Been thinking about robots
We all grew up being aware of R2-D2 and C3PO so know that robots are the future, we just didn’t know when it would happen. Then we saw the Boston Dynamics Dogs, and realised it might be soon! So, I am looking to build myself a robot.
Unlike when I was younger, and I just built something and soon lost interest because it was so easy, even I could do it, this time I am working to a plan. I am thinking that the world is not yet ready for Robots. I always use a different industry as my guide for where we are, and how long before something might happen. In the case of computing, I looked at how the automobile industry grew. For broadband, I look at how the electricity industry grew.
For Robots, we need to look at the home computer market, and imagine we are in the early 80s. Some people are building robots, but its all very geeky and nobody really understands why they want a robot, other than its cool! So, on that basis, we have a good 30 years before we start seeing useful robots on the high street, and longer before everyone has an R2D2!
My basic idea is I want a robot to take a coffee and some toast to my wife, who’s in bed upstairs. So this R1C2PO that I want to build needs to be able to take instruction easily. It needs to be able to follow a map, carry a tray carefully, and walk up the stairs. It then needs to supply the content of the tray and return, without spilling any of it. So, I basically want to build my own 10 yr old! 😃
It is too early to work out what its going to look like. It might be a bin on wheels, it might be a mannequin, but the main thing I’ve already realised is it needs to be a simple design. The point being that if you had a robot 10 yr old, would you send it to deliver packages around an estate, when you would give an iPhone to a real 10 year old? My point being that this robot is going to get stolen if its too expensive.
This means that it needs to be motors and maybe API driven from the cloud. The simpler the motors, the less expensive it becomes, and as a bonus, the more you can afford! It needs height, so it can be taken seriously, but it doesn’t need strength – or no more than a 10 yr old. I’m not a big fan of 3D printing, so will be aiming to build it using various plastics, such as pipes and flat panels. Again, keeping the price low is important.
The movement is going to be via motors, but having spent time looking at YouTube, I don’t feel having 47 different motors is going to help anyone. I aim it take a page out of nature’s book and see if we can copy the way muscles work. In truth, an actuator would be better in most cases than a big motor, and angles, but there isn’t much work on that.
So looking at the difference between wheel based movement, and leg based, I get the feeling that I need to come up with some form of hybrid. Small wheels are no good outside, where legs are no good on flat floors with distance. Maybe I need a roller skating robot?
The main thing I need to remember is the brains need to be elsewhere, and sent to the robot when needed, all the robot is going to be is a collection of sensors and actuators. A simple roller skating 10 yr old might well be the future!
Next task is to design a plan on how to build it!