email updates on the competition,
visit www.googlelunarxprize.org.
But hurry the grand prize drops
to $15 million after December 31,
2012 and disappears completely on
January 1, 2015.
Fill er Up, Squirtbot
Back when gasoline cost
$0.30/gal, service stations were so
eager to earn your business that they
would offer free glassware
and steak knives, check your
oil and water, and, yes, send
out a high school kid to
pump the gas for you. Today,
you get to pay 10 times as
much for self-service, get a
good whiff of the fumes,
and occasionally soak your
socks with unleaded. The
latter may help kill the green
stuff between your toes,
but it can also counteract
the intended effects of your
aftershave, which probably
cost almost as much as the
This humanoid robot operates
under remote monkey control.
Photo courtesy of Japan Science
and Technology Agency.
Google Lunar X Prize launch at WIRED NextFest.
Photo courtesy of Google, Inc.
The return of the gas station
attendant:Tankpitstop. Photo
courtesy of Rotec Engineering BV.
by Jeff Eckert
Robytes.qxd 3/1/2008 7:59 AM Page 8
gasoline. But something resembling
old-fashioned service may be
returning via the Tankpitstop robotic
filler developed by the Dutch
company, Rotec Engineering. Its
robot arm, using an array of sensors,
opens your cars filler door, unscrews
the cap, inserts the fuel nozzle, and
fills the tank for you. According to
Rotec, it will work with any car that
does not employ a filler keylock and
whose physical characteristics have
been stored in system memory. The
$110,000 system is expected to be
operating in a handful of Dutch
stations within the year. To see it in
action, visit www.rotec-engineer
ing.nl/movie.html.
Empty er Out, Suckbot
Its not immediately clear how
Alexander van der Lely came up with
the Astronaut designation for his
companys robotic milking system,
unless it has something to do with
the cow that jumped over the moon.
But if I were a cow, its sure where
Id be hanging my udders. The
system, which boasts maximum
comfort and freedom including a
soft rubber floor, adjusts itself to
each cows behavior, allowing her to
choose the most comfortable
milking position and either nod off
or grab a snack at the same time.
Her udders are pretreated with
brushes to ensure optimum
stimulation and the self-cleaning
teat cups are fitted with pulsation
units for enhanced results.
According to Lely, For the dairy
cow, the Astronaut robotic milking
system is democracy at its best!
Something to think about in this
election year ...
The newest version the A3
is so efficient that a single dairy
employee can drain 1,200,000 L
(317,000 gal) out of the herd every
year. This is sufficient to make
more than five million bowls of
cornflakes soggy, which is pretty
impressive. It also incorporates a
variety of features to ensure a
top-notch milk harvest, including
the Milk Quality Control (MQC), the
Gravitor weighing unit, and digital
analysis of the cows behavior. For
details, visit www.lely.com/en/.
Are You Ready for Some
Football?
You may be familiar with the
RoboCup competition,
in which teams of
robots compete at
football. But it is
actually ftbol,
better known in North
America as soccer. But
now, folks who prefer
the American game
can link up with the
Robotic Football League
(www.roboticfootball
league.com) whose
engagements are
based on American
Rules Football.
As of this writing,
the new league appears
to have three teams: the Capacitors
(motto: To crush your enemies, see
them drive before you, and to hear
the lamentation of the women.); the
Highlanders (motto: There can be
only one); and the Resistors (no
information provided). In a recent
game held at HobbyTown USA in
Westminster, CO, the Resistors
defeated the Capacitors 82 to 78,
with the high scores resulting from
each teams inability to mount a
competent defense. Teams can be
made up of two, three, or six robots
that throw, catch, and tackle just like
the real thing. It appears that home-
built bots are permitted, but at least
one commercial, preassembled one is
available: the 2.4 GHz radio-controlled
AI-01 from Active Innovations (www.
active-innovations.com). Its
throwing arm can fling the ball
about six feet, and it can skitter
across hardwood, tile, short carpet,
and other flat surfaces. The
four-motor bot will cost you only
$139.95, so you can afford to get in
on the ground floor. Complete rules
are available at the RFL website. SV
Robyt es
Bessie is drained in comfort.
