Cost:

Software:

Portability:

Size/Form:

Expandibility:

All people love AIBOs, but AIBO this isn’t. Some people love table-top robots, though more and more undergraduate students see them as toys.

• A tool, not a toy (not AIBO-cute!)• Human-scale robotics.• Disappoints small-robot lovers

• Anything that speaks serial

Remarkably, the wired version when used with a laptop onboard is the far more powerful platform.

Many will prefer to run the computation off-board, however.

• $160 for the wired version.• $230 for the wireless (bluetooth)

• Shipping: just keep the box• Carrying: it has a handle

For demos, contests, exhibitions, or simply trying things out, this is an important, often overlooked criterion. Try shipping your lego ‘bot in its box. Just carrying it to another room can be fatal (it’s happened to me!)

The true advantage here is that any language and OS supporting a serial port will work, i.e., everything. Two plusses because of the newness of the codebase.

• No proprietary SW• 100% python drivers & visualizer• Windows, MacOSX, Linux• Runs in Pyro (python robotics)

That is, you can use your Handy Board, Acroname BrainStem, Basic Stamp, cell phone, PDA, laptop or desktop computer to run the roomba. But, the additional sensors don’t come with the platform, as they do with Lego’s NXT. Buy as needed… .

Ruggedness: • A commercial household item.• Built-in recognition of drop-offs• Simply no competition here.

Computation: • user-provided

While some might consider user-provided computation a downside, the real question is “why pay for special-purpose computation when you/your department already has far more than you use?” Hence peripheral robots… .

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Ratings are my personally-biased & subjective opinions. (I don’t have a stake in any commercial venture.)

Best available

As good as others

Not as good as othersDo keep in mind this table is being paid for by RoboDynamics, though somehow I am not… which perhaps says more about my business acumen than anything else. (Z Dodds 5/2/06)

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Roomba as resource for AI education and research?

A Look at Robot Resources

Lego NXT

Cost: $250

Availability: Fall 2006

Size: tabletop

Ruggedness: medium

Expandability: medium

Handy Board 2

Cost: $650

Availability: Fall 2006

Size: tabletop+

Ruggedness: medium

Expandability: high

Khepera

Cost: $2000

Availability: now

Size: tabletop

Ruggedness: low

Expandability: high $

Sony AIBO

Cost: $2000

Availability: ebay

Size: human-scale

Ruggedness: medium

Expandability: low

KIPR’s XBC

Cost: $550

Availability: now

Size: tabletop

Ruggedness: medium

Expandability: high

Hemisson

Cost: $300 / $780 wl

Availability: now

Size: tabletop+

Ruggedness: medium

Expandability: medium

Z Dodds 5/2/06

Autonomous Roombas

RS232 Serial Port + Roomba

These products are available at www.roombadevtools.com

available in summer, 2006

Z Dodds 5/2/06

USB Port + Roomba

Bluetooth + Roomba

Basic Stamp + Roomba

$155

Quantity discounts are also available.

$160

$230

$230

Bluetooth radio Roomba Red

USB interface RS232 interface

Already have a roomba? Interfaces are available separately.

Our roomba – Your laptop

Demos and trial runs available

Thursday 10am

Thursday 4pm

Friday 10am

Friday 4pm

Interested further?

Components, complete systems, and Visual Basic software is available at

www.roombadevtools.com

Open-source python software:

www.cs.hmc.edu/~dodds/erdos

We also have laptops - and you’re welcome to get a roomba!

$160 wired - $230 wireless

Z Dodds 5/2/06

Roomba as resource for AI education and research?

Cost:

Software:

Portability:

Size/Form:

Expandibility: • Anything that speaks serial

• $160 for the wired version.• $230 for the wireless (bluetooth)

• Shipping: just keep the box• Carrying: it has a handle

• No proprietary SW• 100% python drivers & visualizer• Windows, MacOSX, Linux• Runs in Pyro (python robotics)

Ruggedness: • A commercial household item.• Built-in recognition of drop-offs• Simply no competition here.

Computation: • user-provided

?• A tool, not a toy (not AIBO-cute!)• Human-scale robotics.• Disappoints small-robot lovers

Z Dodds 5/2/06

Try one out

Roomba as resource for AI education and research?

Cost:

Software:

Portability:

Size/Form:

Expandibility: • Anything that speaks serial

• $160 for the wired version.• $230 for the wireless (bluetooth)

• Shipping: just keep the box• Carrying: it has a handle

• No proprietary SW• 100% python drivers & visualizer• Windows, MacOSX, Linux• Runs in Pyro (python robotics)

Ruggedness: • A commercial household item.• Built-in recognition of drop-offs• Simply no competition here.

Computation: • user-provided

?• A tool, not a toy (not AIBO-cute!)• Human-scale robotics.• Disappoints small-robot lovers

Z Dodds 5/7/06

Hardware URL:

Software URL:

These docs’ URL:

www.cs.hmc.edu/~dodds/erdos/docs

www.roombadevtools.com

www.cs.hmc.edu/~dodds/erdos/software