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Subject: 
Re: Autonomous Robot
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.robotics
Date: 
Thu, 3 Aug 2000 09:30:06 GMT
Original-From: 
Laurentino Martins <lmartins@[avoidspam]marktest.pt>
Viewed: 
1054 times
  
I've done that exactly that.
It was almost finished about one year ago. I used a CyberMaster.
I lost all the sources when the partitions in my hard disk gone kaput. I'm almost certain I've made a backup in a diskette, but it seems to have gone also, probably by mistake.
It was hard work made in M$ Visual C++ & NQC. It had a graphics interface in the computer screen where you could see the path of the bot and the obstacles the vehicle already detected.
The CyberMaster had rudimentary self-control (call it instinct) and the big brain was the PC. It used the build in tachometers to detect objects that somehow escaped the two front and back sensors.
I never have the courage to start all over again from zero.
It was a sad moment in my life.


At 20:49 02-08-2000 Wednesday, Ian Warfield wrote:
In lugnet.robotics, Mauro Vianna writes:
[snip lots of cool ideas]
[...]
Unfortunately I don't know LegOS and in fact I don't want to learn it right
now. I know the language is powerful is good but don't have the time now. I
mentioned both LegOS and QC since those don't have the same memory
limitations of the original firmware.

NQC is bound to the firmware variable limit, so map representation is not
possible unless it is hard coded. One workaround I thought about was to use
a simple NQC program that explores the environment and send information to
the datalog. Then it returns to a location where the IR tower can reach it.
A more complex Visual Basic program could process the datalog and create a
NQC code to represent the map from the datalog info and download the new
program with the hard-coded map...


Would you necessarily have to keep all the brains and map data confined to the
RCX?  Taking the Visual Basic concept one step further, how about putting the
entire intelligence routine on the PC and just using the RCX-based rover as a
drone?  Using Spirit.OCX based in Visual Basic, you could control the rover
over the IR link.  Aside from the rudimentary aspects of sending movement
commands to the RCX and querying the sensors, you would have the entire
resources of Visual Basic at your disposal.

I've been trying to do something similar with my computer.  I've downloaded
only the essential movement and sensor routines to the RCX, keeping the main
program computer-based.  This designates the computer as the "brain" and the
rover as the "spinal cord", if you will.  The RCX is capable of reacting to
certain stimuli automatically, like stopping when it runs into a wall, but the
main processing power is reserved for the computer as the RCX waits for
instructions on what to do next.

I imagine one could take this to the point where the computer builds an
internal map based on data it receives from the RCX.  It would display the map
on screen using the Visual Basic interface.  If the user clicks on a spot on
the map (intending to send the robot there) the computer would calculate the
appropriate path and send commands to the RCX.  The computer would constantly
poll the RCX to see if any new landmarks have appeared or if the robot is
veering off the path to its destination.

Any thoughts?


Laurentino Martins

[ mailto:lau@netcabo.pt ]
[ http://www.terravista.pt/Enseada/2808/ ]



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Autonomous Robot
 
Jason, Of course a second brain will help! Everything is in my mind yet and lots of issues are not solved. I hope this post generates interesting discussions on how to solve them. As I said I will test these approachs in a slow pace, most because of (...) (24 years ago, 2-Aug-00, to lugnet.robotics)

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