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What's the world coming to? — Parallax Forums

What's the world coming to?

Tony BoersmaTony Boersma Posts: 41
edited 2009-01-13 13:56 in Robotics
I didn't see this as being posted already when I searched for it. Keep your eyes peeled.

Found on Fark.
http://www.katu.com/news/37127009.html
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Comments

  • LilDiLilDi Posts: 229
    edited 2009-01-06 23:44
    I'm wondering if the little rascal has wondered off on its own!! If so, its probably hungry, cold and scared.
  • sylvie369sylvie369 Posts: 1,622
    edited 2009-01-07 00:03
    Oh no. That's outright sickening. My sincere sympathies.
  • SRLMSRLM Posts: 5,045
    edited 2009-01-07 00:36
    If only... Pretty much everything needed to do GPS tracking is onboard (except for a transmitter), but not hooked up. If wishes were fishes...
  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2009-01-07 00:57
    Keep an eye on e-bay for it....

    Bean.

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    ·The next time you need a hero don't look up in the sky...Look in the mirror.


    ·
  • boe-crazyboe-crazy Posts: 53
    edited 2009-01-07 05:16
    That really must suck, To bad you can't program it to tie up its captors and call the cops.

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    To make something work one must build, test, and verify bfore proceding.· -- myself
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    edited 2009-01-07 05:22
    http://www.kptv.com/news/18420875/detail.html has a video with a lot of press. See this link, too.

    We donated that QuadRover, too.

    Ken Gracey
  • SRLMSRLM Posts: 5,045
    edited 2009-01-07 06:45
    Maybe slightly OT, but there was a quick plug for the toddler in there...

    On a more humorous note, did anybody notice in the video near the beginning that they got a picture of a minivan and replaced the windshield with the stock rover video? Very cheesy on the part of the news station... Still, they did a good job of showing visuals so that people become familiar with the robot, and the unique design should help get it back.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2009-01-07 07:20
    It would be hard to imagine a hotter hot potato (except Renaissance paintings, perhaps, but there's a thriving black market for those). I'm sure the thief had no idea what he was taking and now wishes he hadn't. If it doesn't turn up abandoned somewhere, I'd be surprised.

    -Phil
  • P!-RoP!-Ro Posts: 1,189
    edited 2009-01-07 23:18
    My best bet was they planned to tear it to peaces and sell the parts. What a sad ending to such a great bot.

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    PG
  • boe-crazyboe-crazy Posts: 53
    edited 2009-01-08 00:15
    quadrovers are pretty cool too.

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    To make something work one must build, test, and verify bfore proceding.· -- myself
  • sylvie369sylvie369 Posts: 1,622
    edited 2009-01-08 03:05
    Pi Guy said...
    My best bet was they planned to tear it to peaces and sell the parts. What a sad ending to such a great bot.

    That's reasonable, but based on some experience I had with criminals (drug dealers, in my case) last summer, I think it's just as possible that they're simply too stupid to have planned anything. I alternated between anger and astonishment that anyone could be so clueless.
  • P!-RoP!-Ro Posts: 1,189
    edited 2009-01-08 03:56
    Doesn't surprise me, that's retards for you. They're probably running around town boasting about their find trying to find a buyer. I doubt it will take long for police to find the person, just stay vigilant.

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    PG
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2009-01-08 04:06
    From the "silver lining" department: you just can't buy the kind of publicity this brazen act has engendered. It even made wired.com, and most stories I've seen include nice photos of the bot, as well!

    -Phil
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    edited 2009-01-08 04:17
    @Phil, I agree. To be honest the QuadRover is not an income-generator of any type for Parallax. It's a really·capable robot and mostly about marketing at this point. If you saw our R&D investment and NRE you'd agree for certain.

    We have 27 units left in stock. There will likely not be another manufacturing run of QuadRovers. If you've ever wanted to own the most interesting product made by Parallax, get one now. I'm going to check out one to store for the product archive and keep it in my office. QuadRover promises to be a Parallax museum piece one day.

    Ken Gracey
    Parallax, Inc.
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2009-01-08 04:35
    This just stinks!

    We should pull together a collection from the group to donate a replacement.
    I'll be we could even get Ken to give us cost on one. [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    OBC

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  • P!-RoP!-Ro Posts: 1,189
    edited 2009-01-08 04:42
    "QuadRover promises to be a Parallax museum piece one day."
    -Ken Gracey
    Sad, shouldn't such a nice little robot be more·than just a "museum piece?"