Photo courtesy of Lely Group.
The AI-01 RFL robot.
Photo courtesy of Active Innovations, Inc.
SERVO 04.2008 9
Robytes.qxd 3/1/2008 8:00 AM Page 9
10 SERVO 04.2008
R
ovio uses a single VGA CMOS
sensor to facilitate image
capture and digitization so
that images can be processed, stored,
and transmitted over a network to
the end-user via access points or
the Internet.
Rovios built-in computer eye
operates like an IP camera on the
network, according to Davin Sufer,
chief technical officer of WowWee
Robotics. During Rovio setup, a
Wireless Access Point (WAP) assigns
an Internet Protocol (IP) address to
Rovios web server. This enables the
user to connect with Rovio from any
web browser across the Internet and
check on things at the home front.
The user can hear audio and see
video that Rovio has collected during
surveillance, too.
During Rovio setup, software
enables the users computer with an
ActiveX control so they can use the
Internet to receive compressed video
and audio transmissions from Rovio.
If they use the same
computer to connect to
Rovio remotely, they can
use its Internet Explorer
web browser to receive
these communications.
If the consumer uses
another computer for
remote interaction with
Rovio, they will receive
streaming MJPEG video
only and no audio.
The ActiveX control
lets users stream audio
from their remote PC
through Rovios speakers,
from wherever they are so
long as they have an
Internet connection. It
also lets them hear audio
from Rovios microphone, so they
can listen in on what is happening
at home. Rovios owner can speak
to people in the remote location
(home) and hear their responses,
too, says Sufer.
Three omni-directional wheels
mobilize Rovios mechanical drive
base. While the motors that drive
Rovios wheels are still in pre-
production (product not available
until later this year), there are plenty
of details to whet the appetite for
the release of more information,
and eventually Rovio itself.
Rovios mechanized neck and
sensor-equipped head rest in the
down position until called upon to
raise to the up position, from which
it can look forward and around at
children, pets, or potential intruders,
or for fires or other disturbances.
The CMOS sensor can be
pointed in basically any direction by
moving the robot around (side to side,
forwards, and backwards rotation, as
well as by tilting the head upwards
and downwards), says Sufer.
From its third, looking up
position, Rovio can check people out
as he travels the halls, rooms, and
corners of an office or abode
independently. Thanks to its NorthStar
system, Rovio knows where it is in
relation to its base station and the
Contact the author at geercom@alltel.net by David Geer
Rovio, Robotic House Sitter
Out of the west rides a three-wheeled guardian named Rovio.
When the family is not at home, Rovio roams, the internal landscape
(carpets, hardwood floors, tile), keeping a CMOS sensor eye open at
all times, monitoring property, pets, and the home environment.
Photos are courtesy of WowWee.
This is a front angle view of Rovio, the mobile
robot, which has web cam and audio capacity.
Rovio has tucked its head, web cam, and neck
away atop its body.
Geerhead.qxd 3/1/2008 8:25 AM Page 10
GEERHEAD
rest of the paths it must travel.
Internet and
Navigational
Capabilities
Rovio has a built-in web server
that hosts a browser-based user
interface. Consumers can use the
interface to control Rovio and
access streaming audio and video
based on sounds and images Rovio
has recorded.
Rovio uses an indoor
navigation sensing system to
get around. Rovio is completely
autonomous, finding its way from
the base station to each point in the
house and back again. People can also
control Rovio remotely if they choose.
Rovio will periodically return to
the base station to recharge its
batteries. The base station houses
infrared beacons that enable Rovio
to know its position relative to that
home base. The beacon is actually a
projector which projects two infrared
spots onto the ceiling. Rovio can see
these spots from anywhere in the
room and uses them to navigate
around, says Sufer.
