Beruflich Dokumente
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FEATURES:
Optimized Operating Software
10 Battery Memory
Internal Lithium Battery Balancer
Multiple Lithium Battery Charge Modes
Works with Hitecs Charge Master Software
LiPo Battery Meter
SPECIFICATIONS:
AC Input Voltage: 100-240V
DC Input: 11-18V
Charge Power: 60W
Charge Current Range: 0.1 - 6.0A
Max. Discharge Power: 5W
Discharge Current Range: 0.1 - 2.0A
Balancing Port Current Drain: 200MA/Cell
Hitec RCD USA, Inc. / 12115 Paine St. Poway, CA 92064 / 858.748.6948 / www.hitecrcd.com /
PAGE 60
Departments
30 Bots in Brief 06 Mind/Iron 28 New Products
The Robotics Cottage
Industry Is Alive and Well 57 RoboLinks
Chain Smoking
Walk What Way? 14 Events Calendar 58 SERVO Webstore
Winging It 14 Showcase 65 Advertisers Index
SERVO Magazine (ISSN 1546-0592/CDN Pub Agree#40702530) is published monthly for $26.95 per year by T & L Publications, Inc., 430 Princeland Court, Corona, CA 92879.
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4 SERVO 01.2017
TOC - Jan 17_TOC SV Mar 15.qxd 12/6/2016 12:03 AM Page 5
SERVO 01.2017 5
Bergeron - Mind-Iron - Jan 17_Mind-Iron - Feb15.qxd 12/6/2016 7:37 AM Page 6
ERVO
FOR THE
Mind / Iron
by Bryan Bergeron, Editor
ROBOT
INNOVATOR
Published Monthly By
T & L Publications, Inc.
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Toll Free 1-877-525-2539
love visiting the Kickstarter site for you start, and rethink the design and
I inspiration and a glimpse of the
worldwide robotics cottage industry.
start another Kickstarter offering.
Of course, raising the funding is
Outside US 1-818-487-4545
P.O. Box 15277, N. Hollywood, CA 91615
At last count, there were over 1,400 just one step in the process. The PUBLISHER
Larry Lemieux
Kickstarter robotics projects listed robot has to be built, tested, and publisher@servomagazine.com
mainly from the US, EU, Australia, shipped to the customers. The
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/
and Canada. Most are toys with an Kickstarter site is also littered with ADVERTISING SALES
educational bent, with a focus on road kill projects that were funded Robin Lemieux
teaching some robotic and/or but for one reason or another never robin@servomagazine.com
programming skill to kids. shipped a product. EDITOR
Some are quite serious high-end The notes from these projects Bryan Bergeron
projects, such as sophisticated 3D make for great reading. Theyre a techedit-servo@yahoo.com
printers, robotic arms, and practical lesson on what not to do or VP of OPERATIONS
underwater tethered drones. Buy-in what to look for in terms of potential Vern Graner
prices range from $5 for small toy potholes. vern@servomagazine.com
robots to over $3,000 for the For example, notes on one
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
underwater drone. robotic project reveal that the Tom Carroll Kevin Berry
If youre new to Kickstarter, you developers had no idea of the cost or R. Steven Rainwater Michael Simpson
owe it to yourself to take a look at time required for machining titanium Steve Koci John Leeman
the site. Individuals or groups pitch a parts. After designing and building Eric Ostendorff Dave Prochnow
project and estimate a cost for their first prototype, they realized that Jeff Cicolani Matt Spurk
Alan Federman Nate Franklin
producing a certain number of the cost for machining each robot
systems. If you want one of those was more than they were asking from CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT
systems at some future date, you contributors. Thats a good lesson to subscribe@servomagazine.com
have to pledge the requested learn as long as someone else is WEBSTORE MARKETING
amount. paying for the lesson. COVER GRAPHICS
If the full pledge amount isnt Kickstarter is also great for Brian Kirkpatrick
received, everyone walks away from assessing the relative popularity of sales@servomagazine.com
the deal and you owe nothing. The various microcontrollers. At the time WEBSTORE MANAGER/
especially exciting deals are the ones of this writing, the Arduino is in the PRODUCTION
that receive multiples of their required lead for US robotics projects, closely Sean Lemieux
sean@servomagazine.com
buy-in a great sign for the project followed by the Raspberry Pi. The
and the project area. Arduino is hands-down the most ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Based on multiples of buy-in, the popular for robotics in the EU. Re Gandara
hottest robotic project on the site the Kickstarter changes daily; this is Copyright 2017 by
T & L Publications, Inc.
day I looked at it was a table tennis just one snapshot. By the time you All Rights Reserved
robot at 320% buy-in (100% being read this, the mix will likely be All advertising is subject to publishers approval.
fully funded), and over $250K raised. different and dozens if not We are not responsible for mistakes, misprints,
The pledge period wasnt even hundreds of new projects listed. or typographical errors. SERVO Magazine assumes
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advertised items or for the honesty of the
There are a few dozen projects worth supporting. SV advertiser. The publisher makes no claims for the
with zero interest, and a few dozen legality of any item advertised in SERVO. This is the
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funded. Thats whats so great about their agencies agree to indemnify and protect the
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arising from advertising placed in SERVO. Please send
waste time bringing a robot to all editorial correspondence, UPS, overnight mail,
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6 SERVO 01.2017
Gross - Robot Cartoon - Jan 17_Robot cartoon - Feb15.qxd 12/6/2016 7:38 AM Page 7
SERVO 01.2017 7
Leeman - Drones_ELEV8_Telemetry - Jan 17_Blank Rough SV.qxd 12/6/2016 7:45 AM Page 8
Adding Telemetry
The to the ELEV-8
Multi-Rotor By John Leeman
Post comments on this section and find any
associated files and/or downloads at
Hobbyist
www.servomagazine.com/
index.php/magazine/article/
January2017_MultiRotorHobbyist_Telemetry.
8 SERVO 01.2017
Leeman - Drones_ELEV8_Telemetry - Jan 17_Blank Rough SV.qxd 12/6/2016 7:45 AM Page 9
Figure 3: The Discover Devices button is in the upper Figure 2: Clip one of the radios into
left-hand side of the XCTU window (circled in red). the USB adapter, add an antenna,
and it is ready to plug into the
computer for configuration.
Remember that you should never
power up an XBee with the antenna
removed.
SERVO 01.2017 9
Leeman - Drones_ELEV8_Telemetry - Jan 17_Blank Rough SV.qxd 12/6/2016 7:45 AM Page 10
SERVO 01.2017 11
Leeman - Drones_ELEV8_Telemetry - Jan 17_Blank Rough SV.qxd 12/6/2016 7:45 AM Page 12
Closing Thoughts
Now you have data flowing from the air to the
ground! Your spotter can call out your true heading,
altitude, and other information to you in real time.
Im anxious to get my hands on the flight logs
because I can think of several really interesting uses
for them, including wind speed estimation, improved
battery endurance calculations, and black box style
investigations of crashes, just to name a few.
In the meantime, remember to keep your eyes
on the quad, talk with your spotter, and collect lots Figure 20: The attitude of the quad shows me rolling (cyan) and pitching
of great data! SV (purple), but leaving the yaw (yellow) relatively constant.
SERVO 01.2017 13
Rainwater - Events - Jan 17_Events - Aug 15.qxd 12/6/2016 7:47 AM Page 14
JANUARY
EVENTS BITS Pilani KK Birla Goa Campus, Zuarinagar
Goa, India
18-19 Singapore Robotic Games Events include RoboKombat, RoboSumo, Line Following,
Republic of Singapore RoboRace, and RoboKick.
Events include Picomouse, Sumo, Robot Soccer, Wall www.bits-quark.org
Climbing, Pole Balancing, Underwater Robots, Legged
Robot Marathon, Robot Colony, and Humanoid 4-9 AAAI Mobile Robot Competition
Competition. San Francisco, CA
http://guppy.mpe.nus.edu.sg/srg See website for details on this year's event.
www.aaai.org/Conferences/conferences.php
26-29 ION Autonomous Snowplow Competition
St. Paul, MN MARCH
Robot snowplow must remove snow along a
designated path. 10-11 Midwestern Robotics Design Competition
www.autosnowplow.com University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL
See website for details on this year's event.
27-29 Robotix http://mrdc.ec.illinois.edu
IIT Khargpur, West Bengal, India
Events include Bomb Disposal, BRICKS, and Conquest. 23-26 Apogee
www.robotix.in BITS Pilani KK Birla Goa Campus, Zuarinagar
Goa, India
FEBRUARY See website for details on this year's events.
www.bits-apogee.org
3-5 Quark Roboficial
One-Stop Shop
for Mechatronic
Components
Explore | Design | Buy Online
Over 100,000
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www.sdp-si.com
no minimum requirement
14 SERVO 01.2017
Full Page.indd 15 11/1/2016 8:50:22 AM
Simpson - CNC build - Jan 17_Blank Rough SV.qxd 12/6/2016 7:54 AM Page 16
KReduCNC
Clamp Table
In this installment, we are going to
install the clamp table. The clamp
table is the surface you use to
attach your stock.
Post comments on this section and find any associated files and/or downloads at
www.servomagazine.com/index.php/magazine/article/January2017_
Build-CNC_Clamp-Table.
ou will need your PC connected to your controller and A better table has 15/16 wide slots that are 3/8
Y motors to move the Y carriage into favorable positions
to make securing the table a little easier.
deep as shown in Figure 2. These slots hold mini T-tracks
(Figure 3) that will allow you to secure your stock with
In addition to the table, we will be mounting the movable clamps.
KReduCNC electronics inside the frame. We will also be The mounting holes for the table are countersunk on
doing some cable management in order to get our machine
ready for action. Figure 2
The Table
The table is 15-3/4 wide by 16-1/2 deep. Its
constructed from 3/4 stock and can be made from particle
board, plywood, plastic, or MDF (medium-density
fibreboard). The basic table (Figure 1) consists of a single
sheet of 3/4 material with countersunk holes for securing
the table to the Y carriage. In this case, you screw your
hold-down clamps into the table to hold your stock while it
is being machined.
Figure 1 Figure 3
16 SERVO 01.2017
Simpson - CNC build - Jan 17_Blank Rough SV.qxd 12/6/2016 7:54 AM Page 17
Figure 7
Figure 8
SERVO 01.2017 17
Simpson - CNC build - Jan 17_Blank Rough SV.qxd 12/6/2016 7:55 AM Page 18
Figure 9 Figure 10
Figure 11
Figure 12
Figure 13
Figure 15
Figure 14
Mount the Electronics and lock washer to secure the clamp. Here, I am using a
3/8 cable clamp.
Now that the table is secured, you can mount the Cable clamps can be purchased from most home
electronics inside the KReduCNC frame. Start by removing centers, and are available in the electrical section.
all the connectors on the controller. Attach the board holding the controller to the bottom
Next, reattach the parallel cable to the controller. Drill a side of the cleats (Figure 11). Use six #6 wood screws to
5/32 hole in the position shown in Figure 9, then add a secure the board. Drill 3/32 pilot holes to make the job
#6 washer to a #6-32 x 1 machine screw and insert it easier.
through the hole. Secure with a #6-32 hex nut and lock On the power supply panel, add two #6-32 x 1
washer as shown. The actual position of the machine screw machine screws to the positions shown in Figure 12. As
in not critical. before, add clamps and secure with #6-32 hex nuts and
Secure the cable on the parallel port to the screw with lock washers as shown in Figure 13.
a cable clamp as in Figure 10. Use another #6-32 hex nut Secure the panel to the bottom of the cleats with six
18 SERVO 01.2017
Simpson - CNC build - Jan 17_Blank Rough SV.qxd 12/6/2016 7:55 AM Page 19
Figure 17
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Route the power cable over the parallel connector and
secure it to the machine screw with a clamp (Figure 15).
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SERVO 01.2017 19
Simpson - CNC build - Jan 17_Blank Rough SV.qxd 12/6/2016 7:55 AM Page 20
Cable Management
Cable management is very important on CNC
machines. Loose cables can be dangerous and cause
Figure 19 unexpected shorts and lost connections. On larger
machines, we use a cable support system called an E-
chain or drag chain. Figures 19 and 20 show a
couple of these cable transports on some of my
larger units.
On the KReduCNC, we only need to worry about
the movement of the Z axis cable. Its a short run, so
Figure 20
we can get by with a simple system using split loom
cable.
Start by attaching a piece of 3/8 split loom
cable over the Z axis wires as shown in Figure
21. It only needs to be about 34 long as we
Figure 23
dont need to cover the complete length of the
wires.
Secure the cable to one of the shaft
support screws using a cable clamp (Figure
22). You want enough cable between the
motor and the clamp so that it can move the
full range of motion along the X axis; see
Figure 23.
Add some split loom cable to the X axis
wires. Attach the Z axis
A complete bill of materials, as well as additional motor cable to the X axis
information can be found on my website at
motor cable using some
www.kronosrobotics.com/kreducnc. For any
questions or comments, please visit the SERVO small tie wraps as shown in
Magazine forums at http://forum.nutsvolts.com Figure 24.
/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=17408. You can also use a
large cable clamp attached
to one of the frame bolts as
in Figures 24 and 25.
Add a small piece of split loom cable to
the Y axis motor wires (Figure 25). Slip all
Figure 21
the excess motor cable into the slot on the
back of the frame.
Figure 22 The last step is to secure the wires
inside the frame with some tie wraps; refer
to Figure 26. Use a cable clamp to secure
the wires to the corner machine screw
holding the controller in place as in Figure
27.
Conclusion
This completes the table assembly,
20 SERVO 01.2017
Simpson - CNC build - Jan 17_Blank Rough SV.qxd 12/6/2016 7:55 AM Page 21
Figure 25
Figure 27
Figure 26
Figure 24
PCNC 1100 Series 3
starting at:
$8480
(plus shipping)
www.tormach.com/servo
SERVO 01.2017 21
Ostendorff - Mr. Roboto - Jan 17_MrRoboto - Sep 15.qxd 12/6/2016 12:13 AM Page 22
Hi! My name is Eric, but you can call me Mr. Roboto. Ive been a robot nut my whole life. I grew up
playing with toy robots and watching Lost in Space, learning that any mistake can be undone by
reversing the polarity. The toy robots I collected in the 1960s were all mechanical: Bump & Go
Mystery Action robots and Rotate-O-Matics which would walk straight, rotate about the waist,
and fire light-up machine guns. Since then, my collection of vintage toy robots has grown into a small
army you can see online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMOtGYprBRQ.
Q
fun and you meet some great people. response time an indicator of how
. I have seen the term PID quickly the output responds to a
Figure 1. loop used in describing change in input. Overshoot and
motor/sensor relationships. oscillation are visible measures of
Can you explain what a PID loop is control system effectiveness. In
and why it would be needed for robotics, PID is useful for smooth
robots? motion control. One particularly
Derrick Stuart demanding PID application is a
Birmingham, AL balancing robot (inverted pendulum).
A
Gyros, accelerometers, sensor fusion,
. PID is an acronym for Kalman filters, the works. Thats a
Proportional, Integral, and complicated subject worth spreading
Derivative control. These are over several magazine articles. Lets
These days, Im an independent three separate components of a start with a more graspable
inventor and freelance designer, and I closed-loop (feedback) control system, application: a line following robot
scratch-build robots and the purpose of which is usually to (LFR). There are LFR contests at robot
electromechanical gizmos almost deliver smooth and stable control to a shows where the fastest bot wins.
every day. I still like and use Parallax mechanical system. There are books, Consider curvy courses instead of
products. Some of my minimalist websites, and college curriculum on straight lines with 90 degree turns.
robots use tiny PICAXE chips. Im control systems, so I can only scratch You can find plenty of Line Follower
erco in both of those online forums, the surface here in hopes of whetting Competition videos on the web.
swapping ideas and comparing notes your appetite. Ill play the same get Its not difficult to make a slow
22 SERVO 01.2017
Ostendorff - Mr. Roboto - Jan 17_MrRoboto - Sep 15.qxd 12/6/2016 12:13 AM Page 23
Figure 2.
Q
Thus, a small error generates a either from hardware adjustments or
small output signal change, and a software coefficients Kp and Kd. . I have been learning about
large error generates a large output Integral control stores and robotics using rolling robots
signal change. This simple accumulates sensor data to tally the of sorts for the last few
Proportional control may work at low average error over a time period. In a years. I started with the typical two-
speeds but will lead to overshoot and line follower robot, its main use is to servo skid steer desktop offerings
oscillation as we move faster. accumulate line last seen data. and moved up through several
A full PID system examines Consider if the LFR in Figure 2C iterations to a six-wheel rocker bogie
previous sensor data to determine if skids left and loses the line chassis. I now want to explore other
the error is changing, in what completely. While Proportional and means of locomotion. I have looked at
SERVO 01.2017 23
Ostendorff - Mr. Roboto - Jan 17_MrRoboto - Sep 15.qxd 12/6/2016 12:13 AM Page 24
A
nine-servo PICAXE walker, powered
. Much depends on how big a only by four AAA batteries shown at
robot you want to build, and https://www.youtube.com/watch?
where and how you plan to v=imq0HPXiQmM. Walkers are
operate it. Indoor, outdoor, tabletop, some nice small treaded vehicles captivating and beautiful to behold; I
outdoor, smooth, grass, rocks, and which can become steerable robots by can only imagine how many hours of
curbs are very different environments. adding a dual gearbox (as delivered, behind-the-scenes labor are required
I think dead reckoning using wheel they have one motor and cant turn). I to support one hour of operation. If
odometry or calibrated timing just assembled their arm crawler you have that much passion and time,
commands is a great and worthy shown in Figure 3, which has some you command my total respect.
challenge. It works best indoors on amazing climbing ability. My only Remember, Im a toy guy and I always
smooth floors with 2WD differentially complaint is that the bottom-mounted gravitate toward the simplest possible
steered robots. dual gearbox has exposed gears and solutions yielding the most dramatic
Mecanum wheel robots are would wear quickly in a dirty results (bang for the buck).
amazing and consistently wow the environment. Id suggest fabricating Figure 5 shows a pair of my two-
crowds, but they only work properly an enclosure for the gears if you plan servo robots, featured in construction
on smooth flat floors. To improve to take it outside. articles right here in SERVO Magazine.
