Class Schedule: MW 12:20-1:15pm - Lansing 300
Lab Schedule: F 12:20-1:15pm - Eaton 116
Course-related Links:
BSim - The Behavior-based Robot Simulator
IsoPod/IsoMax Documentation
Standard Resistor Color Codes
Starting FORTH - Leo Brodie
Max-FORTH Glossary Reference
LCD 8 bit code
LCD strings code
Download NMITerm for Windows
Other Useful Links:
Acroname-robot parts, datasheets, and tips.
Budget Robotics - cheap robot stuff.
Junun Mark III Robot Store - more cheap parts and datasheets.
Here are the final Robot Festival results. The scores listed are the sum of the two best times for each robot (in seconds).
A special designation for "Most Unlikely Design" goes to Gimmeasecond, and for "Most Fascinating to Watch" goes to Leon.
- CYF 132
- Cockroach 136
- Line-Us-Torwalls 147
- Gimmeasecond 207
- Lil Scotty 255
- Cusquena 258
- Getrdone 281
- AwesomeO 4000 326
- Leon 371
- HB73 8000 380
- The Green Guy 600
- Wehaftonameit? 600
If you have any questions, or want to see the breakdown, please feel free to come by and see me. And congratulate Eduardo, Warren, and Kristopher when you see them. Thanks again to all of you for a great Festival!
Robot Photos are online.
Assignment and Schedule (week ending 4-29-05): Meet in Eaton 116 for lab on Monday. Your robot must be complete (except for possible the ball catcher) and you must demonstrate all of your sensors to me in lab on Monday. Projects: Schedule evening time with me if you need help on projects. Time is rapidly slipping away and I don't want to be up here all next weekend. Note: Here is the remainder of the buzzer code (commented) that I did not have time to present in class. This code is not a complete program, but you should be able to fill in the blanks with your class notes. Please come see me if you need help. Let me remind you that the performance of your robot in the festival (ie, the programming of your robot) is 25 percent of your overall course grade.
Meet in Eaton 116 for lab on Wednesday. You will need to have programmed your robot, and demonstrate at least one of the following:
Robot Festival in on Wednesday, May 4, 4:00-6:00pm. See the Festival Rules for details.
Meet in Lansing 300 for class on Friday.
Note: The NewMicros website is temporarily down. Here is a local copy of the IsoPod Manual in the mean time.
Assignment and Schedule (week ending 4-22-05): Reading assignment to end of term: Chapters 5, 6, and 7, and Appendix A from Robot Programming. Continue reading the IsoPod Manual. Note: Meet in Eaton 116 on Monday and Wednesday for lab. You should be programming your robot now. You will need to demonstrate a right wall-following robot to me by Wednesday. Projects: You should be well on your way on your final projects by now. See me for parts/help/etc if you need it. We have 2 weeks to go until the festival!
Assignment and Schedule (week ending 4-15-05): Read chapter 5 in Robot Programming. In particular, read the sections entitled Avoidance with Differential Detectors, Wall-Following (3 sections), Escape, and Generalized Differential Response. Also begin reading chapters 6 and 7, and appendix A. You should read all of these before the end of the term. Note: We will meet in Eaton 116 on Monday and in Lansing 300 on Wednesday. Friday's schedule TBA.
Bring your robot w/IsoPod, serial cable, and battery packs to class in Lansing on Friday. You need to bring one of your Sharp GP2D12 wall sensors (with completed JST cable) to class as well. Your sensor does not need to be permanently attached to your robot yet. Have me check your IsoPod/Motor/Sensor connections if you are unsure about where things plug in. Here is the WallBot Code so you can cut and paste if you want. Also check out the barebones minicom tutorial. Here is another analog sensor test that you can use to test your wall sensors. You can just type in the code, or upload it to isopod. To run the test, type SENSOR-TEST and hold a piece of white paper at various distances from the sensor.
Assignment and Schedule (week ending 4-8-05): Continue reading the IsoPod Manual. We will meet in Eaton for Lab on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. (NOTE: This is changed from previous.) You need to demonstrate your motors to me Monday if you have not already (before you begin constructing your robot).
