Robotics : 14912


Robotics / 14912

robotica on TLC —David Buhl

After seeing all the commercials for the past couple of weeks, I was looking forward to this show on TLC called "Robotica". What a disappointment. Where were the robots? They kept talking about robots the whole time. Maybe I'm missing something (...) (24 years ago, 5-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Bob Sardelli

I share your frustration and agree, they are by no means robots. Are remote controlled planes, boats and cars robots? I have watched BattleBots a few times but got bored with it for similar reasons. The unfortunate thing is that your typical couch (...) (24 years ago, 5-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

RE: robotica on TLC —Steven Combs

I share you pain. These are not, by true definition, robots. When they require a robot to be autonomous then I will take notice. I know our robotics competition here at the college specifically states that the robots must be autonomous. What I (...) (24 years ago, 5-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Richard Sutherland

(...) [snip] Indeed! They are not by ANY definition robots. When I saw the spots a long time ago on TLC hinting at a new robotics competition, I visited the site and signed up. I actually spent a fair amount of time jumping through strange hoops, (...) (24 years ago, 5-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Dean Hystad

I think it would be a much more painful experience to watch autonimous robots out there bashing away at each other. Both from an entertainment and philosophical level. From an entertainment standpoint, I imagine it would be painfully dull. Given the (...) (24 years ago, 5-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Nathan Falslev

I came here to post about Robotica, but I should've known it was done already! But I'll still discuss it:) Dean, I agree completely. This is for entertainment, and not just entertainment for robotic designers, but for the public. I actually like (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Mike Morrow

Wow, imagine my surprise when our web tracking software indicated we were getting hits from a newsgroup I'd never heard of! I'm glad it did, because I've found a great deal of useful information here. As for the pictures, Nathan, you are correct. (...) (24 years ago, 11-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Nathan Falslev

(...) Heh, Glad you found it useful! (...) Hmmm...I wonder how many Lego enthusiasts are also combat robot enthusiasts:) (...) Sounds like you really know you Lego Technic, I thought you might only be using them to illustrate ideas. BTW, do you have (...) (24 years ago, 11-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Steve Baker

(...) I think that's a bit extreme...but I think it would be quite hard to televise. a *real* robotic challenge. (...) Yes. Also, you'd need ways to make the two robots mutually detectable - a big IR emitter on top of each one...but to make it a (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

RE: robotica on TLC —Russell C. Brown [RR-1]

I must sadly agree with you, Steve... Though what Dean suggests would bring some real technological ingenuity to a drab genre, no fully-autonomous robotic device is going to beat a human-controlled telerobotic device for quite some time. [And I will (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Steve Baker

(...) Even without that, it helps. My 10 year old son used to tell the kids at school that he built Lego robots that could really drive around and do things and the other kids would roll their eyes and mouth "Geek...Nerd..." etc. Now they are *VERY* (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Dean Hystad

(...) Look into getting your son and yourself involved in the First Lego League. I judged some competitions last fall and it was a blast. Very worthwhile. (...) I too am a big fan. Though I would prefer it if they weren't quite so obvious about (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Andy Gombos

(...) I love this show also, they build 'robots' that have human computers, but they could be a robot easily, most of the time with a good enough software package. In the US version, there were brand new engines that had been installed on crashed (...) (24 years ago, 5-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Steve Baker

(...) I've been trying to start up a local Lego robotics group to do something like that - but so far, response from parents in the area has been disappointing. (...) They certainly do seed the junkyard for *some* of the activities - in the rocketry (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Tom Trentham

(...) What makes you say this? Why should cars in England corrode any differently from cars in other countries? TT. (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Steve Baker

(...) Well - wet climate, everywhere is relatively close to the ocean and they salt the roads in icy weather. Wet, salty conditions maximise corrosion rates. A new car can comfortably be rusted out in 5 years Contrast with Texas where the warm. (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —George Haberberger

(...) I'm also a big fan of Junkyard Wars, they give my Rock Raiders figs someone to emulate. I think most of the seeding is done for safety reasons; I wouldn't want to be anywhere near someone trying to make their own rocket fuels/motors. Also, in (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Steven Combs

(...) My 6 year-old daughter and I enjoy a nice big bowl of popcorn each Monday night while we watch Junkyard Wars. I have heard that Junkyard Wars will be moving to California. Has anyone else heard that rumor. Also, I notice that they are looking (...) (24 years ago, 7-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: Junkyard Wars (Was Re: robotica on TLC) —Steve Baker

(...) They already showed a handful of episodes with all-American teams - although it wasn't entirely clear where they'd done the filming. It *looked* like they might have flown everyone to UK to save the cost of rebuilding the set. (...) Dunno - (...) (24 years ago, 7-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

