May 2010
Servo Magazine
STAIR - “Context” Based Object Detection
Features
Taking the STAIRSs to Advance Robot Development
Researchers at Stanford and Cornell are pioneering new methods of teaching robots to interact more fluently with their surroundings using the STanford Artificial Intelligence Robot (STAIR) as the base.
How to Prepare For - and Maybe Even Win - a Robot Competition
Get some insights and helpful tips from a veteran of robot combat.
GPS Navigation - Part 3
Our Navigation code will get a bit more complex, so this month the focus will be on how the individual sections work.
Projects
So, You Want to Build a ComBot - Part 2
This time, we'll put everything together to turn that bucket o' bolts into a working ComBot.
Go XBee - Pro With Your Robot Control
Learn how to monitor systems, display status via an LCD, activate relays, drive solid-state relays, and flash status LEDs, all via the top of a tiny wire antenna.
Using a VEX Controller for Electronic Experiments
Build a DIY numeric LED display that's bright and easy to read, while at the same time conserves battery power and precious I/O pins.
Columns
Robytes
by Jeff Eckert
Robytes
Stimulating Robot Tidbits
GeerHead
by David Geer
Hot Dog! Robot serves up wieners!
If you want people to pay attention to your technology, blend it with something that lots of people already love. In this case, that turned out to be the all-American hot dog!
Ask Mr. Roboto
by Dennis Clark
Ask Mr. Roboto
Your Problems Solved Here.
Twin Tweaks
by Bryce Woolley, Evan Woolley
Robonova – Come Here – I Want to See You
This month, we have the privilege to present the VeeAR VRbot voice recognition module which comes to us courtesy of Tigal. Tigal is a high-tech electronics distributor from Austria, and the VRbot module is designed for use with the Robonova-1 from Hitec (and with its Japanese cousin, the Robozak).
Then and Now
by Tom Carroll
What Does A Robot Look Like?
What does a robot look like? What should a robot look like? Does a robot have to look a particular way to be considered a robot?
Combat Zone
BUILD REPORT: Reversing the Trend
I recently completed our first drum bot — Weta, God of Ugly Things. And while it is a pretty conventional design, it does have one feature rarely seen in bots of this type: The drum is reversible, so it can spin in either direction.
MANUFACTURING: DIY CNC for CAD/CAM
For those unfamiliar with CNC routers, I am building a three axis machine, meaning it can move in three different directions: backwards and forwards (the Y axis); side to side (the X axis); and up and down (the Z axis).
PARTS IS PARTS: Kitbots Rolls Out B-16 Gearmotor Mounts
Ihave a pretty solid policy that this column only promotes parts that are thoroughly “combat tested” by the fighting community. This month, I’m bending that policy.
RioBotz Combot Tutorial: LaunchBots
Original Text by Professor Marco Antonio Meggiolaro, Summarized by Kevin Berry
Combat Zone’s Greatest Hits
Last month’s debut of this new feature generated a lot of buzz — or should we say crash!
Motorama 2010
February 19-21, 84 killer robots gathered in Harrisburg, PA to delight hundreds of motor sports fans with their metal crushing mayhem in the North East Robotic Club’s (NERC) Robot Conflict 2010.