Here is the Bumpy Code talked about in class last week.
Assignment and Schedule (week ending 4-1-05): Read Robot Programming, chapters 3 and 4, and begin reading the IsoPod Manual. We will meet in Lansing 300 on Wednesday, and will be back in lab on Friday. You need to demonstrate your motors to me before you begin constructing your robot. Note: If you prefer to program your IsoPod using Windows, you will need to visit the IsoPod/IsoMax Documentation page (in Course-related links above) and download the NMITerm program (scroll down to terminal programs).
As you start to design your robot, you might want to check out Robot Base Recipes. I will provide a handout. You might also check out photos of robots from previous courses in the photo album in the lab. Don't forget to demonstrate your motors to me before beginning construction on your base.
Assignment and Schedule (week ending 3-25-05): Read the online Forth tutorial, Starting FORTH by Leo Brodie. Read the Introduction and Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10. We will meet in Lansing 300 on Monday and Friday, and in Eaton 116 on Wednesday.
You will use gForth to practice some FORTH on the computers in Lansing. If you want to download gForth for your own machine (Linux or Windows), visit http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/forth/gforth/. (Get version 0.6.2 - .exe for Windows, .bin.i386...tar.gz for Linux. There are also some pdf docs there.) We will switch to using the Max-FORTH that is embedded on your IsoPod fairly quickly, so you may be happy just using the Lansing computers until then.
Note: Before you come to Lab on Wednesday, remove all components and jumpers from your breadboard, and remove your carrier board from your robot base. Please put all components back in the proper drawers in the lab. (You don't need to bring the robot base to lab - only the carrier board.)
Assignment and Schedule (to Spring Break): Read Chapter 2 in Robot Programming. Read in Evil Genius: Intro to Section 7, Experiments 64, 39, and 42. Meet in Lansing 300 on Monday, 2-28. Meet in Eaton 116 for lab on Wednesday and Friday, 3-2 and 3-4. Meet in Lansing 300 on Monday, 3-7. Midterm Exam on Wdnesday, 3-9 in Lansing 300. Reminder: Lab RC-Logic is due at the beginning of Lab on Wednesday, 3-2.
Final Project: A list of possible topics for your Final Project is available. Look over the list and select a project (or propose your own) before you leave for Spring Break.
Assignment (week ending 2-18-05): Read Experiment 30 by Wednesday, and Experiments 33-38 in Evil Genius by Friday. Note: Meet in Lansing 300 on Monday. We will meet in Lab on Wednesday. Your first robot will take shape this week.
Assignment (week ending 2-11-05): Read Experiments 18, 21, 22, 26, and 29 in Evil Genius by Friday. Note: We will meet in Lab on Wednesday and Friday. Reminders: Friday's lab report due on Wednesday, Wednesday's lab report due on Friday. Meet in Lansing 300 on Monday 2-14.
Assignment (week ending 2-4-05): Read Experiments 16-20 in Evil Genius by Friday. Note: We will meet in Lansing 300 on Wednesday, then back in Lab on Friday. Bring a calculator to lab on Friday. Reminder: Your lab report from Monday's lab is due at the beginning of lab on Friday.
Notice: Your keys to Eaton 116 are ready. The key people forgot to call me, but some of you have already picked up your keys. We will meet Monday 1-31 in Lab. Try to read Experiments 12-16 before then.
Assignment (week ending 1-28-05): Read Experiment 11 in Evil Genius by Wednesday. And read ahead Experiments 12-16.
Assignment (week ending 1-21-05): You should read the Intro and Chapter 1 of Robot Programming, and the Intro to Section 1 of Evil Genius. Skim the first 9 experiments in the Evil Genius book and read carefully Experiment 10 before lab on Friday. Reminder: Class meets in Eaton 116 Friday for lab.
There are two textbooks for this course:
Robot Programming, A Practical Guide to Behavior-Based Robotics, by Joseph Jones.
123 Robotics Experiments for the Evil Genius, by Myke Predko.
These are available at the HWS Bookstore, but you can also find these at some famous online outlets. (Buy 123...Evil Genius new - it has a required PC board.) You will need the Evil Genius book by Friday 1-21.