Mecanum wheel function on less-than- Four-wheel drive bots are another Spiderbot (left) made the cover of the
flat surfaces (notice I didnt say bumpy option for tackling offroad terrain if March 2014 issue and Theobot (right)
or offroad), articulate the chassis in the gear ratio is low enough. There is appeared in April 2014. In both cases,
the middle (as my video shows at no shortage of inexpensive 4WD bots I hacked $8 toys with fantastic
https://www.youtube.com/watch? online using undergeared 48:1 walking mechanism kits into robots
v=rAgiYtwuWB4) to ensure that all gearmotors which will disappoint in which drive and steer just like a
wheels touch the ground. VEX both power and controllability since wheeled robot, using just a pair of
Mecanum wheels are the best value there is lots of wheel scrub with skid continuous servos.
Ive found. steering. For best control, I prefer I recently met Dutch inventor,
Treaded robots are also visually 120:1 gearmotors even on indoor Theo Jansen (Photo 1) and showed
dramatic, and there are many robots. him my Theobot robot, which was
different chassis types to pick from. Be Outdoor robots climbing terrain based on his amazing wind-powered
aware that treads consume much might even benefit from 256:1 Strandbeest you can see at https://
more power than wheels even gearmotors for big wheels. All these www.youtube.com/watch?v=99hM
driving straight on smooth surfaces. ratios are available in the familiar P6Dzzgg.
Q
Turning in place scrubs off lots of Vigor/Solarbotics gearmotors shown
energy and tread material. Although in Figure 4. However, be aware that . I have been experimenting
treads may seem to imply lots of online cheapies are likely 48:1 units. with a small robotic mobile
power and all-terrain performance, Legged bots are a labor of love. platform based on the
not all chassis work equally well. How many servos do you want to buy Parallax Activity board, a digital
Some treads will fall off or jam / calibrate /
when even a small pebble wedges maintain / repair /
under a bogie. Tamiya makes kits for replace? There are
Figure 4.
Figure 5.
24 SERVO 01.2017
Ostendorff - Mr. Roboto - Jan 17_MrRoboto - Sep 15.qxd 12/6/2016 12:13 AM Page 25
A
longer supported but available for an airplane uses VOR stations. I have
. You are likely referring to download from www.wowwee demo videos at https://www.you
Evolution Robotics Northstar zone.com/kb/faq.php?id=75 and is tube.com/watch?v=3rHuFFe6HRc
system, which indeed projected listed as compatible with Windows and https://www.youtube.com
an IR constellation on the ceiling. XP/2000/Vista/7. I just tried a quick /watch?v=_jKoE_LQ0Iw, so be sure
The most widespread commercial use test installation on two different to check them out.
Q
of this system was on WowWees Windows 10 PCs. It loaded on my old
Rovio telepresence robot (Figure 6). 32-bit Acer netbook but not my 64-bit . I would like to add
I still have one somewhere, but machine, so if you have a 32-bit feedback control to a
havent used (or seen) it in many machine and a sense of adventure, windshield wiper motor so it
years. It was an amazing robot and dive right in. can be similar to a giant servo. I
worked very well. I cant comment on the found a couple of online guides but
You could drive it from your PC hackability of the Northstar system, they were either over my head or
and receive streaming video. The but overall the Rovio system was used parts I couldnt find. Do you
Northstar system worked to enable surprisingly robust and fun to happen to know of a recent example
Rovio to reliably return to and dock experiment with. My own experiments of how to do this with lets say, an
with its charging base. Each room or for indoor robot navigation have used Arduino or a Raspberry Pi?
hallway required another charger or multiple ground-based IR beacons to Bill Lopez
allow line-of-sight tracking Phoenix, AZ
A
between beacons. Figure
7 shows my schematic to . What a great project! YouTube
make simple LM556 based has a fantastic servo tutorial at
pulsing beacons which can https://www.youtube.com/w
be detected by most atch?v=v2jpnyKPH64 which shows
common 38 kHz IR how to do just that. For position
Figure 7. receivers. feedback, youll need to install a
Different values of rotary potentiometer inline with the
resistors (R) will yield output shaft, just like most servos use.
different pulse rates for That will require some mechanical
each beacon, which can be fabrication on your part. Id suggest a
detected by most full-sized 5K or 10K linear taper pot,
microcontrollers using a not a tiny trimpot.
COUNT command to While you could build a circuit to
SERVO 01.2017 25
Ostendorff - Mr. Roboto - Jan 17_MrRoboto - Sep 15.qxd 12/6/2016 12:13 AM Page 26
Figure 8.
Carol Hazlett)
much like a
Turtle robot.
Plus, they
can do so much
more with
sensors, LEDs,
and sounds.
Figure 9.
Kids can learn
programming in
make it function using standard servo www.servocity.com/ several different
pulses, it sounds like you prefer a bm-805bb-180-servo-gearbox. languages. Parallax has a fantastic
Q
quick and straightforward solution, education program.
probably using 12V if this is a real . Back when I was in school The green S3 is their latest robot
wiper motor. If you can use three (I rode my dinosaur up hill, in and has an entire STEM education
microcontroller pins, then you can the snow, both ways!), we course built around it.
read the potentiometer position using had an Apple II computer hooked up Check it out at https://www.
an analog-to-digital converter (one pin with a tether to a small robot called a parallax.com/product/28333.
to ADC, built into most micros) and Turtle and it was programmed in a Its hackable and expandable, and
use two pins to drive the motor via an language called Logo. I would like can be programmed using either a
H-bridge. You can buy an L298N H- to get my grandson such a robot to drag and drop GUI (great for kids),
bridge for a few bucks on eBay or roll help his technical education. Is there a BlocklyProp, C, or Spin, which is
your own if you like relays as much as Logo programmable Turtle robot you Parallaxs own language for the
I do. would recommend? Propeller processor which runs the S3.
Figure 8 shows how to use two Leon Campbell Highly recommended, I own one and
SPDT relays in an H-bridge Houston, TX my seven year old twin girls can use
A
configuration to drive a motor. The the GUI to drive the S3 around, flash
right diagram allows power-off motor . The Valiant Turtle was a lights, and make sounds. Its a great
coasting or dynamic braking. recent LOGO based drawing value at $179; youre getting a LOT of
Another approach to making a robot, sold from 1983-2011. robot plus a giant 4,000 mAh
big powerful servo would be to copy They turn up on eBay occasionally. I rechargeable LiPo battery.
ServoCitys power gearbox format certainly want one for my vintage The red Parallax S2 is easily found
shown in Figure 9. Put a pinion on a collection! Honestly for your on eBay, and it is also a great
servo to drive a much larger output grandson, you may prefer a more Propeller based robot platform which
gear. In this case, you would modify modern expandable PC based robot. can draw, and has many of the S3s
the servo to allow 360 degree Parallaxs line of Scribbler robots other features. It can be programmed
rotation, and you would connect the (Figure 10) is fantastic. using a simple GUI or Spin language. I
servo electronics to an external They are not kits, but come ready own several. The original blue
potentiometer on the output shaft. to roll with built-in programs to drive Scribbler is BASIC Stamp 2 based.
This would be controlled exactly like a around, avoid obstacles, seek light, Also available on eBay/Amazon, it
regular servo, but keep your fingers flash LEDs, make sounds, follow lines, can be programmed in BASIC or using
out of those gears! and more. They can all draw on paper a GUI. It also draws, but with less
More info is available at https:// with a marker (Figure 11 courtesy accuracy than the S2/S3 since it lacks
wheel encoders. Nonetheless,
Old Blue came first and
Figure 11. holds a special place in my
heart and collection. I own ...
you guessed it ... several.
26 SERVO 01.2017
Page 27 - Jan 17_Dev Perspectives - ReadFeed Feb15.qxd 12/6/2016 12:29 AM Page 27
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SERVO 01.2017 27
New Products - Jan 17_Mar15 - NewProd.qxd 12/6/2016 8:11 AM Page 28
NEW PRODUCTS
Pattern Plates from 2.25-12 D-shaft for added security, and to
ServoCity www.servocity.com
Upgraded 100 MHz Bench DSO The 2190Es new 7 widescreen color display increases
MicroVector Flight Controller + BLHeli ESC configuration via the V USB port.
OSD Compatible with most PDBs, including those with
built-in current sensors.
bots
IN BRIEF
human would. You can tune its puffing frequency,
intensity, and intervals, and then observe what happens
as the smoke is fed from the machine and passed
through the airspace of the small airway chip."
The lung airway chip technology is just the latest in
a series of "organs-on-chips" microengineered cell
culture devices that are sweeping the medical research
world. These artificial human organs have previously
included kidneys, intestines, lungs, and placentas, and
allow approximations of specific organs to be created
for testing without requiring potentially harmful studies
on living animals or people.