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    PG
  • SRLMSRLM Posts: 5,045
    edited 2009-01-08 05:09
    I like wired's picture. It's nicely done, although the article was slightly misleading: " Stolen in the incident was a 90-pound, four-wheeled robot designed to help rescue astronauts if they were ever stranded on Mars during some future mission." I don't think it will work in space (at least the combustion parts won't without a source of air). If only NASA could get a rescue bot down to $5000!
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    edited 2009-01-08 05:39
    OBC: you wouldn't want it for "cost" because our cost per unit is about $14,000 each. Another reason they're unique! If Erik can't get it back we may donate a replacement. The guy needs to keep his car locked, though.

    Ken Gracey
    Parallax, Inc.
  • SRLMSRLM Posts: 5,045
    edited 2009-01-08 06:04
    Wow! A $9,000 mark down. It's like a perpetual mega daily deal.
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2009-01-08 14:38
    Ken Gracey (Parallax) said...
    OBC: you wouldn't want it for "cost" because our cost per unit is about $14,000 each. Another reason they're unique! If Erik can't get it back we may donate a replacement. The guy needs to keep his car locked, though.

    Ken Gracey
    Parallax, Inc.

    Wow. Ready for a bailout? [noparse]:)[/noparse] [noparse]:)[/noparse] [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    Thanks for having their loss posted to the homepage. Maybe it will be located.

    This story needs a better ending.. I hate to think that it was reduced to
    wheels and gas engine chop-shop style. shutter..

    OBC

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    New to the Propeller?

    Check out: Protoboard Introduction , Propeller Cookbook 1.4 & Software Index
    Updates to the Cookbook are now posted to: Propeller.warrantyvoid.us
    Got an SD card connected? - PropDOS
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2009-01-09 20:12
    I'm thinking it was abducted by aliens...

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    Whit+


    "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
  • sylvie369sylvie369 Posts: 1,622
    edited 2009-01-09 21:23
    Whit said...
    I'm thinking it was abducted by aliens...

    Or it might be on its way to DC:

    www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28565952/
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2009-01-09 22:00
    Apparently, the theft of valuable robots from parked cars is nothing new; and, if the SMU case is any indication, locking the door may not have prevented Portland State's misfortune. In the SMU case, the purloined bot was abandoned in someone's yard, which is what I expect will happen to the QuadRover.

    -Phil

    Post Edited (Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)) : 1/9/2009 10:48:30 PM GMT
  • John AbshierJohn Abshier Posts: 1,116
    edited 2009-01-09 22:19
    I also had a robot stolen from my truck, Lego RCX based. It is sad that people steal things they cannot use or sell and the item ends up dumped. It is sad, but makes sense. Grab stuff in a hurry and sort it out when you get home.

    John Abshier
  • SRLMSRLM Posts: 5,045
    edited 2009-01-12 05:05
    Ken said...
    We have 27 units {Quad Rovers} left in stock.

    Have you ever thought about getting them to work together and pull a semi truck? That would certainly get Parallax some publicity [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    My math: A toyota pickup weighs about 2500 lbs, an (unloaded) semi weighs about 18000 pounds. That's 7.2 robots, or 8 for safety to pull the thing. Put a big banner on the side that says "Parallax: Pulling the Future" and you make CNN and ABC.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2009-01-12 18:16
    The missing has bot has been found! Unfortunately it was abandoned in a lake instead of someone's yard. Read here. The soaking it received should not be fatal, though. I've seen marine electronics brought back to life after a dunking in saltwater. Here is more coverage with a video.

    -Phil

    Post Edited (Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)) : 1/12/2009 7:22:47 PM GMT
  • RobotWorkshopRobotWorkshop Posts: 2,307
    edited 2009-01-12 19:10
    You'd think they could have just left it somewhere instead of dumping it in the lake. It is inexcusable that they stole it in the first place but the pointless destruction after is just sad.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2009-01-12 19:26
    I hope they're not leaving in the air to dry while they formulate a plan to restore it; but I fear it's sitting in an evidence room somewhere, letting the combination of air and water begin the corrosion process. That would be a tragedy. Once something like this has been pulled from fresh water, you have to begin work on it immediately. Otherwise, it's best just to leave it soaking in a tub of demineralized water until you can get to it.

    -Phil

    Post Edited (Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)) : 1/12/2009 7:45:31 PM GMT
  • QuattroRS4QuattroRS4 Posts: 916
    edited 2009-01-12 19:30
    lol - Disappointed kids ... expecting it to have a Head !

    Glad they found it though - what advertising !

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    'Necessity is the mother of invention'

    Those who can, do.Those who can’t, teach.
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    edited 2009-01-13 01:54
    We'll likely be replacing this robot for Erik Sanchez, as it was our intent to provide such a boost to his program. Ultimately we will be paying twice for this robot. Considering the rarity of QuadRovers this is a real crime. In future years we'll look back on this incident with disgust, I assure you. There are only a limited number of these robots around, and when they're gone. . .

    Ken Gracey
    Parallax, Inc.
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