Programming the InfoAge Eddie Robot Platform
I will use this thread to report our experiences in developing applications for the Eddie based in the Marconi Hotel at InfoAge (Wall, NJ). At this time, we have decided to develop applications which do not use the Kinect and/or an on board pc. We are incrementally altering the Eddie firmware package. Our first step was to add a series 1 XBee Pro to the Eddie platform, allowing us to control the Eddie from a remote pc. Our second step (the subject of this report) was to control the Eddie using a portable propeller-based controller, similar to the one I described in another thread for controlling the S2.
The attached image shows this controller. It includes the XBee Pro, a 2x16 serial LCD, membrane keyboard, and optional SD card attached to a propeller proto board. The controller is poweredd by a rechargeable battery pack. The operator has the option of selecting position, velocity, or power modes to exercise the robot as a "drone". The operator may change critical parameters (distance, velocity, power, etc.) or view ADC, Ping, position, average velocity and heading values. See the software archives, one for the controller and the other for the Eddie, for more detailed descriptions of the commands and firmware modifications.
Our next step is to transform the firmware into a driver similar to the S2 driver, which would allow us to develop autonomous applications. The "drone" mode is proving useful in learning what conditions Eddie would encounter if allowed to roam the InfoAge campus autonomously.
NickL.
The attached image shows this controller. It includes the XBee Pro, a 2x16 serial LCD, membrane keyboard, and optional SD card attached to a propeller proto board. The controller is poweredd by a rechargeable battery pack. The operator has the option of selecting position, velocity, or power modes to exercise the robot as a "drone". The operator may change critical parameters (distance, velocity, power, etc.) or view ADC, Ping, position, average velocity and heading values. See the software archives, one for the controller and the other for the Eddie, for more detailed descriptions of the commands and firmware modifications.
Our next step is to transform the firmware into a driver similar to the S2 driver, which would allow us to develop autonomous applications. The "drone" mode is proving useful in learning what conditions Eddie would encounter if allowed to roam the InfoAge campus autonomously.
NickL.
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-Matt