In the case of the airway on a chip, a hollow
microchannel is lined with living human bronchiolar
CHAIN SMOKING epithelium, taken from either healthy individuals or patients
with COPD. As a recent press release about the news stated:
R esearchers working to discover more about how smoke
impacts people's health have developed an artificial human
lung "airway on a chip" and a smoking robot to carry out
"Cell culture medium is continually flowed through a parallel
running channel separated from the first by a porous
membrane to support the epithelium for up to four weeks,
more accurate tests. and to create a so-called air-liquid interface similar to that
The work will help further our understanding of present in [the] actual lung airway."
conditions like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease While it's no secret that smoking is bad for you, the new
(COPD) an irreversible inflammatory disease of the lung's research can help make more accurate personalized
small airways and will aid with investigations into newer evaluations about just how bad it is.
smoking-related trends like vaping. "One of the biggest advances is that you can more
"It's like a Gatling gun; a round turret with 10-12 accurately answer the question of what smoke does to a
cigarettes mounted in it," is how Dr. Donald Ingber, director particular patient," Dr. Ingber continued. "We can use the
of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at same patient's chips and see what happens before and after
Harvard University, described the cigarette-smoking bot. "We smoke exposure. Previously, clinical studies on smoke
then use an automated car cigarette lighter to touch the exposure simply analyzed a certain number of patients who
cigarette to light it. The machine puffs the cigarette as a had a history of smoking and an equal number who didn't.
The problem with this is that you're dealing with different
people with their own histories, home environments, work
environments, and so on. This gives us a much more direct
idea about cause and effect."
30 SERVO 01.2017
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bots
IN BRIEF
WALK WHAT WAY?
O ne of the many things that makes humanoid walking tricky is the fact
that when we walk, were off balance almost all of the time. For some
silly reason, our legs are positioned to the left and right when we walk
forward, which means were constantly rocking sideways while also leaning
in the direction were going. Most robots dont try to walk like this, and
the few that do tend to be very complex and difficult to manage.
At UCLA, Dennis Hongs Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory
(RoMeLa) has come up with a robot design thats a novel new take on
bipedal walking. By doing away with anthropomorphic design and turning a
humanoid robot sideways, theyve been able to create a stable and agile
bipedal design thats simple and cheap at the same time.
Instead of mimicking human walking, Hong told us, we provide an
elegant solution by proposing a novel configuration utilizing mechanical
intelligence for speed, stability, and simplicity, enabling practical and
effective robot mobility for real life applications.
Apparently, once Hong and his students (including Sepehr Ghassemi,
Jeffrey Yu, and Joshua Hooks) came up with the concept for a sideways
walking robot, designing, building, and testing the robot only took two
weeks. The robot is called NABiRoS, which stands for Non-
Anthropomorphic Bipedal Robotic System, and its non-
anthropomorphicness actually makes it better at navigating some
otherwise tricky human environments.
Photo courtesy of RoMeLa.
WINGING IT
C hen Li was a researcher at Berkeleys Poly-PEDAL Lab and
Biomimetic Millisystems Lab, where he gave little legged
robots cockroach-inspired shells to help them push through
obstacles. Li now has his own lab at Johns Hopkins University:
the Terradynamics Lab which studies movement science at the
interface of biology, robotics, and physics. At IROS 2016, he
presented a paper demonstrating a new trick for legged robots
with shells: Ground-based dynamic self-righting, or flipping over
using wing covers like a real insect does.
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DIY Animatronics
Power to the Robots By Steve Koci
The famous phrase, Scotty, we need more power! seems to pop into my head
whenever I am stretching the power envelope on a new creation. Since I dont have
anyone named Scotty (or any other name, for that matter) to come to my aid when
called, it falls to me to consider and resolve this issue early in the planning stages.
Although this is not one of the most exciting parts of the prop building process, it is
crucial that these topics be addressed in order to be sure your characters have the
power they need to perform at their best.
What are My Choices? will remain in a fixed location, then wall warts also
known as AC adapters become an easy and cost-effective
Circuit solution (Figure 1). These items come in regulated or
One possible source of power may be available directly unregulated versions, with the regulated models being the
from your circuit. Many microprocessors can source very supplies of choice.
small loads directly from their GPIO pins. However, most of Be sure to always check the voltage output of your wall
our applications will require more power than is available warts with a digital multimeter before plugging them into
using this option. This is where it is necessary to add an your valuable electronics. Just because it states on the label
additional external power source. Lets look at some other that it is a certain voltage does not necessarily mean it is
methods to get that extra power we need. true. I have seen unregulated wall warts measure out
significantly higher when unloaded than the stated voltage.
Wall Warts While some components may be more tolerant of higher
When a character is in close proximity to AC power and voltages, your sensitive electronics may have more stringent
requirements. This is one of those situations where a quick
check can save you a lot of time and frustration later. While
unregulated supplies are generally less expensive than the
regulated models, it is worth
the price to stick with the
regulated versions.
There are also some
regulated power supplies that
come with multiple voltage
regulators at different voltages.
This allows a single wall wart
Figure 2. to satisfy the needs of your
One
power components if they require
supply different voltages. I use this
for two setup for my Frankenstein
jobs.
boards to supply the 5V and
12V it demands (Figure 2).
Many of our projects
require different voltages to
operate the various devices. Of
Figure 1. Plenty of course, it is possible to regulate
wall wart choices.
the voltage with regulators.
32 SERVO 01.2017
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DIY Animatronics
Post comments on this section and find any associated files and/or downloads at
www.servomagazine.com/index.php/magazine/article/January2017_Animatronics_Power-for-Bots.
RESOURCES
RobotShop http://tinyurl.com/jnvpn9p
ServoCity http://tinyurl.com/zc4ehyp
Hitec http://tinyurl.com/jltbqxh
DIY Animatronics Forum
http://tinyurl.com/qjeehjs
My Website www.halstaff.com
My YouTube Channel
http://tinyurl.com/nma2doj
SERVO 01.2017 33
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DIY Animatronics
batteries along with the requisite charger to
keep them powered up. If your project uses Figure 7. Pick the size you need.
batteries, they will need to be monitored,
which takes some additional time and effort.
DIY Animatronics
is the perfect opportunity to do an initial
review. I have just started to explore all this
unit has to offer and am extremely
impressed at what I am discovering so far
(Figure 8).
This charger is packed with features! It
offers the ability to charge up to four
batteries of different chemistries on any of
the charging ports. Each channel operates
independently of the others, allowing you to
mix and match battery types. It will
accommodate NiMH, NiCd, LiPo, Li-Ion,
LiHV, and Pb batteries. All four channels
have balance inputs and can accommodate
Figure 8. The new Hitec X4
temperature sensors which you can Pro battery charger.
purchase separately. It also includes a USB
charging port which is another thing I will put to use as
Jarvis (see the September 2016 issue of SERVO)
incorporates a couple of components that have this
charging requirement.
It packs plenty of power-charging ability with a total
of 200 watts on AC and 300 watts when using DC.
Having the capability to use a DC power source to run the
charger can be especially useful when away from the
availability of a convenient wall plug.
I am very impressed on how well designed and built
the charger is. Little details such as the use of all four Figure 9. A simple wiring solution.
sides of the charger for the various cable connections
shows how well thought-out the design is. This allows you the most inconvenient times, which is something we want
to spread your batteries out when charging which is to do our best to avoid. Remember that battery charging
especially useful if you are using all four ports. takes time, so plan accordingly!
The wireless feature is especially handy as the X4 AC
Pro can be controlled by your smartphone. Setup of the Other Considerations
app could not have been easier and was completed in a
couple of minutes. I think this will be something I take full When troubleshooting a malfunctioning prop, my first
advantage of! You can also use the free software to test is of the power supply. It is more often than not the
operate and monitor the charger from your computer. culprit! Replacing or recharging dead batteries or switching
The charger can store up to 10 separate charging out an inoperable power supply are easy fixes and are
profiles for each channel. The ability to access this at any frequently all that is required to get your character up and
time can be a valuable time-saver. The box also includes running again. Be prepared and have spares on hand!
two balance boards along with the various cables necessary There are a variety of different cable connectors that
to get started charging your batteries. are available for attaching your power supply to your circuit.
The use of quality components shows the commitment I prefer to use ones that can simply be plugged in which
to provide a well constructed product that will hold up to allows for an easy tool-less change-out if I need to quickly
some serious use. Considering all the features provided by replace a faulty power supply. If a circuit comes with only a
this charger, I feel the price of $199 is extremely screw-in header, I attach an adapter (Figure 9) which
reasonable. This unit should satisfy the charging needs and allows for a simple connection.
budget of the DIY animatronic builder very well. The Noise in your circuits from your power source can
chargers should be on the shelves by the time you read this, create havoc on your otherwise well planned design. This
so check it out and consider adding one to your can sometimes be resolved by using separate supplies for
workbench. each component. I find that isolating my servo or motor
The ongoing chore of having to recharge and power supply is especially helpful in reducing the feedback
continually swap out multiple batteries is a never-ending to the rest of my circuit.
process. Creating a deliberate charging routine will go a Beware of the danger of improperly storing 9V
long way to satisfying the continuous demands of your batteries. Since both the positive and negative contacts are
batteries. Components always seem to run out of juice at side by side on the top of the battery, it is easy for a metal
SERVO 01.2017 35
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DIY Animatronics
object to bridge them from making the
and start a fire. Store Figure 10. A safe way to store wrong choice when
them in the original 9V batteries. choosing a power
packaging or a specially source. Carefully
designed container consider your options
(Figure 10) until you and choose the
are ready to install method best suited to
them. Avoid storing that particular design.
them loosely where they Experiment with a
can come in contact method new to you
with other batteries or and resist the urge to
any metal objects. only use a single type
Taping the posts can of power supply for all
provide some added your needs. Using the
protection if you are old and known method
required to transport them. may limit your ability to expand your designs in new and
Please dispose of your batteries in an environmentally- exciting ways. The more options you have available in your
friendly manner when they reach the end of their useful toolbox, the greater your creations can be!
life. They contain toxic materials and need to be recycled If you have any questions or have ideas on this subject,
properly. Check with your local municipality for any available please share it with the rest of the community on the
opportunities in your area. forum. You can find it at http://tinyurl.com/hu6pxtz.