RE: robotica on TLC —Steven Combs

My 6 year-old daughter and I belly up to a big ole bowl of popcorn and watch each and every Monday while Mom is away. I remember hearing somewhere that Junkyard Wars is moving to LA. Has anyone else heard this? Steven B. Combs, MS, CIT Associate (...) (24 years ago, 10-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Junkyard Wars (was: Re: robotica on TLC) —Mike Case

(...) I think the plan is to continue filming the UK episodes in the UK (under the original title 'Scrapheap Challenge') and film the US episodes in the US, probably near LA. We would then get to see both shows as JW on TLC. I don't know if the (...) (24 years ago, 10-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

RE: Junkyard Wars (was: Re: robotica on TLC) —Steven Combs

Hey!!! Great Idea, maybe next year we will sponsor this contest at our college. Hmmm....I will have to think about this. Steven B. Combs, MS, CIT Associate Professor - Instructional Technologist Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana 3501 First (...) (24 years ago, 10-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: Junkyard Wars (was: Re: robotica on TLC) —Juergen Stuber

(...) The closest I know is RoboGladiator: (URL) Jürgen Stuber <stuber@loria.fr> (URL) (24 years ago, 13-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: Junkyard Wars (was: Re: robotica on TLC) —Steve Baker

(...) robots. (24 years ago, 13-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: Junkyard Wars (was: Re: robotica on TLC) —Will Gorman

(...) Hello, My friends and I are doing a thing called BattleBricks. We've had autonomous and rc battles. Our competition list consists of both AI & Manual robotics. While RoboGladiators was a one time thing put on by Lego, we are a group of guys in (...) (24 years ago, 14-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: Junkyard Wars (was: Re: robotica on TLC) —Juergen Stuber

(...) As are the 'robots' in Junkyard Wars (if that's the TV show I saw in Britain last year). Jürgen (24 years ago, 16-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: Junkyard Wars (was: Re: robotica on TLC) —Bruce Boyes

(...) We are planning some contests like this, using JStamp as the controller (that will be a requirement), at next year's JavaOne conference. We're also planning an RCX-compatible supercontroller based on JStamp (imagine what an 80 MHz 32-bit CPU (...) (24 years ago, 16-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Chris Osborn

(...) If you go to the website of the show, they say that *everything* in the junkyard is seeded. Everything that's there was put there by the show's producers. Not that it really makes the show less enjoyable. Although for some strange reason a (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Dean Hystad

(...) I agree that fully autonomous robots wouldn't stand much of a chance. But I think it would be possible to create some rather impressive 'bots that used on board intelligence in conjunction with input from a human operator. (...) My favorite (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Steve Baker

(...) I think they are already doing that. Watch Battlebots carefully and you'll see many of the contestants aren't using a model aircraft type radio control - but instead have a computer joystick plugged into a laptop. Once in a while you'll see (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Micah J. Mabelitini

(...) GPS wouldn't work. Even though the government disabled Selective Availability last year, commercial GPS still doesn't achieve an accuracy better than several meters. I would imagine that for GPS to be suitable in such a competition, it would (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Steve Baker

(...) Differential GPS (where you add a 'ground station') gives you plenty of precision - even without the low order bit scrambling thing. It's not good for telling you where you are relative to the planet - but relative to the ground station, it (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Micah J. Mabelitini

(...) Yeah, DGPS would probably be accurate enough, assuming you could get around the no-lock problem. (...) I believe the on-board GPS receiver would still need to fix on the Navstar constellation, regardless of whether or not it was a (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —David Buhl

Wow, some of you get really defensive about this thing, Here is the reason why I started this thread. For every show they show on TV there will be someone who loves it and someone who wouldn't watch it even if you paid him/her to watch it. My (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —David Buhl

How about showing this on TV? (URL) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Frank Caggiano

Scientific American Frontiers on PBS ran a show, NATURAL BORN ROBOTS, last year. It was rebroadcast last night here in the Tampa Area. The show ended with a segment called 'Go Team' which covered Robocup 99 held in Stockholm. Teams from around the (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —Dean Hystad

(...) I didn't realize that expressing an opinion was being defensive. Personally I enjoy the conversation much more if the participants are at least a bit passionate about the subject. I realize this is contrary to U.S. culture with it's emphasis (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: robotica on TLC —

Okay, gotta play the devils advocate and take this a step further. ;) Robot (noun). A robot has to have an onboard computer (processor) that is takes input from sensors and decides what to do with its outputs (actuators). It must be able to sense (...) (24 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics)