Shop OBEX P1 Docs P2 Docs Learn Events
Heart Broken plans shattered — Parallax Forums

Heart Broken plans shattered

smithdavidpsmithdavidp Posts: 146
edited 2012-05-06 03:32 in Robotics
Well..... I found out today that White Box already builds, and markets, the robot that I had in mind. Their Model 914 can do all the things I had planned for my Parallax Robot to do. About the only challenge for me now is to build the same thing and for under $5,000.00. Theirs is a healthy $6,800.00 (rounded figure for the same functions I am trying to build) Just ruins your day ya know........

Comments

  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2012-05-01 10:51
    Looking at the specs, there's not a lot of robot there for $6.8K. You get a pretty shell and chassis with motor-driven wheels and you get a custom PC. There's very little in the way of sensors and nothing that I can see in the way of effectors ... no arm, no video included, no GPS or dead-reckoning sensors. You could do a lot better with something like a BeagleBoard running Linux and a couple of Propellers as peripheral controllers. Be sure to add a Kinect box. There's an open-source project to provide the software for Linux and MacOSX.
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2012-05-01 10:56
    smithdavidp wrote: »
    Well..... I found out today that White Box already builds, and markets, the robot that I had in mind. Their Model 914 can do all the things I had planned for my Parallax Robot to do. About the only challenge for me now is to build the same thing and for under $5,000.00. Theirs is a healthy $6,800.00 (rounded figure for the same functions I am trying to build) Just ruins your day ya know........

    Dave,

    I'm pretty sure there's several companies/people working towards having a robot to assist the elderly and handicapped.

    A while back I started a panic button project. The idea was to let me in-laws call for help by pressing one of the buttons around their house or around their neck if they chose to wear a small transmitter with a button. My in-laws passed away before I had the system working well.

    Ever since then I've been thinking about some sort of robot than could keep tabs on someone in their house. I'd prefer if such a robot could climb stairs.

    I'm sure we're not the only ones who have come up with this idea.
  • davejamesdavejames Posts: 4,047
    edited 2012-05-01 12:16
    Finding out that a product already exists after spending time/money creating one surely blows.

    The other comments echo mine, DO IT ANYWAY - and offer more features for less dollars.

    Follow the dream, man...follow the dream.
  • smithdavidpsmithdavidp Posts: 146
    edited 2012-05-01 12:21
    Well to be totally honest with everyone. I am building my future (and not so distant either) care taker. As you are probably aware I am a Vietnam Veteran that has had the Agent Orange monster chasing after me since last year. I already have the Type 2 diabetes, Ischemic Heart (now congestive due to a heart attack in June 2011) disease and the onset of parkensons. I know this is not the place to air out dirty laundry but I want people to grasp how criticle and important this project is to me. I have already purchased devices that can output my vitals in digital format such as a blood pressure gauge, insulin meter reading device (communication done via infrared), pulse Ox monitor and even a digital thermometer. I know that I will have to have a pc of some kind along with a blue tooth telephone that can be dialed remotly. I have all the necessary building blocks to complete the task. I just lack the knowledge but I learn more and more every day. I could care less what it looks like but I do care about functionality. I was seriously considering the Eddie platform and using 2 Props to handle everything. My last hurdle was to get the SD uC working which I have. If I can times that storage capacity by two (4 gig or greater) then there isn't too much more a man could need. That's why I am so grateful to all those that help me. I am racing against time and time seems to have the faster horse. I am a firm believer in the addage "if you don't know how it works then you can't fix it". I'm not telling you all this to get someone to feel sorry for me. I just want to express my sense of urgency over the project. Hands shaking, eye sight failing, I am going to get it done or die trying. Unless I wind up in Jail for fighting with the Veterans Administration of course. LOL So, as Paul Harvey would say "now you know the rest of the story".
  • Spiral_72Spiral_72 Posts: 791
    edited 2012-05-01 12:27
    Man, I'm sorry. I have this exact thing happen several times, most of us probably have. My most brilliant (and marketable) ideas I find out someone already has for sale at less then my cost to build.

    If there's any encouragement to be offered, make it better and / or less expensive..... even though that is easier to say at this particular time, after being hit with the realization it's already been done.

    A very specialized audio mixer - My customer has nearly gone out of business
    inexpensive laser distance sensor - gone (though I'm trying to work back up to it) I actually had the sucker WORKING though I had a problem in the amplifier stage
    something I now know to be called a "Thermosiphon" - gone (no kidding I thought I would get rich off that one)
    <$100 (edited for confidentiality) device - Still available, but I had no idea how difficult it would be!
    and the latest, also a secret is still available but may not be economically feasible.

    I'm still working on the perpetual motion magnet motor, though I'm not so sure about that one :) HA!
  • jdoleckijdolecki Posts: 726
    edited 2012-05-01 18:18
    Under 700 dollars right now.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp7jta9wNXk

    ro1.jpg
    ro1.jpg
    1024 x 1371 - 188K
    ro1.jpg 187.6K
  • lardomlardom Posts: 1,659
    edited 2012-05-01 21:40
    smithdavidp, Thank you for your service. I agree with davejames; "Do it anyway".
    I built something I could not afford to buy. At first I didn't know if I could. I just knew I wanted it. That desire woke me up early and kept me up late at night working on it. This forum always came through for me whenever I got stuck
  • smithdavidpsmithdavidp Posts: 146
    edited 2012-05-05 03:54
    Well....... I caved in. Bought the Eddie, a new HP Notebook, and a Kinect sensor. Guess that tells you what direction I'm headed in now. I'm still under the 5k mark. lol
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2012-05-05 19:23
    smithdavidp wrote: »
    Well....... I caved in. Bought the Eddie, a new HP Notebook, and a Kinect sensor. Guess that tells you what direction I'm headed in now. I'm still under the 5k mark. lol

    You get a lot of bang for your buck with this route. The Madeusa platform is super solid (I call mine Brutus), and you can spend your time developing applications rather than hassling with cranky hardware.

    -- Gordon
  • smithdavidpsmithdavidp Posts: 146
    edited 2012-05-06 03:32
    I wasn't sure of the hardwared configuration so this is what I ordered. :HP Notebook with 8 gig 1 Tb Hd, Large battery packs for longer operstion (x2) 3 usb ports, 1 VGA and 1 HDMI port. The Kinect for Windows unit (I didn't want to buy the Xbox just to be able to use the Kinect) And, of course the Eddie platform. The notebook configuration was made because I D/L'd the software on my current system and it really messed up some of my other programs. The only software I ordered with it was Windows 7 Professional Microsoft Office for School and Home. I made sure that it had WiFi built in as I intend on trying to do some of the PC work from my main computer. Besides that I think I saw where it has to have internet access anyway. Is this overkill or do I have enough power to make the thing work (not meaning battery power). How does the Kinect get it's 12 vdc power? Does it rob the Propellers supply, get it from the notebook, or does it have a battery case of it's own? Should I be ordering a secondary 12 vdc supply from Parallax and mounting it under the top tray? The thought just occured to me that all I have to buy now is a sumo, a scribbler and a stingray and I will have the complete set of Parallax products. lol
Sign In or Register to comment.