My Tank is on Empty Until next month, May the Passion to Build Be with
You! SV
Do not let your projects suffer due to lack of power or
36 SERVO 01.2017
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W
e all know the drill and the misery of however. Use two power supplies: one for the motors, and
trying to add sensors to a motorized project. another supply for the data collection system. While this is
Motors need big current supplies, while a workable alternative, now youve got the added burden
sensors generally speaking need modest of two battery packs that need separate and distinct
current supplies. Voltage regulators, buck regulators, wires, charging and maintenance routines.
and switches serve as unwanted but necessary guests Youd think with the recent advances in energy
inside the robots circuitry. harvesting technology, solar power efficiency, and super-
There are alternatives to this common scenario, capacitor charge retention that someone wouldve put all of
SERVO 01.2017 37
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Figure 1. Cypress has cracked the code for creating battery- Figure 2. The solar BLE sensor by Cypress.
less sensor networks.
these technologies together, and created a drop-in-place impressive set of specifications. Namely: a 3.6V solar cell;
sensor package that could be easily inserted into any 0.2F super-capacitor; 10-pin GPIO connector (be
project. Well, that someone is Cypress Semiconductor forewarned, however, this connector is very difficult to
(cypress.com) and theyve done it! They have a newly access without the Cypress debug board); BLE chip
released solar-powered sensor solution that enables you to antenna; programmable via the Cypress debug board; and
add a pint-sized, low cost, battery-free sensor package an integrated temperature and humidity sensor IC (see
anywhere on virtually any robot (see Figure 1). Figure 3 and Figure 4).
Officially known as the Cypress solar-powered Incredibly, all of this goodness is housed on a wafer-
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon or Solar BLE Sensor, thin disc PCB that is about one inch in diameter as shown
you can see by the name that Cypress added an in Figure 5. And remember, this solar BLE sensor is totally
unbelievable extra to this sensor. Yes, this is a Bluetooth- self-contained just install and forget. In situations where
enabled sensor package. the presence of ambient light might not be sufficient, you
Figure 2 shows a couple of assembled sensor can solder an optional CR2032 cell battery to the PCB.
packages, along with the sensor PCB (printed circuit board)
and enclosure pieces. Not only that, its solar powered with Im No Node, Im a Network
an energy harvesting circuit used for charging a capacitor
array, giving you unlimited operation while it is within range Studying the size of the solar BLE sensor, its hard to
of an adequate illumination source. believe that it is at the center of its own wireless sensor
Specifically, the solar BLE sensor uses a couple of clever network (WSN). You can access this portion of the BLE
Cypress devices: an Energy Harvesting Power Management module through an optional debug board as shown in
IC (PMIC) S6AE103A, and an EZ-BLE Programmable Radio- Figure 6 and Figure 7. This board is packaged with one
on-Chip (PRoC) module CYBLE-022001-00 for achieving an solar BLE sensor in a reference design kit (RDK).
38 SERVO 01.2017
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Figure 3. This solar cell supplies all of the power needed for
running the solar BLE sensor. Figure 4. The BLE radio is the green PCB and the super-
capacitor is the silver disc.
Armed with this kit (CYALKIT-E02), parameters through the WSN PC
you can verify the WSN function, as well program.
as configure serial parameters on a solar There is still another special chipset
BLE sensor (e.g., read/write the on the debug board which is known as
transmitter power strength). KitProg. KitProg is used for
Furthermore, you can program the programming and debugging the EZ-BLE
sensors firmware with the debug board, module on the solar BLE sensor. KitProg
too. uses a programmable system-on-chip
So, having a debug board can be (PSoC) 5LP device for burning hex files
pretty handy if you plan on integrating into either the debug boards PSoC BLE
the solar BLE sensor WSN into your or the solar BLE sensors EZ-BLE module.
projects.
Reading and writing the serial Let There Be Light
configuration parameters with the
debug board relies on a PC based In addition to the onboard
terminal program, such as the Cypress- temp/humidity sensor, you could argue
recommended Tera Term VT. In this that the solar BLE sensor has another
context, the solar BLE sensor PCB is stealth sensor built into it: an ambient
connected to the debug board via the light sensor. Why? Well, according to
10-pin GPIO connector; a toggle switch Cypress, variations in light intensity
is set on the debug board to EZ-BLE; and cause the BLE radio to transmit data at
the board is inserted into an available specific advertisement time intervals.
USB port. These light levels and time intervals are:
When youre ready to start the
configuration process, a reset button is Figure 5. The solar BLE sensor is 100-200 lux (roughly equivalent to
pressed on the debug board and your about the size of a US quarter. a street lamp) with an interval of 50
desired parameters are transmitted from seconds
the PC to the solar BLE sensor with Tera Term VT. The WSN 200-400 lux (subdued interior lighting) with an
does not transmit data during this configuration process. interval of 30-50 seconds
After the parameters have been set, eject the debug 400-500 lux (office lighting) advertising at a 15-30
board, remove the solar BLE sensor from the debug board, second interval
slide the toggle switch to PRoC BLE, and reinsert the debug > 1,000 lux (cloudy day and brighter) transmitting
board into the PC. You can now verify the changed data at 3-15 second intervals
SERVO 01.2017 39
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capacitor.
In timer mode, it transmits
data at five minute intervals in
variable light levels. If the super-
capacitor is not fully charged, it will
be charged during this mode of
operation.
In timer mode, data is
transmitted for approximately 30
hours even in total darkness
after the super-capacitor is fully
charged.
Figure 6. The main toggle switch has six silver legs along the right-hand edge on the
debug board.
The super-capacitor can also be
charged via the 10-pin GPIO
connector on the solar BLE sensor.
Figure 8 shows the sensor PCB
plugged into this connector. The
sensor is plugged into the debug
board and then the board is
connected to a USB charger. In this
configuration, the super-capacitor
will be fully charged in about 10
minutes. Alternatively, you can also
use the USB port on your computer
for charging the super-capacitor.
Figure 7. The underside of the debug board.
Of Course, Theres
an App for It
Granted, you dont want to be
tethered to your PC while receiving
telemetry from your symbiont
sensor-equipped bot. Luckily,
Cypress is a couple of steps ahead
of you and your wandering robot.
There is both an Android and iOS
app for receiving and logging data
from the solar BLE sensor.
Once youve downloaded and
installed the requisite app for your
Figure 8. A solar BLE sensor attached to the debug board via the 10-pin GPIO mobile device, just flick the
connector. This configuration will charge the super-capacitor when plugged into a USB
port. Bluetooth toggle in your Settings,
and launch the app. If youre using
So, measure the time interval and you can get a rough the iOS version of Cypress BLE Beacon, you will have to
idea of the ambient light level that is powering the sensor. additionally enable the Location toggle inside Settings ->
This mode of operation is called demo mode (labeled Privacy.
DM on the sensor enclosure). There is also timer mode Up to 10 solar BLE sensors can be read at the same
(TM). These modes are selected via a switch on the solar time. Likewise, up to 10 sensors can be logged at the same
BLE sensor PCB. Basically, the difference between these time. These logs are saved in a CSV format file consisting of
modes include: up to a maximum size of 50 MB. This size limit is comprised
of up to five log files, with each file limited to 100,000
In demo mode, the solar BLE sensor transmits data at entries. The logs are added to the device in a rollover file
the previously mentioned light level governed time intervals. system fashion where the oldest file is replaced by the
Also, demo mode does not charge the onboard super- newest file. Therefore, run tests of your data stream before
40 SERVO 01.2017
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SERVO 01.2017 41
Combat Zone - Jan 17_Combat Zone - Aug 15.qxd 12/6/2016 8:36 AM Page 42
his month, Combat Zone debuts two bots stood out for their creative Bot: Overhaul
the delicate curve of a perfectly idiot!), the composition on these two As described by the team:
tensioned #30 roller chain glistening bots are truly works of art. Our team knew going into Season
with oil in the glare of a bare 60 watt I asked the artists to comment on 2 that we wanted a mascot for
bulb. their creations, as we present the Overhaul. There already exists a big
To fans and builders who still gallery of shiny objects for your fanbase revolving around the
have some shred of non-metallic viewing pleasure. anthropomorphism of inanimate
awareness, there is another form of The Editor objects, so we thought, why not
art in our sport: the decorations we
slather, draw, or sometimes carefully
craft on our precious machines. At
this years BattleBots tournament,
Featured
This Month:
42 The Art of the Bot
by Kevin M. Berry
44 Builder Tip:
Going to Events
by Matt Spurk
45 EVENT REPORT:
NERCs Battle on the
Parkway: 10 Years of
Fighting in Philly
by Nate Franklin
42 SERVO 01.2017
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www.servomagazine.com/index.php/magazine/article/January2017_Bot-Art.
