Alternatively, for $400,000 (plus taxes & shipping) you could make one helluva robot swarm with 4000 Scribbler 2 robots ($100), each with its own Propeller processor. THAT'S A LOT OF COMBINED PROCESSING POWER! 32,000 cogs!
PR2 is pretty amazing. Back in the beer fetching robot thread I posted a video of it getting some beers. They also have a PR2 safety video that is pretty hair raising.
The thing is you couldn't program those 4000 scribblers without a $400,000 development team. The PR2 has decent processing power, and for those willing to put up with open source quirks, it has a lot already done and available. I wish others would get in the market space, but it isn't realistically happening.
They are giving away 10 robots? That's $4 million dollars of marketing (which becomes a tax deduction) to build mind share, and benefit from volunteer product development, pretty smart actually.
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Alternatively, for $400,000 (plus taxes & shipping) you could make one helluva robot swarm with 4000 Scribbler 2 robots ($100), each with its own Propeller processor. THAT'S A LOT OF COMBINED PROCESSING POWER! 32,000 cogs!
Aren't the S2's due out any day now?
http://www.parallax.com/ProductInfo/Robotics/TheScribbler2/tabid/826/Default.aspx
And what happened to the vaunted and much anticipated Adopt-a-Penguin program?
I want my PRB! (Parallax Robots)
http://www.rdmag.com/News/2012/02/Manufacturing-Robotics-New-System-Allows-Robots-To-Continuously-Map-Their-Environment/?et_cid=2483225&et_rid=54725820&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rdmag.com%2fNews%2f2012%2f02%2fManufacturing-Robotics-New-System-Allows-Robots-To-Continuously-Map-Their-Environment%2f
They are giving away 10 robots? That's $4 million dollars of marketing (which becomes a tax deduction) to build mind share, and benefit from volunteer product development, pretty smart actually.
I have a million-dollar development team. It's called this forum!