Cheapest micro-processor based robot

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Sounds like a job for an hr of Google.

You only get what you pay for.

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

JC

cadcoke5 had written this in response to

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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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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.

cadcoke5 had written this in response to

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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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cadcoke5 wrote: [...]

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".

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 ...

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:

Jerry