Additional beacons are available,
which users can place in rooms
throughout the house to extend the
navigational coverage of Rovio.
Rovio also uses peripherals such
as a light-based indicator for reading
its battery charge level, as well as a
headlight for lighting up the night
and a USB port for easier web and
software setup via computer.
To use Rovio, a consumer will
need at least a single WAP connected
to the Internet. Rovio can connect
through access points to make its
sounds, images, and web interface
available anywhere in the world.
Connecting WAPs throughout a
larger house will make it easier for
Rovio to connect where broader
wireless coverage may be required to
extend Rovios reach.
Once Rovio is set up via the
web interface, users will not need a
computer to make a physical
connection directly to Rovio unless
Rovio needs updates later on.
Users control the Rovio robot via
a web browser, which brings up the
webpage interface hosted on the
Rovio robot itself. Most PC browsers
support this but we do not yet have
an official list of supported browsers,
explains Sufer. WowWee will also
make it possible to control Rovio
from phones with Internet capabilities
and mobile Web browsers. The cell
phone control does not include audio
support yet. As with the computer
version, users will be able to drive
Rovio around manually or use its
navigation system.
Consumers can also control Rovio
through a video game console,
through its web browser. They
can move the head up and down
and change the volume on the
microphone or turn it off. Rovios
microphone is in its head with the
CMOS sensor.
Setup
Through a direct connection to
Rovio via its USB port, users can install
Rovio with a simplified installation,
via the setup wizard. Rovio detects
the computers settings and guides
the user through the setup process.
While the setup wizard is still
under construction, the process will
be familiar to anyone who has used
similar, intuitive software wizards
before. The wizard scans for available
wireless networks. It prompts the user
to choose a preferred network and
the access point password if there is
one. The wizard tests the connection
and informs the user when they can
disconnect the USB cable.
When the end-user installs the
base station, it sets up a coordinate
system in the room for navigation.
The user must put the Rovio in front
of the base/charging station and tell
the system via the browser to save
home. This saves the base station
as the home point in the coordinates.
The end-user can save different
locations as waypoints between the
SERVO 04.2008 11
Rovio docked in its base station.
Rovio, front view.
Rovio does not require a computer
on the Internet within its local network.
All Rovio needs once it is set up is to
talk to a WAP that connects to the
Internet. Rovios web server handles the
rest. The WAP must use DHCP to assign
an IP to Rovio as it would to a computer.
The consumer can use a remote
computer to connect to the WAPs
external IP from anywhere on the
Internet. The web request goes from
the access point to Rovio. Rovio
sends back video and audio from its
web server via the Internet.
Rovios base station has no link to
the Internet and no IP address. Its only
functions are to offer a reference
beacon so Rovio can navigate back to
the base and recharge itself.
LINKS TO ROVIO
Geerhead.qxd 3/1/2008 8:26 AM Page 11
12 SERVO 04.2008
home base and other sections of the
house so long as there is coverage
from infrared beacons in the other
rooms. Built-in LED lights make it
possible for an end-user using a
remote web browser to see where
the robot is going so they can
maneuver it more easily in the dark.
Rovios Future
WowWee is looking into the
possibility of enabling Rovio to
navigate stairs. We are looking at
some options for this, but it makes
for a more complex item, says Sufer.
WowWee has to address the related
safety issues around robotic stair
climbing. We dont want anyone
tripping over it on the stairs, says
Sufer. There are mechanical and
cost-related complexities to evolving
Rovio into a stair climber. SV
GEERHEAD
WowWee Robotics
www.wowwee.com
Release about NorthStar
system on Rovio
www.evolution.com/news/
release/HSF-C
Rovios appearance at CES 2008,
head up
www.crn.com/it-channel/
205602179;jsessionid=VEWZAML
RZKZWIQSNDLOSKH0CJUNN2JVN
?pgno=18
RESOURCES
Rovio with web cam head and neck
up. The head and neck can assume
three positions: down, up, and
looking up at people, for example.
