Virtual Robot Software.

Ezsynn

What if you want to go outdoors? ... and all you're thinking about is your robot?
What if you lost your robot? ... and you can't learn the PBASIC 2.5 that has been hassling you?
What if you didn't want to unplug and plug your robot from the computer over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again?!?!?!?!? ... and you just can't because that's the only way to test your robot?

What if Parallax made a program which lets you build a virtual robot on the computer with the parts available from the shop? ... and you don't have to go through the processes almost everyday before your robot is even finished?

Well, you can save a lot of time (by not repeatedly unplugging and plugging up your robot) and money (by saving battery power). Well Lego made up their Digital Designer. What about Parallax Virtual Robot?

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BWIN ON DA POWAH WIFIN U!!!

Mike Green

I hate to be a nay-sayer, but a Parallax Virtual Robot program wouldn't be much different from a toy. Parallax's robot line, particularly the BoeBot is about non-ideal devices and they can vary widely based on what people want to get and what features they want. Sure, you can make an ideal robot in an ideal environment that has nothing to do with the "real world" and would never work properly where wheels slip on flooring and sensors don't or don't the way you expect. Parallax has always tried to help people learn about programming and about how to make robots do things.

There are virtual robot simulators that are not specific to Parallax products. Here's one: www.channel4.com/science/microsites/R/robots/constructor.html.

Ugha

I agree that a robot simulator isn't exactly what we need (Although I hear RobotBasic has a nice one).

I did hear rumors of a stamp simulator though... anyone got a link to it and know if it was complete enough to be useful?

Whit

@ Ugha - See this thread for the Basic Stamp Simulator - http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=713291

@ Ezsynn - RobotBASIC is a free Robot Simulator -http://www.robotbasic.org/ They also have a couple of books too.

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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

roadrunner3g

there is a program called eyeWyre for the boe and toddler. it's limited (functionality) and probably overpriced. ($100 in 2004)

Humanoido

If you check the Forum posts, you will find the Toddler simulation program was made available free to those who were interested.

It would be nice to have more control over a pure virtual program of a robot, as it could lead to the development of many new things juxtaposed in the real world. As you have cited, avoiding the wear and tear of actual components is one real benefit. With enough tools, you could build and rebuild your robot on the screen and make it interact in a virtual world. It would be a great learning situation though it's likely you would need to write this complex program to understand it and use it effectively.

Take for example good virtual robotics programs on Parallax robots that may go far beyond the usefulness of mere toys. They are educational, instructive and can be highly beneficial in terms of tools useful for extending and replacing hardware and software, conserving money and resources, keeping with the green philosophy of environment, and valuable for creating extended applications with new ideas, creativity, parts with no weight or physical dimensions, and assistance for humans.

As an example, several virtual robotic programs developed on the Parallax Penguin robot in some circumstances can save your life. You may refer to the May-June issue of Robot magazine for proof.

humanoido