Building a Robot, Is That Really Simple?
I've got many readings in Robotics from toys passing with mobile and industrial robots to space rovers. I really found it's so interesting that anyone can build their own robots so simply. I decided to build a Robot for my graduation project! Well, the idea is crazy -at least for my colleagues at faculty- due to lack of academic and financial materials.
Alright, I've searched tens of sponsors and could only gain a technical sponsor in specific parts of the robot, but no financial support.
I've did some Internet searching and could reduce costs up to 50%. That was really cool part to do to boost implementation process of the robot.
What's the problem then?
Actually, programming a robot is not that very simple. Okay, you may consider it: Plug, Program and Play (PPP). You can purchase all required hardware with tens of cautions of power failures and risks of incompatibility issues with hardware, then the most critical part is programming. You're not making simple software to control over a robot. It's all related to creating a special software for a customized platform with many considerations (power management is really tough!), networking and controls, even if you used the simplest programming languages like C#.
Roverbot
Roverbot is the codename of my graduation project. It would be the first of its type implemented ever in my university. It’s not simple at all to build a robot, but very fun to challenge!
Roverbot is expected to be released officially by June 2009. I’ll let you all meet Roverbot J.
Just wish me best of luck!
Laws of Robots
One: A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allows a human being to come to harm. Two: A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. Three: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.”