Robotics question

Uber-Cool Kid

I am about to get my first parallax robot. The only problem is that I do not know which one to get....
What kind do you reccomend? (P.S I went to robotics camp and used the boe-bot)

Mike Green

It depends a lot on things you haven't said anything about. It's really impossible to make any kind of recommendation without more information.

1) Is money an issue? The QuadRover is cool, but at $5000, it's pretty pricey.

2) What kind of timeframe are you talking about? Parallax has shown some pictures and discussed some features of yet another robot using the Propeller that's under development.

3) What do you want to do with it? Very important

4) How much did you like the BoeBot?

5) What do you already think about the robots that Parallax already sells?

Uber-Cool Kid

Mike Green said...
It depends a lot on things you haven't said anything about. It's really impossible to make any kind of recommendation without more information.

1) Is money an issue? The QuadRover is cool, but at $5000, it's pretty pricey.

2) What kind of timeframe are you talking about? Parallax has shown some pictures and discussed some features of yet another robot using the Propeller that's under development.

3) What do you want to do with it? Very important

4) How much did you like the BoeBot?

5) What do you already think about the robots that Parallax already sells?

I dont think my parents would go for a $5k robot...

Well I have alot of time because in the summer I am home most of the time.

I want to use it like the boe-bot, I enjoy programing it and stuff but what I like more is actually seeing it in action.

I loved the boe-bot, that is the one I am thinking about getting but I don't know if I should get that particular one.

I like most of them, even though I don't really know most of them.

Uber-Cool Kid

BUMP

Mike Green

The BoeBot is a good robot to use because it's expandable and you can learn a lot using it. Other people have done all sorts of interesting things with it, particularly navigation types of things. You can add a PING sensor to it with its own positioning servo. You can add a CMUcam as long as Parallax has stock of these. You can replace the BS2 Stamp with a faster or fancier model (like the BS2p or BS2px). You can add wireless control from your PC using a Bluetooth adapter or from a standard universal IR remote control. You can add line following sensors.

Look up all these add-ons in Parallax's webstore and look at the descriptions, the documentation, and the sample code and think about whether you'd be interested in using them.

Please don't do "BUMP". It's impolite at best.

Jessica Uelmen

Hi Uber-Cool Kid,

In addition to taking a peek at the add-ons in our store, you can also have a look at our Stamps in Class "Mini Projects" page. Here you will find additional projects that you can do with the Boe-Bot - and most of them include sample videos too.

Happy Hunting!

Jessica

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Jessica Uelmen
Education Department
Parallax, Inc.

Spamity Calamity

Do what I did. Get a Boe-Bot kit. but before you start messing with the kit. Download the "What is a Microcontroller?" book. And use the components in the robot kit to first learn the basics by doing the projects in the Microcontroller book. Now you cant do every single project because the "What is a Microcontroller" book uses a few specialized components not found in the robot kit, (I picked up the missing components at Frys btw) but you can do most of the activities and you can definately do the important ones that apply to robotics. Doing this will really help with grasping the concepts used in the "Robotics with the Boe-Bot" book.

MSDTech

If you're not sure what you want to do, but are familiar with the BOE-BOT and you can talk your folks into a $400 robot kit, you should look at the Ultimate BOT-BOT kit. The promotion ends Monday so you need to talk fast to the folks.
This kit has most every add-on for a BOE-BOT and gives you many possibilities to explore its capabilities.
www.parallax.com/Store/Robots/RollingRobots/tabid/128/CategoryID/3/List/0/catpageindex/2/Level/a/ProductID/565/Default.aspx?SortField=ProductName%2cProductName

Post Edited (MSDTech) : 7/19/2009 9:56:27 PM GMT

SRLM

Parallax will be releasing a new robot (The "Stingray", a Propeller Powered Robot) sometime soon. Like everything they create, they don't give a definite release date until the product is on the shelf, but it should be sometime soon (a month maybe?).