Robot Reviews

I came across some youtube videos of people using propane flame throwers to melt snow. Actually, I was imagining that the propane would heat some sort of metal plate that would press against the snow. Somehow giving a robot a flame thrower just doesn't seem appropriate. Anyway, I found the energy in...

As a person who is now on crutches, and will probably be using them through the entire winter, I would personally be very interested in such a device. Here are a few thoughts; #1; I have tried an A.C. powered electric snow thrower, and found it to be woefully underpowered for dealing with the harden...

I have seen quite a number of Roomba or iRobot Create hacks, and some of them really seem to be overloaded or too narrow a wheel base. A new set of wheels are certainly going to be a benefit. Since the drive wheels of the Roomba are floating (i.e. on springs) - then I imagine it is OK for the two ad...

I did find a bit more information about the Kinect hardware from a web site done by the original company that designed the concept. http://www.primesense.com/files/FMF_2.PDF However, I don't know how close this design is to the Kinect. It does look like the Prime Sense version uses hardware in the c...

A few years back I read about the ZCam, which was said to be an "Under $100" camera which could also provide depth. I predicted that its main impact would be in the world of robotics. Since then, the ZCam was bought out by Microsoft, and then essentially abandoned. But, MS did eventually r...

I have an idea for pet owners. If the brush were removed, and the motor for it disconnected, perhaps it would still vacuum sufficiently, but not have the hassle of cleaning the brush. Ideally, you would make some sort of modification to add an additional vacuum motor and space and plug that into whe...

Sorry, but I sort of let the project die... well, it has not been placed in a box and buried under other stuff just yet. It is still sitting on in my sun room, in hopes that I will some day have pity on it and resurrect it!

But it is Visual Basic Studio that I decided to go with.

Joe Dunfee

The Rovio has been made for custom programming, at least on the PC end of things. Here is a link to the API info; http://www.wowweesupport.com/pdf/Rovio_API_Specifications_v1.2.pdf But, I haven't seen any information suggesting that the hardware itself is made for anyone to modify or use it for othe...

Here is a guy who made a song and video about his roomba,

Mr Pitiful - Brand New Friend (Roomba Song)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C2zGwwraEA


Joe Dunfee

There actually is a vacuum marketed that has hovercraft abilities. It recycles the air for hovering, so that it actually uses the air blown out to help dislodge the dirt, and sucks it back in. I also vaguely recall a canister vacuum from years ago that had a hovercraft feature. However, in that case...

Here is a vendor that specializes in long-range RFID stuff. He has a number of infomative articles on his web site.

http://www.rfid-radar.com/

Joe Dunfee

Since you are doing the design by trial-and-error, I really recommend that you jury-rig some basic tests. And while the hover part is your first test, I suspect that propulsion will be the bigger challenge. Compared to hover toys, the Roomba has A LOT of weight, and therefore inertia. You need to se...

One issue I think you are going to run into is that when the Roomba discovers a RFID tag, it will know where it is located, but not what direction it is pointing. I would suggest having 3 or 4 of the RFID tags. Then when the first tag is detected, the Roomba keeps going straight, until it detects a ...

An idea I had, but never really pursued was to seek to significantly improve the vacuum portion of the Roomba. The existing vacuum fan and filter would be removed. Then the new vacuum device added on top of the Roomba. I figured the centrifugal/bagless type of vacuum was the way to go. So, I was pic...

The Roomba with a WiiMote is going to loose site of its IR targes on a regular basis since it goes under furniture. But, as you already mention, we just need to see the IR targets to occasionally correct for odometer drift. One way increase the coverage area we can use 2 WiiMotes. Another way would ...

Regarding using the WiiMote for Roomba Navigation, I imagine there are three possibilities. #1- Use the WiiMote at a stationary base, and put IR led's on the Roomba. Then remote control the Roomba from a computer. #2- Put the WiMote on the Roomba, and the IR led's on the wall or base or even on the ...

This was mentioned in another thread, but I felt it was best to start a new one. The Wii Remote is often called the WiiMote I am not persuing this concept, and don't have a Wii, but did a bit of research on the Internet. Here is a good source for technical info on the Wii Contoller, including the co...

I am sure the Wii camera has a much narrower field of vision than the Rovio navigation camera. Anyone one know where the image processing is done with the Wii controller. I don't have one to look at it or the signal. A specialized processor would be ideal for this type of application. Does the Wii c...

I realize that software is the most important component of the NorthStar system. But the benefit of software is that when the company produces copies of the original, there are no production costs. The real cost is in the hardware, which isn't that bad for this system, when compared to things like t...

Maybe the Roomba fears, "Step on a crack, break your mother's back".

Joe Dunfee