With interest in home-grown and personal robotics continuing to increase, Phidgets USA had developed a line of products that should help DIY roboticists to easily add a variety of functionality to their PC-based creations. Instead of being forced to break out a soldering iron and circuit board to manually add project features, Phidgets can be easily used on a module-by-module basis, saving time and development expense. According to Phidgets — which is a division of Trossen Innovations — their products provide a modular, easy-to-use method of adding USB controllers and sensors, digital I/O devices and analog input modules to projects. Phidgets plans to bring out additional products in the near future, including modules that include compasses, sonic range finders, gyros and stepper motor controllers.
At Maker Faire the company used a Trossen robot arm (built with some Phidgets modules) to demonstrate the flexibility of the system. Check out the Phidgets USA web site here for more info. – [Jeff James]
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Over the past few years, Microsoft has shown an increasing interest in using personal robotics to drive awareness of computer programming among high school and college students. Microsoft’s Dr. Stewart Tansley gave a presentation here at the Maker Faire yesterday that detailed Microsoft’s efforts towards using personal and educational robotics to drive that interest among students. Tansley’s demonstration (humorously dubbed “World Domination with Robots: A How-To Guide”) touched on a number of educational robotics initiatives that Microsoft was supportive of, including robotics for .NET, the CoroBot reference platform, .NET for LEGO Mindstorms and other programs.
Microsoft also has been encouraging use of Windows embedded systems and off-the-shelf PC technology in educational robotics projects, as well as highlighting modular systems (such as USB Phidgets) that make using the PC as a robotics platform a more attractive option. The stated goal is to inspire the next generation of computer science students, and Microsoft seems to be putting more resources toward their activities in this area.
See our previous post on White Box Robotics for additional PC-related activities in robotics as well.
Check out an earlier version of Tansley’s presentation (PDF) here, or check out his web site here.- [Jeff James]
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What happens when you need to demonstrate how a Pterosaur flies, yet — unfortunately — don’t have access to any living samples of the long extinct dinosaur? You’d likely end up doing what Stanford University and National Geographic did for their Pterosaur Replica Project: build one.
The finished creation — affectionately dubbed “Herkie” by the project team — assumed a starring role in the National Geographic Documentary Sky Monsters. This beast was on display (in various states of completion) here at Maker Faire. The finished creation had a wingspan of three meters, and hopefully should help shed some light on the aerodynamic principles that helped ancient winged dinosaurs take flight. The original stated aim of the project, as described on the Stanford Project site:
We aim to design and construct a full-scale, flyable, realistic replica of Anhanguerra Piscator, a 5 meter wingspan pterodactyloid pterosaur that lived 110 Million years ago. Our goal is to honor paleontological data as best as known and as best as possible.
Check out the official Stanford project site here, or the National Geographic Sky Monsters shop page here. – [Jeff James]
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We’re live from the 2006 Make Magazine Maker Faire in sunny — make that “partly cloudy” — San Mateo, California. I’ve already consumed a greasy corndog and overpriced soda in my search for cool robotics and nifty gadgets today, and will have much to report on in the next 48 hours. (Hopefully more newsworthy items than my indigestion!)
If you’d like to discuss the Maker Faire, leave a shout out in the comments section. – [Jeff James]
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