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Fighting robots!

MessiahMessiah Failed Experiment
in Zocalo v2.0
[url]http://www.robot-fan.net/spot/spot073.html[/url]

Comments

  • FreejackFreejack Jake the Not-so-Wise
    Holy crap that was cool, but that first black robot was a wimp and the second looked to be a johnny-one-note...now that little red guy was awsome. His little kick manuver to get upright was great.

    I'd love to see the guts of the red one.

    Jake
  • BigglesBiggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
    Ah yes. The [url=http://www.killbots.net/gallery/robots/IMG_4610]RoboOne robots[/url]. They're quite nifty.
  • MessiahMessiah Failed Experiment
    You have those? Cool. :D
  • FreejackFreejack Jake the Not-so-Wise
    Biggles,

    So those robots are using basic servos as motivation?

    Jake
  • Space GhostSpace Ghost Elite Ranger
    You know what would make those robots even more interesting? Weapons.
  • C_MonC_Mon A Genuine Sucker
    Coolness!!

    I want one.
  • BigglesBiggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
    [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Freejack [/i]
    [B]Biggles,

    So those robots are using basic servos as motivation?[/B][/QUOTE]

    Yes. They're very simple machines. They're basically a frame, some servos, and a receiver. All the hard work is done by the programmable radio controller. What the contestants do is program their controllers with moves they want their robot to perform, which are a series of servo positions and times. Then during the match they use the controller to trigger the moves they want when they want them.

    When we use them for research, we do something similar, except that we use a computer to command the servos and try and put some AI into the computer program. It's difficult, though, as it's all open loop, and open loop is nasty.

    One of the coolest ones I've seen is someone who set up a body suit with some kind of switches on it and connected that to his controller. He could then do things like punch, and the robot would perform the punch move.
  • FreejackFreejack Jake the Not-so-Wise
    Sounds pretty cool, since a cheap, basic servo is all that's used for motivation, should be pretty easy to build and operate, as opposed to larger, more complex robots that would use things such as stepper motors.

    Jake
  • BigglesBiggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
    Well, the servos arn't that cheap. :) But relative to a more complex, typical research humanoid, they are very cheap. A RoboOne robot will set you back (last I heard) around two to three thousand US dollars. A Fujitsu humanoid research robot is around one hundred thousand US dollars. But it is important to remember that a RoboOne robot is more difficult to use in some research due to its simplicity. The lack of closed loop control ability limits what it can be used to research. This makes RoboOne robots very good for simpler research in labs with a smaller budget.
  • FreejackFreejack Jake the Not-so-Wise
    Am I right in assume open loop means lack of feedback circuits?

    Jake
  • BigglesBiggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
    Yes. If your system is open loop, you have to rely on careful tuning and accurate components for it to respond how you want. The problem with that is that nothing in the real world responds perfectly and even the best tuned system that involves mechanical parts (and most that don't, I can't actually think of a system that wouldn't at the moment) will become "untuned" over time.
  • FreejackFreejack Jake the Not-so-Wise
    I guess I never thought about it, but are there servos with feedback information? It would seem someone in the R/C industry would have developed a need for such a beast.

    Jake
  • BigglesBiggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
    I've never looked into it. There might be RC servos that provide feedback. It's easier to just put an encoder onto the servo's axel, though, and most rotary actuators used in robotics are just motors with encoders (of varying quality).
  • HuntSmackerHuntSmacker Firstones Ambassador to Starcraftia
    For the Descenters among us...

    [IMG]http://www.acornarcade.com/features/previews/descent2/robots/full/robot66.gif[/IMG]

    Lou Guards, coming to a showroom near you!
  • FreejackFreejack Jake the Not-so-Wise
    [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Biggles [/i]
    [B]I've never looked into it. There might be RC servos that provide feedback. It's easier to just put an encoder onto the servo's axel, though, and most rotary actuators used in robotics are just motors with encoders (of varying quality). [/B][/QUOTE]

    Interesting. The reason I asked is the advancements there have been in R/C equipement lately is just staggering. When I got out the of R/C racing, the equipment used was better, but mostly technology from the 80s. Now there are brushless motors with tiny electronic controllers powered by Li-Polymer battery packs...there's some cool stuff out there.

    Jake
  • BigglesBiggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
    Yeah, when I got out of RC aeroplanes many years ago the tech was at one stage, when I got into microelectric RC helicopters last year, the tech had moved so much...
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