SERVO 01.2017 43
Combat Zone - Jan 17_Combat Zone - Aug 15.qxd 12/6/2016 8:36 AM Page 44
www.servomagazine.com/index.php/magazine/article/January2017_Event-List.
Multimeter
against others, hang out with Robots
friends, and see all the cool Heat Shrink
creations very creative people Controllers
Tap and Die Set
have built. I learn new skills or Battery Charger(s)
Zip Ties
tricks every single time. Controller Batteries
Dremel Tool
One of the bad things about
going to events is showing up
Controller Charger
Files
and forgetting that key part or LiPo Charging Bags
Hammers
tool you really need. This can Spare Parts Scissors
really put a damper on an
otherwise amazing experience. Receivers Snap Ring Pliers
Most builders are more than Wheels Pliers
happy to loan out tools or parts, Batteries Jigsaw
but I prefer having everything I
Drive/Weapon Motors Angle Grinder
need to quickly get my machine
back in order without hunting Speed Controllers Heat Gun/Lighter
for it. Belts
Random Stuff
In order to keep track of all
the tools and parts I take to Tools Camera
events, I have put together a Soldering Iron Trash Can
little spreadsheet with all the Solder Chairs
items I commonly use. As Im
Solder Bulb Power Strip
building the bots, Ill often find
Im using a tool that wasnt on Helping Hands Extension Cord
my original list, so it gets added. Drill/Driver Spare plastic or metal to make a wedge
I also started taking my list to Drill Bits (Standard and Metric) Pencil/Sharpie
competitions, so if I realize I
needed a certain tool it can be
Drill Charger
Stuff to Bring Next Time
added for future events. It may Wrenches / Crescent
not help me this time, but Wire Strippers
repeating the same mistake is Allen Wrenches
significantly more frustrating.
It also speeds up the
Scale
process of getting everything Screwdrivers
ready. Just go through the list Hardware (Nuts, Bolts, etc.)
and check it off once its packed. Tapes (Duct, Electrical, Double-stick)
Hopefully this list will help
all the builders out there (new or
Glues (Hot, Super, Epoxy, etc.)
old) in those frantic moments Safety Glasses
This List
packing just before the event.
SV
CE Robots 8-12-2016
44 SERVO 01.2017
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www.servomagazine.com/index.php/magazine/article/January2017_NERC-Battle-on-the-Parkway.
SERVO 01.2017 45
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monstrous vertical spinner was out for The two fought an intense battle, Wedge Industries brought True Grit, a
blood. Its first victim was flipper with MegatRON coming out on top. bot inspired by Yeti from ABCs
Imperial Entanglements, who was MegatRON went up against Big Ripto, BattleBots with a sanding drum. There
dispatched with ease. who took a chunk out of its saw were also hammers like Iron Golem
Meanwhile, a scaled down blade and tore its wedge off, hitting and Jaeger (the spiritual successor to
version of everyones BattleBots the ceiling. I Cant Believe its Not Blacksmith on ABCs BattleBots), but
dream fight took place. Charles Guan Overhaul fought its way through the lifters Translationally Inconsistent
brought the latest version of his 30 losers bracket, beating vertical (which featured mecanum drive,
lber Uberclocker, but rebuilt for the spinner Duck Yeah, wedge Melvin, allowing the bot to move side to side
Featherweight class and named "I and MegatRON. However, it was Big like a crab) and Heracross dominated.
Can't Believe it's Not Overhaul," while Ripto who took home the win. However, the real star of the
Jamison Go brought a miniature The Sportsman class featured Sportsman class was CLOMP, a bot
SawBlaze, MegatRON. many impressive bots. Alex Horne of inspired by Mega Tento from
DDT.
Ubersaw.
FireArrow.
Chuck and
Bagel Bite.
Silent
Ferocious Spring.
Mk 4.
Recoil launches
Scorpius. Best Korea.
Event
Horizon. Freshies. Butcher.
46 SERVO 01.2017
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BattleBots. Built by Centre County 4-H reducing it to scrap. Thankfully, the the former taking the win.
Robotics, it used a plastic bucket to team brought a spare bucket. In their Once again, the Northeast
smother its opponents, and won the fight against True Grit, they drove on Robotics Club put on a great event in
hearts of the audience and builders. top of the lifter/sander hybrid, and the Franklin Institute. Thanks to all
In its fight against Jaeger, the managed to yank out its power link who helped run the event, and to the
powerful hammer dealt blow after with its wheel. In the end, it came builders who put on a good show.
blow, puncturing the bucket and down to Dorno and Heracross, with SV
1st 2nd 3rd
Antweight Physique Black Ferocious Mk 4 DDT
Beetleweight Silent Spring Trilobite Scorpius
Hobbyweight Butcher Freshies Odin
Featherweight Big Ripto I Cant Believe MegatRON
Its Not Overhaul
Sportsman Dorno Heracross Translationally Inconsistent
Duck Yeah.
Odin attacks 911 with its drum. Big Ripto.
MegatRON MegatRON
(before). (after).
Melvin.
Clomp.
True Grit takes on Lil Bale Kicker.
Jaeger.
SERVO 01.2017 47
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NOMAD
This is an update to my March 2015
The Evolution of an
Autonomous Robot
he original plan was to use an old Android phone was an Intel Edison with the Arduino compatible breakout
SERVO 01.2017 49
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Interactive is all about new technologies. As part of their embedded developer page.
Interactive, there is a show called Create which is free and Two weeks later, my Jetson TX1 Evaluation Kit arrived
open to the public. The Robot Group had a sizable display in the mail. A week after that, the Zed stereo camera
there that year, and I really wanted to be able to show off system from StereoLabs was on my porch. The evaluation
Nomad with working sensors and collecting vision kit is significantly larger than the Raspberry Pi, which meant
information from the Kinect. Alas, it was not to be. yet another reconfiguring of the chassis. This time, I had to
However, directly across from our booth was one for build a larger box in which to house the Jetson and
Nvidia: the makers of video cards. Nvidia has an embedded associated electronics. While I was at it, I added dedicated
system called the Jetson and they had just come out with space for the power switch, an external Ethernet port,
their newest version: the TX1. The Jetson TX1 runs their power jack, HDMI port, and two cooling fans. For the Zed
latest Tegra processor which consists of a 64-bit quad core camera, I also ordered a nice pan/tilt assembly from
ARM processor and 256 Cuda GPU cores. This setup allows ServoCity.
for massive parallel processing. In short, this little board is a At this point, I have to say how thankful I am to have
video processing powerhouse. found the local hacker space here in Austin. This place has
In their booth, they were demonstrating how their been an amazing resource for building Nomad and so many
Jetson TX1 could be incorporated into a robot with a stereo other projects. Between the laser cutters, 3D printers, and
camera system to perform SLAM activities. To take it a step all of the other tools available here, there is very little that
further thanks to the Cuda cores they were able to cant be done. Were even adding a CNC plasma cutter. So,
build a neural network on the robot so it would learn as it once the design is finalized, I might even cut a new chassis
went. My amateur hobby robotics mind was blown. This altogether out of aluminum. And its not just the tools. The
was one of those, stop talking and take my money people and talent is fantastic.
moments. The engineer that was there gave me his contact Without some of the expertise from the ATX
information should I have any questions and directed me to Hackerspace, I dont know that Nomad would have made it
anywhere near as far as it has. If you havent already
availed yourself of your local maker or hacker space, do so.
