PC Robot Demo

[Digijedi569]

that is not a robot that is only one component AGGGH!! 

[pontus515]

Robot wars, anyone?

[samanthms123]

whats the black box at the top???

[aliencurv]

interesting, but seems a little extreme to use an entire pc for the brain. doesn't it? :)

[huskodotnet]

I don't think it's anywhere near extreme to use an entire pc for the brain. I think this stuff is alot of fun and since I'm a windows developer it's a great hobby for me :)

[aliencurv]

If you're a windows developer, then i can help introduce a pic or atmel to you .

a few things about a pc i find extreme are:

- the size

- the power draw

- the pc

- it's a pc

- :)

with a microcontroller you can do everything, just smaller . you can purchase most of what you'll need from hvwtech ..

[alynn333333]

So you can do face recognition with a microcontroller? Which, exactly? Speaker independant voice recognition untrained? [that requires dozens of PCs to do well] How many billion synaptic connections can you run for your AI?

Sorry - microcontrollers aren't there yet. Another dozen years or so.

A 1+ghz picoITX drawing only 13watts and running from an RC battery IS, however, and isn't any more expensive than a decent complement of microcontrollers.

[aliencurv]

lol "synaptic connections" and "trained voice recognition" ? man you're high level .

this project isn't using any vr or image recognition .

so why does it need a pc again? alyn33333333, where project are you defending?

[alynn333333]

PC Robotics in general. Trossen Robotics, in my personal opinion, supports PC-based Robotics in general.

Examples would be the Navigaton Challenges. Using the parts in the Trossen Robotics catalog along with PCs (plural), true autonomous navigation may be performed. We're talking vehicles weighing ~3000lbs driving autonomously down city streets. Just having examined the guts of one a couple weeks ago - it requires multiple PCs.

[aliencurv]

yah that sounds like i'd enjoy doing that on a pc . a microcontroller wouldn't be up to that challenge .

but this particular project i commented on is a remote control pc . it's not a robot . and all that could be done with a microcontroller . that's all i'm saying .

i'd like to encourage ppl to get into microcontroller development because it helps with understanding the fundementals .

it appears u'd benefit from it too .

[alynn333333]

I agree, I probably would. I've done development in the microcontroller space for nearly 25 years. More than two dozen patents and hundreds of mil in sales. As a CTO in the embedded space for over a decade pushing the envelope in video compression/decompression on everything from FPGAs to the latest ARMs, I just don't get out much... [roll eyes]

What a platform does today is not what it's intended to do tomorrow. Maybe you should look consider THOSE fundamentals?

[aliencurv]

i think u talk a lot more then you yourself have done .

let's not compare the sizes of our members . i never loose .

[alynn333333]

Youtube - how you too can interact with millions of idiots...

All things considered, I'm ready to write this discussion off as "another idiot on youtube".

As a parting query, are you familiar with what it means to develop a "platform"? Specifically that which sets the bar for what a system can and can not do? Just because something comes off the bench controlled by a remote (which could as easily be done with R/C receivers)doesn't mean it doesn't get a camera and SLAM tomorrow.

[ideled]

I have build several bots, and after a while you will realize that using a pc as a platform for your bot code cuts down on development. Microcontrollers are great for amatures but doesn't fly when you need to rapidly develop a prototype. Although I use LabVIEW, and using a microATX with an intel atom processor along with solid state relays you can really cut down on power. REMEMBER TIME IS MONEY SO THINGS NEED TO BE DONE QUICK. But if this is strictly for fun then do what you want.

[ideled]

Not solid state relays i meant to say SOLID STATE DRIVES!!

[ideled]

And if you really want to cut down on power then use PC104. But if your going this route you will cut down on development has much, from my experience PC104 are better than uControllers but they still take up time.

[hidemyvid]

Almost without exception, all current commercial mobile robots are uC.

But as I noted, uC's don't have the processing power to accomplish complex tasks. For that you need PC's, and preferably off-board.

[rumidom]

cool