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Parallax Hydraulic Gas Robot — Parallax Forums

Parallax Hydraulic Gas Robot

Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
edited 2008-03-19 18:25 in Robotics
Roboticists:

Here's one for you, or five depending on your needs! Introducing the latest Parallax robot, a full-hydraulic, gasoline powered outdoor differential steering 75-pound robot!

We now have five units in stock and we've got 45 more on the way.

These can be yours for $5,000.00 each (expensive, I know).

We don't have documentation yet, but we have the hardware!

Sincerely,

Ken Gracey
Parallax, Inc.

attachment.php?attachmentid=49136
Hydraulic Robot.jpg
1200 x 900 - 280K
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Comments

  • CCraigCCraig Posts: 163
    edited 2007-09-05 21:34
    That's cool. I don't need docs. I need a bunch of little portraits of dead Presidents.

    All kidding aside, those are really nice.

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    I'm not scared of your robot. I'm covered by Old Glory (youtube)
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2007-09-05 21:49
    Now that should have been in the best Tech Photo contest! Those look even better that the prototype.
    I love the red and black and the Parallax logo -of course. Very gool disc brakes too.

    More pictures and video soon?

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    Whit+


    "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
  • MarkSMarkS Posts: 342
    edited 2007-09-05 22:02
    Whit said...
    Very gool disc brakes too.

    I think those are encoders. Could be wrong, though...
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    edited 2007-09-05 22:17
    Disc brakes.

    Ken
  • D FaustD Faust Posts: 608
    edited 2007-09-06 00:16
    Where is the prop on the thing?

    Cool product, trying to broaden the horizons?

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  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2007-09-06 00:19
    With the attenna - are they remote control or at least optionally so? Can they be autonomous as is or do you have to add equipment to make them so? Lastly, what sort of engine is on these? Another Subaru or Honda?

    Edit - O.K, went back an looked. Remote control out of box. Propeller controller. Honda 2.5 H.P. Is all this still true?

    The production model has some nice refinements.

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    Whit+


    "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney

    Post Edited (Whit) : 9/6/2007 2:56:21 AM GMT
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    edited 2007-09-06 01:52
    Whit,

    You are correct on all counts. It will use the Propeller, D Faust. We will ship it with a standard R/C remote control and a code example that people can follow to understand how it can be autonomously controlled.

    At this stage, it's all about documentation and electronics. We need to get busy so we can list these for sale pretty soon.

    Ken Gracey
    Parallax, Inc.
  • D FaustD Faust Posts: 608
    edited 2007-09-06 02:03
    I heard some where else ealier that it uses a prop.· I was wondering on where you planned to mount it.· The bot looks pretty stuffed.· Sorry if I wasn't clear the first time.

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  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2007-09-06 02:18
    D Faust,

    Take a look at the prototype photo. If it hasn't moved, looks like the prop is right up front on top. See thread - http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=649352

    attachment.php?attachmentid=47068

    Wonder if the front is a bumper with sensor or just a lifting handle or both? A robot that will need an oil change is pretty cool. yeah.gifundefined

    undefined


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    Whit+


    "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney

    Post Edited (Whit) : 9/6/2007 2:26:01 AM GMT
  • walice_drelwalice_drel Posts: 81
    edited 2007-09-06 06:55
    How much are they and when will they be available for sale?

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    http://www.myspace.com/droidworks
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2007-09-06 11:37
    walice_drel said...
    How much are they and when will they be available for sale?
    See above - about $5000. They are still working on documentation and electronics (according to Ken). They want to get them out soon.

    Also look above to the old thread about the prototype. There is some video there.

    D Faust said...
    I heard some where else ealier that it uses a prop.· I was wondering on where you planned to mount it.

    With what Ken said about documentation and electronics, maybe the Propeller aren't installed yet.

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    Whit+


    "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney

    Post Edited (Whit) : 9/6/2007 11:43:13 AM GMT
  • StampNut2StampNut2 Posts: 224
    edited 2007-09-06 12:02
    WOW, pretty neat robot, Outa my price range though. Who was the intended market for these robots?

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    Never give up when things go wrong.
  • Timothy D. SwieterTimothy D. Swieter Posts: 1,613
    edited 2007-09-06 13:28
    Very, very nice robot. They shipped assembled?! Where is the fun in that!

    Nice job. My small apartment in Hong Kong wouldn't have room for that robot. They just resodded the soccer field outside so I would hate to tear up the new grass. Based on these reason I will have to wait to get one until I move back to the USA wink.gif

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    Timothy D. Swieter
    tdswieter.com
    One little spark of imagination is all it takes for an idea to explode
  • Paul Sr.Paul Sr. Posts: 435
    edited 2007-09-06 16:20
    StampNut2 said...
    WOW, pretty neat robot, Outa my price range though. Who was the intended market for these robots?

    Leno would probably buy one...
  • StampNut2StampNut2 Posts: 224
    edited 2007-09-06 18:28
    Paul Sr: Leno who???

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    Never give up when things go wrong.
  • D FaustD Faust Posts: 608
    edited 2007-09-06 18:29
    Sorry, i didn't notice all the wires in the front.· Thanks.

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  • allanlane5allanlane5 Posts: 3,815
    edited 2007-09-06 19:22
    Jay Leno, he has a garage full of car collectables. $5,000 for a programmable R/C robotic platform sounds just about right.