Whats the difference?
Price!
Youre correct, the one on the right costs
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youre looking to purchase major name
brand passives or semiconductors, be
sure to check out Jameco first. They also
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Geerhead.qxd 3/1/2008 8:27 AM Page 12
Full Page.qxd 3/5/2008 4:23 PM Page 13
14 SERVO 04.2008
Q
. Ive seen posts and even
some articles that use various
ways to create a wireless
connection from a robot to a
computer. How easy is it to configure
a wireless connection? I am easily
confused by the jargon and have
held off getting anything because
I dont want to waste my money on
something Ill never get to work.
Paul Humour
A
. You arent the first to feel
intimidated by the technology
and the terminology. Most
robotics hobbyists are not experts in
all things and can use a hand up on
occasion. I too have pondered the
mysteries of wireless communications.
Sometimes it just seems like magic.
Since you mentioned the word
money, Im going to assume that
cost is a factor in your choice of
wireless technology, so Ill go into
detail about two very affordable
options for hobbyists that wish to
unwire their robots. The first is
Bluetooth and the second is Zigbee.
Both of these technologies are 2.54
GHz low power wireless radios. That is
to say that their power is in the 1 mW
to 60 mW range, which means we
can expect to get ranges from 50 feet
to 300 feet, depending upon where
we are. Inside, the ranges are less
than outside for a variety of reasons.
Since I doubt that you want to
hear about multi-path reflections and
dBm readings, Ill focus instead on
how to configure them on your
computer and your robot. Along the
way, Ill give the costs and options
that seem most affordable and that I
know work. Finally, I recognize that
not everyone uses a Windows PC;
some use Macs and some Linux. I
will show how to configure for the
Windows and Mac platforms; I dont
have a Linux machine, sorry. There
are a LOT of steps in these procedures
below; even so, I left the most
obvious ones out and focused on
the steps that were either confusing
or hard to discover.
Using Bluetooth
The first wireless solution that
Ill talk about is Bluetooth. Bluetooth
works by explicitly pairing a master to
a slave. This is what we want to do,
so that is fine by us. There are dozens
of ways to get Bluetooth on your
computer, so which should we
choose? If you have Bluetooth built in,
then your solution is complete on the
computer side. If you dont, then you
need to get a USB Bluetooth adapter.
I looked at several and chose two
that were middle of the road in cost,
meaning $20 or less. The first one I
tested was the Zoom 4320AF model
which retails for about $20 (see
Figure 1). The second one I tested
was the Azio Bluetooth V2.0 + EDR
model for about $17.
Next we need to have a Bluetooth
device to connect to. The people at
www.sparkfun.com have several
reasonably priced units to choose
from. I chose the two lowest priced
ones that had what I wanted, namely
a simple connection interface. The
first one is the Bluesmirf WRL08332
board. They sell this for about $50.
Bluetooth says it has a 30M (100 feet)
range, indoors Id give it about 50
feet. SparkFun has a longer range unit
the Bluesmirf WRL00582 that
sells for about $65 and has a 100M
(300 feet) range. Note that these
ranges are line-of-sight outdoors;
indoors you just dont get that range.
These modules are super simple to
use. They have six pins: Power (3.3V
to 6V), Ground, Tx out, Tx in, RTS out,
and CTS in. You simply need to supply
power and ground, connect the Tx
in line with the Rx line of your robot
Tap into the sum of all human knowledge and get your questions answered here!
From software algorithms to material selection, Mr. Roboto strives to meet you
where you are and what more would you expect from a complex service droid?
by
Dennis Clark
Our resident expert on all things
robotic is merely an email away.
roboto@servomagazine.com
Figure 1. Zoom Bluetooth USB adapter.
N
E
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