Cheapest micro-processor based robot

[...]

Sounds like a job for an hr of Google.

--

If your ideas are any good you'll have to ram them down people's throats.
  -- Howard Aiken

You only get what you pay for.

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=KR3120

This seemed a good choice but I haven't actually bought one.

JC

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On Fri, 29 Oct 2010, casey wrote:


I believe that Gordon McComb is starting a new series in Nuts&Volts?
Servo?, one or the other about an Arduino based wheeled robot which has
the potential to be as cost effective as one might like, given that the
brains are based upon an Arduino ...
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cadcoke5 had written this in response to
http://www.www.roboticscommunity.com/robotics/Cheapest-micro-processor-based-robot-29319-.htm
 :

They seem to start around $90 USD.  

There is the Parallax Scribber, which is a well packaged robot that can
hold a pen to write on paper.  Older versions require a serial interface.
It comes with an easy to use graphical programming interface.

The Boe Bot, $150 USD, is sold by several companies, but generally
involves you assembling it yourself... which is a very good idea.

The Pololu 3pi Robot [$120] is a pre-assembled robot, but it is hackable.

I purchased a used Roomba for around $120 which has a serial interface
that makes it hackable.  However, you have to provide your own on-board
computer to make it do what you want. A WiFi interface can be added to
control it from your PC.  iRobot also sells their "Create" educational
robot [$130], which based on the same platform, but is designed for
education and is easily expandable.


Joe Dunfee



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http://www.www.roboticscommunity.com/robotics/Cheapest-micro-processor-based-robot-29319-.htm

[...]

The question is not very well defined (hene my urging to do self-google
so exact requirements can be met :).

Depending on what you mean by "robot" and "controller" then
*some* robots can be constructed for less than $10. They do little
more than thrash about at random (e.g. many of those solarbots
made from junk).

I've made a simple IR-controlled robot from about $1 in parts. But it
relies on continuous signal to keep moving. It decodes 3-bits of IR
serial to decide on function-for-next-100ms.

For $90 USD I'd expect to be able to get a new isobot nowadays.
It's controller is pretty sophisticated and has a pretty large
hacker community.

--

If your ideas are any good you'll have to ram them down people's throats.
  -- Howard Aiken

cadcoke5 had written this in response to
http://www.roboticscommunity.com/robotics/Re-Cheapest-micro-processor-based-robot-29325-.htm
 :

I just did a search and saw plenty of sources selling it for $250, but did
come across one source, HAMMACHER SCHLEMMER that had it for the $90 usd
you mentioned.

It puzzles why companies make such great mechanics, and then make it so
that you can't grow beyond just recording a "script" of motions and
sounds.  For very minimal effort they could have added a serial interface
internally to add your own CPU, or even exposed their own CPU and some
Flash ram.

I guess it is the same mentality that causes toy makers to make fake
guitars with a few buttons, when simply adding a few more buttons and the
right interface, and you can start to teach basic music theory like chord
progression.

Joe Dunfee



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[...]

There are various reasons companies make "stunted" versions of toys
(sometimes I get to see prototype toys and the production version
can be quite a bit "less featured" than what the designer envisions).
In the case of Tomy -- whaaal -- they are apparently a special case.
But it's a sore point. :{

There is -- as mentioned -- quite a big hacker community for isobots
given their reasonably good electronics. I think breaking in is a matter
of finding the JTAG pins. In the middle of the main board there is a
5-pin header (I'm looking at one rather than googling so take with
grain of salt) and it seems to be labelled "CON". From what I remember
when I took it out, this was not connected to anything (there are
otherwise quite a few headers for all the servo lines). So it *may* be
there is a serial console there.

Anyway, you can probably get the isobot board on ebay of $50 usd, espc
given the way those micro-servos fry when they aren't adjusted "just right".


--

If your ideas are any good you'll have to ram them down people's throats.
  -- Howard Aiken

I think this is a great one for about $100.  It has a lot of features
for its price and is compatible with the popular Arduino development
platform:

http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/1306

Jerry