    I can see military contractors ordering a few of these to evaluate them for IED sniffers in Iraq.· How loud are they?· How long do they run on a single filling of gas?
  • MarkSMarkS Posts: 342
    edited 2007-09-06 19:53
    allanlane5 said...
    Jay Leno, he has a garage full of car collectables.

    Ken, you should seriously consider donating one of these to Jay Leno's car collection. I guarantee you this will get you a spot on the Tonight Show. $5,000 is not bad for that kind of publicity.
  • robotixrobotix Posts: 1
    edited 2008-01-30 10:28
    Hi there,
    is this cool robot still available?
    I have a couple of questions about the hydraulic system of the robot:
    - what's the maximum oil pressure and flow rate of the pump?
    - are the valves custom?

    Regards,
    Claudio
  • Robert AshRobert Ash Posts: 6
    edited 2008-01-30 14:17
    Nice, way to much fun. I have most of the parts, no place to put it together.
  • Sadao Fujiwara-sanSadao Fujiwara-san Posts: 31
    edited 2008-01-31 19:55
    what kind of applications can those be appliied to

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    Sadaao Fujiwara-san



    Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance
    Sam Brown··············

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  • deadwhaledeadwhale Posts: 30
    edited 2008-02-16 05:45
    I just joined here and fell upon this topic. I can think of about a gazillion things I'd like to do with this robot. I can imagine tethering it to an individual with RFID and using it for carrying fishing equipment, camping equipment etc. A robotic mule. I can see attaching a metal detector to it and having scan fields for whatever junk it is people with metal detectors look for. I can see the military using it, especially if you can rig it easily for remote start with a surveillance mode. This thing is just cool. I just gotta buy a lottery ticket!
  • tantrikatantrika Posts: 2
    edited 2008-02-27 02:01
    Hydraulics are very attractive for some application and I've been looking for some for some projects. Will hydraulic kits or replacement parts be made available too?
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2008-02-27 12:18
    Ummm... what's the shipping weight? This isn't exactly UPS material. I suppose it won't come in a cardboard box either [noparse][[/noparse]maybe on it's own shipping pallet].· I'd love to see it maxed out with matt tracks, but I suspect that feature would be another $5000.· Afterall, matt tracks are a patented item.

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    PLEASE CONSIDER the following:

    Do you want a quickly operational black box solution or the knowledge included therein?······
    ···················· Tropically,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan
  • Albright (OSURC)Albright (OSURC) Posts: 9
    edited 2008-03-01 07:00
    Hey all,

    Many of you have been asking the application of such an awesome platform. Well here is one answer. I am part of a team of Electrical Engineering Students at Oregon State University that will be competing in a Mars Rover Challenge. Parallax was kind enough to let us test out this new system for the competition. This QuadRover will need to be able to navigate the tough desert terrain of Mars (in our case southern Utah) this coming June. We will keep everyone posted on how it works and what we are doing with it.

    As for a personal opinion of the QuadRover:

    This rover is very robust and has an enormous amount of power. Think of it this way, it is running a 49cc Honda Engine; that is what you would find on a small motorcycle. This is going to be really fun. We haven't had much time to work the last few days because of midterms, but will have it running in no time and be ready to report to everyone.

    Thank you Parallax!

    Ryan Albright
    Oregon State University Robotics Club

    If you would like more information on the competition and what we are doing, check out this forum.
    http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=711970
  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2008-03-03 19:50
    Kramer said...
    Ummm... what's the shipping weight? This isn't exactly UPS material. I suppose it won't come in a cardboard box either [noparse][[/noparse]maybe on it's own shipping pallet].·

    Don't know what the final weight is, but we are in the process of designing the palette they will be shipped in. I would say that the total weight exceeds 100 pounds, but this is just a guess. I don't know UPS's weight, size and packaging requirements so the QuadRover may or may not require freight·shipping.·Ken,·has a better understanding.

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    Paul Baker
    Propeller Applications Engineer

    Parallax, Inc.
  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2008-03-04 02:57
    I dont think there is a list. I'm not on the project so I don't know many details. I know we're somewhere in the design of the controller board, I saw a printout of the prototype's layout a couple weeks ago, but I don't know what progress has been made since then.

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    Paul Baker
    Propeller Applications Engineer

    Parallax, Inc.
  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2008-03-04 22:48
    Minor update, we will be doing pre-sales most likely this month sometime. We don't have an exact date for it yet.

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    Paul Baker
    Propeller Applications Engineer

    Parallax, Inc.
  • Paul Bouchard (Parallax)Paul Bouchard (Parallax) Posts: 56
    edited 2008-03-11 16:34
    Hello everyone,

    As Paul stated and I can confirm we are very close (any day) to the kickoff of our pre-sales campaign on the QuadRover. We are anxiously awaiting a few final docs and specs from our engineers in an attempt to provide you with as much info possible to make an educated decision when determining to purchase the unit. I can tell you the marketing team has come up with a plan to make the·pre-sales release very attractive to those who act early including some freebies and a very low introductory price. So stay tuned and hold on to those tax rebate checks!

    Post Edited (Paul Bouchard (Parallax)) : 3/11/2008 4:40:28 PM GMT
  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2008-03-12 23:10
    Guess what just came up: http://www.parallax.com/Store/Robots/RollingRobots/tabid/128/ProductID/502/List/1/Default.aspx?SortField=ProductName,ProductName


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    Paul Baker
    Propeller Applications Engineer

    Parallax, Inc.
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