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[DPRG] robot practice
Subject: [DPRG] robot practice
From: David P. Anderson
dpa at io.isem.smu.edu
Date: Mon Oct 16 14:17:46 CDT 2006
Howdy
Chris, bring whatever you have. It's not a contest but just
a chance to check things out. An RBDO.
We also have a little lathe and drill press and a few other
machine tools at the warehouse now, so if you'd like assistance
on things mechanical there will be several RBNOs twixt now
and then.
I've been running jBot at Fairpark a lot in the past few months,
and have had a chance to talk with both Fairpark security and
also with the Dallas Police that patrol over there. They like
robots. The police especially were fascinated.
One thing I've observed is that after about 4:00 pm there is
literally nobody there. An elderly gentleman jogs through there
with his dog every evening about 6:00, and two fellows that have
some sort of computer graphics business near Fairpark come
roller-blading through sometimes. All have stopped and
asked lots of questions about jBot and I've pointed them to
the DPRG website each time. They just wave now as they
skate/jog past.
There also seems to be some sort of society that meets in the
Natural History Museum next door to The Science Place late in
the evenings, maybe Thursdays or Fridays.
Only downside I've found is that you will invariably get
panhandled by some homeless person in the course of the
afternoon/evening. I've started carrying little bags of
cheese and crackers in my car for such instances, and I
once bought a cheesburger for a very desperate old woman.
I don't feel comfortable giving them money nor to I feel
right about sending them away. Cheese and crackers is my
compromise.
Actually, it has only happened to me a few times, not every
time. I actually think that's what the Dallas Police are
doing there.
And, if you are really really lucky, you might run into Frank
Elia and a bunch of foreign tourists with their cameras over
near the aquarium, and they might exclaim with delight in some
strange language as the robot drives by, the only word of which
I caught was "GPS!".
best
dpa
>
> Hello Everyone,
>
> > I've talked to the Fair grounds security officiers and told
> > them what we are doing and I also demo'd jBot for them (they
> > loved it), and they said "no problem."
>
> Thanks David for clearing this with security. It is very considerate, both
> of you and them. I have sometimes been nervous operating a robot in public
> areas even though police have always left me alone.
>
> > The club tankbot also has a special requirement that it
> > needs to run or concrete or gravel, but not grass, at least
> > not yet. I think there are several places in Fairpark that
> > will work fine for that.
>
> The club tankbot uses a 1 GHz VIA C3 based mini-ITX mainboard, correct?
> That gives it sufficient performance for significant real-time signal
> processing of sensor data from SONAR or cameras. When I saw the tankbot a
> few months ago, I didn't fully realize what could be done with the onboard
> computer it has.
>
> > Also, if we can entice Chris Jang to bring his robot, there
> > are several places, long sidewalks bordered by grass, that
> > should work well with his vision-based navigation.
>
> I'll try. Development on my side has been in a computer vision template
> library for the last month or two. I don't know if I can get this together
> with the control system for the robot in time. I have some more questions
> for the group but will continue them in a separate thread.
>
> Chris
>
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