You will be astounded at what you can get done.
way, follow directions at http://docs.nvidia.com/jetpack- nomad_control.py, and nomad_drive.py. The first is the
l4t/index.html#developertools/mobile/jetpack/l4t/2.2.1 custom driver script for the Roboclaw from the sample
/jetpack_l4t_install.htm. Python program provided by ION Motion Control: the
makers of the Roboclaw motor controller. The second file
Installing ROS (nomad_control.py) subscribes to the JoyCommand
message of the Joy node and publishes the axes signals as
The next step in the process for Nomad is the a Twist message which is the standard movement
installation of ROS. This installation is probably the most message used in ROS.
straightforward of any of them simply because youre Lastly, nomad_drive.py is the node that interacts with
installing onto a full version of Ubuntu. Because the version the motor controller. It leverages the Roboclaw driver to
of Ubuntu in this selected version of Jetpack is 14.04, I send movement commands as well as read pertinent
needed to install ROS Indigo. Like any other ROS install, information provided by the driver, such as battery voltages,
make sure you match the version of ROS to your version of operating temperature, and any errors generated by the
Linux. Each version is optimized to the most recent stable motor controller.
version of Ubuntu at the time it was released. Mismatching The fourth module is the standard joystick package. To
the versions will cause countless issues that can otherwise get the joystick package installed for ROS, I followed the
be avoided. instructions at http://wiki.ros.org/joy/Tutorials/
The Jetson platforms use ARM processors; therefore, ConfiguringALinuxJoystick.
youll need to install the appropriate version of ROS for To get Nomad moving, I have to start up each of these
ARM. The official instructions for doing so can be found on nodes. Generally, you would put each node call into an ROS
the official ROS.org wiki at http://wiki.ros.org launch file and simply use roslaunch to start all of them at
/indigo/Installation/UbuntuARM. Again, Im not going the same time. However, at the time of this writing, I have
to list out all of the instructions here. been experiencing some issues with nomad_drive.py
Finally, I was in a position to load the test program I starting up properly. While I diagnose the issue, I am
wrote so long ago for BARB and the earlier iteration of starting each of the nodes separately. Each node has to be
Nomad. The nice thing about getting familiar with and started in its own terminal window on the Jetson board,
using ROS is how little code it actually takes to make starting with the core processes:
something happen. All of this source code is available on
GitHub at: ~$: roscore
~$: rosrun joy joy_node
https://github.com/jcicolani/Nomad/blob/master/ ~$: rosrun nomad nomad_control.py
src/nomad/nomad_control.py ~$: rosrun nomad nomad_drive.py
https://github.com/jcicolani/Nomad/blob/master/
src/nomad/nomad_drive.py The night I got Nomad configured, loaded, and
https://github.com/jcicolani/Nomad/blob/master/ running was our Robot Group meeting at ATX Hackerspace.
src/nomad/roboclaw.py I cannot express how good it felt to have Nomad driving
around the classroom and shop there. Two years of build,
These are the pieces of custom code and the modified rebuild, and rebuild again, and Nomad was alive and
sample file from ION Motion Control that I'm using as a moving.
driver.
There are four modules needed to get Nomad driving, Current State
three of which are in the Git repository: roboclaw.py,
Of course, like any project, once you have it working is
when you start to find other issues. Right from the
Resources ROS for Ubuntu on beginning, there were three issues that had to be
Nomad's blog: ARM processesors: addressed. The first was a physical issue; the wheels I was
http://nomadrobot.info using were those from the original Nomad kit. These
http://wiki.ros.org/indigo/
Nomad's source code Installation/UbuntuARM werent intended to support the 16 lb Nomad now
on GitHub: weighed. The other two were electrical: There was too
https://github.com/jcicolani ATX Hackerspace: much pressure on the USB connector to the Roboclaw, and
/Nomad I had an intermittent power problem going to the Jetson
http://atxhs.org
Nvidia Jetpack board. Both of these issues resulted in the motor controller
installation guide: ION Motion Control: losing signal with the main board.
http://docs.nvidia.com/ www.ionmc.com Without changing the profile of Nomad, I essentially
jetpack-l4t/index.html#
developertools/mobile/jet have two solutions to the wheel problem. The first is to
pack/l4t/2.2.1/jetpack_l4t_ ServoCity: replace them with air filled rather than the standard foam
install.htm www.servocity.com filled tires. The other is to simply remove the foam insert
52 SERVO 01.2017
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Several years ago, I wrote an article for SERVO showing how you could convert an
old Roomba vacuum cleaner and a Microsoft Kinect into a robot training platform
capable of teaching yourself ROS: the Robot Operating System from Willow Garage.
Willow Garage has now closed, and Clearpath Robotics can sell you a complete
brand new Turtlebot for about $2,100. Recently, OSRF and Robotis have announced
a less expensive Turtlebot, but this is still a bit out of the range for most serious
amateurs.
Neato robotic vacuum cleaner into a fully functional training Step 2: Preparing the Pi and
platform in less than a day. Very little hardware skill or
special tools are needed. Everything is available COTS attaching to the Botvac.
(commercial off-the-shelf), and the software is all open Artfully arrange the Pi, battery pack, and optional
source. Lets get started! camera on a 6 by 6 flat piece of wood or plastic. Attach
Heres what you need to get, if you dont already have with double-sided tape. On the bottom of the assembly,
them: attach a piece of Velcro or similar quick release fastener.
Attach the matching Velcro to the top of the Botvacs
A laptop or Wi-Fi connected desktop running Unbuntu. LIDAR unit. Lastly, plug in the USB cables. You might want
This should be at least 14.04 and running ROS Indigo, to charge your batteries. It would be a shame to have all
but it would be better to upgrade to the same versions the software loaded and then have to wait to test it.
if running cross platform. ROS versions are usually
matched to Ubuntu releases. Step 3: Loading the software onto
A Neato Botvac or equivalent (I have seen used XV-12s
for under $200, and new basic models for under
the Pi.
$300). At the time of this writing, an official version of Ubuntu
A Raspberry Pi 3 (camera is optional but highly 16.04 was not available for the Pi 3. I used the Ubuntu
recommended) ~$50. Mate (pronounced ma tay) version. Instructions for
6 gig SD card for Pi ~$10.
Rechargeable 5V power pack (the kind for recharging
cell phones is fine) ~$20.
USB cables for battery pack to Pi (micro) and Pi to
Botvac (can be mini or micro, depending).
Small scraps of aluminum or tin from a can.
Small scraps of flat plywood or acrylic.
Velcro, double-sided tape, or other easy-to-remove
adhesives.
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ff00::0 ip6-mcastprefix
ff02::1 ip6-allnodes
ff02::2 ip6-allrouters
Listing 1. </include>
<arg name="input_cmd_vel_topic" <!-- launch the main base driver node -->
default="/raw_cmd_vel" /> <node name="neato" pkg="neato_node"
<arg name="feedback_cmd_vel_topic" type="neato.py" output="screen">
default="robot_cmd_vel" /> <param name="port" value="/dev/ttyACM0" />
<arg name="output_cmd_vel_topic" <remap from="cmd_vel" to="robot_cmd_vel" />
default="smoothed_cmd_vel" /> <remap from="/base_scan" to="/scan" />
</node>
56 SERVO 01.2017
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rostopic list
Testing /button
/cmd_vel
On the laptop, type: /cmd_vel_mux/active
/cmd_vel_mux/parameter_descriptions
/cmd_vel_mux/parameter_updates
roscd teleop /joint_states
/mobile_base_nodelet_manager/bond
If nothing is found, type: /odom
/raw_cmd_vel
/robot_cmd_vel
sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-teleop-twist- /rosout
keyboard /rosout_agg
/scan
On the Botvac, turn on the Pi, and sign on via a /sensor
terminal window from the laptop. /smoothed_cmd_vel
I like to launch a custom base only node on the Pi: /teleop_velocity_smoother/parameter_descriptions
/teleop_velocity_smoother/parameter_updates
/tf
roslaunch bv80bot_node bv80bot_njoy.launch /tf_static
(refer to the code listings)
You should hear the Neato LIDAR unit start to spin. the subtleties of autonomous navigation. Because of the
On the laptop, open up another terminal window and Neatos XV-11 LIDAR unit, you can simultaneously
set up the ROS_IP and ROS_MASTER_URI environment accomplish localization and obstacle avoidance.
variables via the export command. Support for webcams and the Raspberry Pi camera are
Test to see if you are getting topics (rostopic list) and available through ROS nodes. I have gotten teleop via a
scans (rostopic echo /scan). Bluetooth joystick to work through the laptop, but not
Finally, launch teleop: directly on the Pi.
Please note that though the Pi has four USB slots, there
rosrun teleop_twist_keyboard is seldom enough power to run more than the Botvac
teleop_twist_keyboard.py
interface and a Wi-Fi dongle. A typical USB webcam will
You should now be able to drive your robot. draw too much current and crash the Pi.
If you open RVIZ in another window, you should see With a Wi-Fi connected phone and some ingenuity, you
the LIDAR returns. should be able to issue voice commands. This way, you can
call up your home robot from the office and ask it to find
the cat.
What Next? The Botvac is a little underpowered for bringing you a
snack from the kitchen, but when the next more powerful
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SERVO 01.2017 59
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g{x Now
a n d
by Tom Carroll
TWCarroll@aol.com
ooking back in time, these two amazing startup companies. Ill start Garage in late 2006: a privately-funded
L studies are quiet often
intermeshed, but I find the
with one very familiar company as an
example and continue with a short
research company aimed at advancing
the state of robotic technology in
evolutionary studies a bit more history of a series of Silicon Valley autonomous devices, with the goal of
interesting. I wont start with the startups that began with that using ROS in their robots.
earliest industrial robots or even company, Willow Garage. This robotics The Willow Garage evolution
Hondas amazing Asimo. I just want to company has a most unique history along with Hassan offers a great tale
cover the backgrounds of the and evolutionary path in its of how unique and driven
individuals who drove the latest background. entrepreneurs with minds focused on
growth activity in robotics with newly- the future accomplish amazing things.
formed companies. Scott Hassans Willow The evolution of a certain technology
Robot evolution is far more than a does not always start with a specific
succession of companies developing a Garage Launches a need to accomplish a task. Quite
series of newer robots. It is people Series of Startups often, it begins with an individual who
with dreams who form the companies, Scott Hassan was the founder of has a long range vision and that
using insight and intuition to recognize the list-archiving service email dream need not be aimed at a specific
and hire talented innovators. company called eGroups in 1997. goal.
