Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 07:01:39 -0400 (EDT) From: Peter Dufault <dufault@hda.com> To: tbalfe@tioga.com (Thomas J Balfe) Cc: freebsdnet@NETural.com, freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG, realtime@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Robot Motion Control? Message-ID: <199604191101.HAA01914@hda.com> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.91.960418022326.15659C-100000@falcon.tioga.com> from "Thomas J Balfe" at Apr 18, 96 02:57:11 am
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A FreeBSD robot. Make sure it ends up on the net with a link from the freebsd home page so we can move it around. You'll need to be sure it is on the mbone as well, with video, so we can see what it sees. > I am designing a robot tonight because I have always wanted one. The > thing I need to know now is how to control the servos for it to get > around with. Would that work best with X10 or some other technique? (I'm not sure what you are getting at with X10 here) > > Right now, it's an idea that I'm throwing onto paper, and I'm not sure if > I want to rip out a laptop and throw it into a chassis or just make a > chassis that will take a regular AT motherboard. > > Perhaps a small computer similar to the one that Tom Arnold > <tom@spyder.inna.net> has suggested, an Ampro SLC50 which is reportedly > the size of a 3.5" drive. > > The thing I want people's opinions about is how to control the servos for > motion control, additionally sensors to detect object so it doesn't run > around bumping into stuff. Would that be best done through the serial > port, parallel port, or a different technique? The questions about the sensors, actuators, collision avoidance, comm links, etc. are probably best addressed on one of the robotics lists - I haven't visited them in a while but last time I looked in they were pretty good. I suggest you visit those lists, look through their archives, think about what you want your machine to be able to do, sketch out more fully what you have in mind and how it ties into your FreeBSD system and send a more detailed message. One suggestion is to start with one of the miniboard robot designs and add a link - possibly initially tethered - back to your FreeBSD system and treat your robot as a smart peripheral. A FreeBSD robot has to be on the internet anyway (IMHO), so you can approach this as a distributed system with the low level control down on the miniboard. Finally, to give yourself some design constraints you also may want to look into some of the robot competitions. There are several, from sumo wrestler competitions to fire fighters, that might be fun for you to work on. -- Temporarily via "hdalog@zipnet.net"... Peter Dufault Real-Time Machine Control and Simulation HD Associates, Inc. Voice: 508 433 6936 dufault@hda.com Fax: 508 433 5267
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