by Playfuls Staff |
26th April 2007
If you always wanted to build a robot, but didn’t know how
to do it, then the
Carnegie
Mellon University
researchers may have just the perfect solution for you. They developed [more] a
new series of robots that are simple enough for almost anyone to build with
off-the-shelf parts.
And the good news is that the robots are sophisticated
machines that wirelessly connect to the Internet.
According to the researchers, the robots can take many
forms, from a three-wheeled model with a mounted camera to a flower loaded with
infrared sensors. They can be easily customized and their ability to wirelessly
link to the Internet allows users to control and monitor their robots’ actions
from any Internet-connected computer in the world.
The new tools that make this possible are a single piece of
hardware and a set of "recipes" that people follow to build their
’bots. Both are part of the Telepresence Robot Kit (TeRK) developed by
Associate Professor of Robotics Illah Nourbakhsh and members of his Community
Robotics, Education and Technology Empowerment (CREATE) Lab. Their goal is to
make highly capable robots accessible and affordable for college and
pre-college students, as well as anyone interested in robots.
"The Internet connection means the robots are much more
global," Nourbakhsh said. Not only can the robot be operated remotely at
any location with a wireless Internet connection, but it can also send photos
or video, respond to RSS feeds, or access the Internet to find information.
That combination opens a wide range of possibilities. "We’re hoping people
notice that the sky’s the limit," he added.
At the heart of each TeRK robot is a unique controller
called Qwerk that combines a computer with the software and electronics
necessary to control the robot’s motors, cameras and other devices. Qwerk,
developed by the CREATE Lab and Charmed Labs of Austin, Texas, also connects
the robot automatically and wirelessly to the Internet so it can be controlled
by any Internet-connected computer.
Among the TeRK recipes already available is a small, wheeled
robot with a video camera that people might use to keep an eye on their home or
pet while they are at work or school. Another recipe under development includes
environmental sensors for air quality and sound pollution. A less conventional
recipe will produce a robotic, six-petaled flower that can open and close based
on moods or use its petals to play a game of catch.
Qwerk itself is a full-fledged computer with a Linux
operating system that can use any computer language. It features a field programmable
gate array (FPGA) to control motors, servos, cameras, amplifiers and other
devices. It also accepts USB peripheral devices, such as Web cameras and GPS
receivers.
Photo credit: Ken Andreyo/CMU