Education and experience are Hassan later sold it to Yahoo in 2000 Hassan hired Steve Cousins as
important, but it the rare ability to for $432 million in stock. He previously President and CEO of Willow Garage
innovate that is most important. These was the key software architect and co- (refer to Figure 1). As I have read in
individuals then go forth and bring developer of Google, Alexa Internet, several publications, Hassan had
their dreams to fruition. and the Stanford Digital Library while instructed Cousins to fill the building
In the first part of this article, Ill working at Stanford University. Hassan that he just bought on Willow Road in
discuss some of these unique met fellow post-grad students and Menlo Park, CA with interesting
individuals who drove the evolutionary Google founders, Larry Page and stuff. It is noteworthy that Hassan
advances in robotics. Most started Sergey Brin. He ended up
with advanced degrees in computer programming much of the original
science, but ended up as key players in search engine that eventually became
robotics. Id like to present several the number one location for many
robot startup companies by these Internet users to find information.
people and their spinoffs that were Hassan had long been interested
composed of some of the brightest in open source software and has been
entrepreneurs in recent robot a force behind introducing ROS (Robot
development history. Operating System) to robot
It is quite interesting to visualize developers. ROS was first created at
just how these people interact and Stanford Universitys AI laboratory,
interface through similar interests to SAIL, under the name of switchyard.
Figure 1. Scott Hassan and Steve Cousins
form common bonds that evolve into He used his own funds to start Willow the force behind Willow Garage.
60 SERVO 01.2017
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we imagined what effortless smart driving into it. It would take hundreds
presence would look like, and set to and hundreds of PhDs in computer
work creating it. The Texai concept science, electrical engineering, and
became a successful product. mechanical engineering to build a
system that does that.
Figure 8.
Mark Mann
Suitable Interviews Scott Do Robots Need
Technologies
Beam 'smart Hassan via Ultimate Autonomy?
presence
system.' Telepresence Despite all those
accomplishments, Hassan ultimately
In May 2016, Mark Mann became disillusioned with autonomous
interviewed Hassan via Suitable robots; he felt they are too expensive
Technologies Beam smart presence to build. Although AI can now beat
system, as reported on the site humans at Go and perform other
Vice.com. Mann was interviewing impressive feats, these robots are still
Hassan via a Beam robot that was in not as smart as real people.
a Willow Garage spinoff: Suitable Hassans office and under control the Computers are fabulous, but theyre
Technologies. The spinoffs product control of Mann. Hassan told Mann nothing compared to the human
the Beam robot shown in Figure 8 how he was amazed at what Willow brain, he told Mann. There are
is the conference intermediary device Garages previous robot, the billions of people on the planet, so
in the remote interview below. autonomous PR2 was able to why not do it with people as the
accomplish. intelligence, instead of an artificial
The Beam from Scott Mann stated: I beamed into system?
Hassans office in Palo Alto, where These thoughts set him on the
Hassans Suitable Suitable Technologies, Inc., is based. I path to develop robots that are human
Technologies found him there waiting for me, controlled a sensible evolutionary
At the dissolution of Willow gazing intently into the camera of the step from his advanced PR2. The
Garage as a parent company, Hassan Beam I was manipulating. Hassan is closing of WG was a sensible action
took his concept of a simple stand- extremely alert and attentive, and towards his goals.
alone robot from the prototype Texai comes across as an over-caffeinated
robots for the Beam smart presence genius: generous with his ideas, but A Personal Robot
system described earlier. A simple also impatient that you keep up. He
control system allows reliability and rarely does interviews, though hes Could Operate with
better performance a goal that one of the most important figures in Minimal Autonomy
Hassan realized after designing, modern robotics. Hassans beliefs are also a similar
building, and using the complex and During the interview, Hassan train of thought that has directed my
software-laden PR2s. emphasized: Impact first and return ideas of controlling a personal
On the Suitable Technologies site, on capital second. The first new assistant robot to allow millions of
Hassan words are mirrored under Our employees were student interns who seniors to live independently. Instead
Story: Beam began as a solution to were told to blaze new paths in the of a sensor-loaded, fully autonomous
our own frustrations with remote field of robotics. These students grew robot with complex manipulative,
work. Despite the variety of existing to about 60 in number before Hassan visual, and speech recognition
technologies like email, chat, and decided to close Willow Garage and capabilities, I have proposed a mobile
videoconferencing, we found that our allow his employees to go out and robot with a pair of simple arms that
remote team members felt isolated, start their own companies. It was not can assist a senior from a floor after a
things got lost in translation, and a going out of business closing, just a fall. These arms could also assist them
calling multiple meetings for daily change in direction in the evolution of onto and off of a bed, chair, and/or a
work was disruptive. Then, it hit us: his robotics endeavors. toilet. These are just a few of the
What if our distributed team could just Hassan said, Creating a robot capabilities that I learned about after
be together? that accurately and quickly responds to visiting seniors at an elder care facility
Collaboration would be so much voice instructions and performs simple a while back.
easier, and our team would be much tasks is still extremely difficult. He Hassan has said that Here is a
more efficient and culturally cohesive. illustrated this by asking me to nudge funny word, referring to a request to
We thought, surely if we felt this pain, a wastebasket under a chair with my a robot to come here. I feel that the
others were feeling it, too. Inspired, Beam, which I was able to do by word can easily be translated into:
62 SERVO 01.2017
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Figure 10.
Relay delivers
a towel to a
hotel guest.
Figure 9. Steve Cousins and Figure 11. UBR-1 from Melonee Wise's Unbounded Robotics.
the Relay from Savioke.
That is my command to go to the to the robots physical interaction with class robot.
location of the spoken words come humans. After leaving WG, she co-founded
here; stop and wait for further Unbounded Robotics and developed
instructions. It is also the preparation Cousins Starts Savioke the UBR-1 shown in Figure 11.
command to perform a task for a Considering all of its capabilities as a
human being at their request. The Cousins took a different approach research platform, the price of $35K to
command steps of moving are then a and developed a robot called Relay, $50K was a bargain. I felt that this
series of coordinated individual spoken shown in Figure 9. He set the robot took all of the best qualities of
words to allow an elderly person to be company that he formed, Savioke the very expensive PR2 without the
lifted or lowered in a safe manner. (pronounced savvy oak) on the path extreme cost. For certain legal
This might sound like a simple to design and produce a robot that spinoff wording agreements with
robot design project, but the FDA does one thing and does it very well: a Willow Garage and Unbounded that
Code of Federal Regulations under robot to serve guests in hotels. Now, were confusing, she had to close her
part 890, Physical Medicine Devices Im not talking about a waiter or company. Soon after, she began Fetch
has many sections to protect users and personal servant in a guests room, Robotics
patients from potential injury by such but a delivery robot, much the same An article in the MIT Technology
a machine. FDA approval and as a bellboy. Review about 35 Innovators Under
certification can be a lengthy process. Figure 10 shows the robot 35 best describes her: Melonee Wise
It is easier to build a robot that has delivering a towel to a guest. Yes, this imagines that all homes will have
many movements than it is to design robot has more autonomy than a autonomous robots something like
the same robot so that it cannot injure remotely-guided telepresence robot The Jetsons Rosie, the robot maid,
a user in any way. Im not sure if like the Beam, as it has multiple minus the apron and Brooklyn accent.
Asimovs Three Laws of Robotics can sensors to utilize SLAM or similar Just one problem: Wise, chief
be applied at this early stage of navigational techniques to find its way executive of the year-old startup Fetch
development as advanced AI would around a hotel with multiple floors. Robotics, thinks it wont happen in her
have to be implemented for a robot to lifetime because the challenges in
not only recognize a human but to Melonee Wise Starts hardware and software are too big.
understand what would cause harm to Im probably one of the most
a human. Two Different Robot pessimistic roboticists youll ever
Cousins was curious about uses of Companies meet, she admits.
the PR2 with elderly and disabled When I first met Melonee at WG, Fetch Robotics is going after one
persons, and asked me to give a it was obvious that this inventive promising area: warehouses and e-
presentation on my concept of a woman would either soon be the commerce fulfillment centers, which
personal assistant robot for the elderly Chief Technical Officer of some huge are plagued with high turnover, injuries,
to him and some of his staff at Willow robotics company or the founder of a employee theft, and a chronic shortage
Garage five years ago, as he had been new and soon-to-be-large robot of workers who require sleep and time
interested in similar applications for his company. She had all the attributes of off during a days shift. Her first
company. success: education (a PhD in product, Fetch (shown in Figure 12) is
This type of robot has been a holy Mechanical Engineering), robotics one of the most sensibly designed
grail for designers to create, but a knowledge, and computer and robots Ive seen. The main feature of
stumbling block for safety concerns due electrical expertise to develop a world- the robot is the back-drivable 7-DOF
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The new starting point for robotics