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MS Robotics Studio - Advantage or pain? — Parallax Forums

MS Robotics Studio - Advantage or pain?

merlinmerlin Posts: 40
edited 2006-09-28 04:00 in Robotics
Dear friends
I have spend about 3 years working with several models of Basic Stamps, doing some pretty stuff on small robotics projects, mostly for hobbist purposes.

I have a decent knowledge in PBASIC and now I have intrigued about the MS Robotics Studio software, so··I am trying to evaluate if the benefits to go inside MRS are greater than the costs involved in·terms of time and effort. By the way, I have to say that currently I dont have skills in .NET developing technologies.

At this point I would like to hear from you guys, about the main purposes of MRS and the main advantages you have seen there.

Some of··my questions are:

Which is the main purpose of MRS?
Is·it a replacement of PBASIC?
It provides more functions to my robots?

Thanks in advance for your response and best regards all of you


merlin



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Comments

  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,390
    edited 2006-09-25 16:25
    Merlin,

    While you proceed with your research, be sure to read the first download at the bottom of this page:

    http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28118

    Ken Gracey
    Parallax, Inc.
  • merlinmerlin Posts: 40
    edited 2006-09-25 16:45
    Dear Ken:

    In fact, I have read the content of the link you have sent even the PDF files there...where you can find "...you can control the Boe-Bot in PC remote mode with a Simple Dashboard service (GUI) and in semiautonomous mode with a C# program that dictates the Boe-Bot's navigation based on its sensor reports"

    So...that is all you can do it? When I was reading this, I thought I was missing the best part, because for me it was hard to imagine all this effort associated to the integration with MRS and some aditional programming language like C#, only to get so tiny results.

    But, if you say this is all...well, certanly I will wait fo a few more features before jumping into the integration adventure with MRS.

    Thanks for your fast response and best regards



    merlin

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  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,390
    edited 2006-09-25 17:33
    Merlin,

    There's a nice article in the October 2006 edition of "Servo" explaining the whole integration of MRS with products made by companies like Parallax. Send me your e-mail address and I'll e-mail a scan of this article to you so you can do a bit more "high level reading" of how MRS is intended to be used.

    Ken Gracey
    Parallax, Inc.
    kgracey@parallax.com
  • merlinmerlin Posts: 40
    edited 2006-09-25 19:56
    Will be very appreciate

    darnoff@yahoo.com

    Thank you VERY much.

    merlin

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  • Bill ChennaultBill Chennault Posts: 1,198
    edited 2006-09-28 02:50
    merlin--
    Here is my input as a very highly experienced computer/technology person. (I am a retiring CIO for a large college in the mid-west.) I have a LOT of experience with Microsoft . . . from DAY ONE for that company. I have also used their products to implement invention(s) that have received patent protection by the US PTO.
    Still, I am not a "fan of Microsoft." I think I have finally become simply a "realist of Microsoft."
    This is the way I see it . . .
    1) Microsoft will play around with MRS and get a feel for the level of interest in the worldwide user community vs. the cost to evolve and support the product and either drops it or you will not be able to say "robot" without also saying "Microsoft."
    2) The "new guys" at Microsoft will not have the vision that BG had and will decide to pay dividends instead of invest in R&D and that will be the end of MRS.
    3) Microsoft will decide that MRS is THE thing for millions of us interested--and soon to be interested--in robotics and monopolize the market to the extent that small outfits (such as our gracious host) MUST develop and disclose to the tune of Microsoft's new song. (I suppose this may be like the first one, above.)
    My belief is that Microsoft will follow the money and torture all of us--including folks such as Parallax--in the process and eventually own the robotics market just like they own the OS and WP and you-name-it general markets. (I think it is important to remember that Microsoft generalizes, rather than specializes. This is simply because in GENERAL, the money belongs to the masses, not the specialist types.)
    If my belief is correct, will that be good or bad? I think it will be good in the long run. VB really brought programming, thus logical, technical, "informational" thinking to the masses. Perhaps, MRS--as an application based on VB--will do the same. I THINK so.
    The robotics market is FAR, FAR larger than ANY of us might imagine. Read Asimov--I'm sure you have or you wouldn't be here--and raise his belief to some exponential power. That is what is going to happen. Guaranteed.
    --Bill
    ps At my age, #2 would not be a bad option for me, personally!











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  • Kevin WoodKevin Wood Posts: 1,266
    edited 2006-09-28 04:00
    Microsoft is definitely fishing for a market, in general, with MSRS. However, that's not to say that you have to develop with Visual Studio or other MS technologies for computer-robotics integration. For example, NASA's Mars Rover used Java in parts of its user interface.

    So basically, any programming technology that you can use to build a datalink between your robot and a computer can be used in a similar fashion.
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