Riding the base
We have the base up and running! Motor drivers are having some reliability issues, but we were able to get a full system together for a couple of hours. The system includes the real battery system, computers, 4 casters, and a laser range finder.
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are u using a wii to control it?
Yes - we're using the tilting of the wii remote to control the base.
How do you plan to deal with wires and cables that are found in any normal environment? It looks like the wheels could easily be caught by, or get wrapped up in the power cord from a light. Seems like there will be similar problems with shoes, throw rugs on hardwood floors, toys left on the floor, things that pets knock over, etc. The base also seems too wide to navigate tight spaces (say a small room with a desk and chair and filing cabinet that leaves little room for anything else.) I think that useful home robots will not become ubiquitous until we get away from the assumption that the paths it must follow are clear of obstructions; a robot must be able to get around/over/through obstructions. For example, something like a friendly looking spider would make more sense for a robot vacuum cleaner than a Roomba does. Sure you can cover a large population who keep their home pathways clear and accomplish useful tasks (most of the time) in those environments. However, the best solution for the future is not wheels. Probably not treads either (though a mono tread that covers the entire bottom of the robot might be fairly versatile and unlikely to get tangled.) There are a lot of people in the world who just do not keep their space tidy, and they are the ones who really need a helper robot! For example:
http://tinyurl.com/5my85d
We're designing the system to be able to deal with basic obstacles, such as extension cords, but you're right that there will be some environments too obstructed for the robot to operate in.
Although one day legs may provide more capability, they don't make sense until we are able to create reliable stable platforms that can operate in cluttered environments.
Our current robot can operate in ADA-compliant spaces, which covers many different environments, and we're looking forward to integrating new mobility technologies into future versions (possibly something like legs, or possibly something else wheel-based, like the iBOT wheelchair that can handle stairs).
what about something similar to the ATHLETE robot scaled to home-sized robots? it seems a very nice solution, legs + wheels.