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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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CALENDAR
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| 2002.06.01 |
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UK National Micromouse Competition, London, UK
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| 2002.06.01 |
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TNO Robot Competition, The Hague, Netherlands
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| 2002.06.7-8 |
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RoboFesta, Rome, Italy
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| 2002.06.19-23 |
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RoboCup Robot Soccer World Cup, Fukuoka, Japan
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| 2002.06.29-07.02 |
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Botball National Tournament, Norman, OK
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| 2002.07.06-08 |
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AUVS International Ground Robotics Competition, Walt Disney World, FL
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| 2002.07.15-19 |
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K'NEX K-bot World Championships, Las Vegas, NV
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| 2002.07.27-28 |
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BotCon 2002, Fort Wayne, IN
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| 2002.07.28-08.01 |
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11th Annual AAAI Mobile Robot Competition, Edmonton, Canada
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| 2002.07.29-08.03 |
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AUVS International Aerial Robotics Competition
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| 2002.07.31-08.04 |
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5th Annual AUVS International Undersea Robotics Competition, Annapolis, MD
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| 2002.08.18 |
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Albany Robot Conflict, Albany, NY
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| 2002.08.31 |
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Robocon University World Championship, Tokyo, Japan
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| 2002.08 |
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International Robot Games Festival, Japan
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| 2002.08 |
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Robotics Society of Southern California Robot Talent Contest, Fullerton, CA
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ABOUT NETSURFER
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COOL TOYS
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IN THE NEWS
Clones Attack Droids and Records
Summer blockbuster time has Episode 2 of the Star Wars saga
marching up the charts towards the all time Top 20 in gross receipts.
While it's unlikely that any episode will recreate the magic of the
original Star Wars of 25 years ago, the story has evolved into both
ecosystem and franchise. In this installment, we are privy to the
workings of the droid factory - "machines making machines", one
character whispers in awe. Visually dramatic perhaps, but appallingly primitive
- the Trade Federation could take a manufacturing lesson from Intel or Toyota.
Nevertheless, the progress of CG animation marches on
more relentlessly than the clones themselves; ignore the space soap-sitcom
parts and feast on the extraordinary details created by Lucas's crew.
RoboFly Flies
According to aerodynamic theory, bumblebees can't fly - and neither can flies.
Careful observations in a two-ton tank of mineral oil has since revealed clever,
lift-creating motions as the wings move side-to-side at up to 200 times a second.
Most intriguing is the unexpected "wake capture" maneuver where the wing passes through the
vortex from the previous stroke. The Micromechanical Flying Insect (MFI)
team at UC Berkeley has since built
a model polyester wing with stainless steel struts that generates the force
calculated to be necessary for flight. The next trick is to attach two wings
to a thorax and see if it will actually lift off.
WORLD CUP FEVER
Football, Huh?
Every four years, FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association)
has the whole world glued to every twist and turn of the World Cup football competition.
This year, there is even a giant screen in Kabul Stadium showing the matches as
little Senegal toppled hapless defending champions France
and the US team surprised soccer powers Portugal and South Korea.
Well, everywhere except in the US, where we call it soccer and consider it a game for
little girls. Robotic soccer, on the other hand, has always been popular for its
simpler game and team cooperation challenges. The 2002 FIFA competition is bracketed by two major
robotic soccer competitions, FIRA World Cup and RoboCup, originated by this year's World Cup
hosts Korea and Japan respectively.
FIRA 2002
The first robotic soccer competitions, MiroSot96 (Micro-Robot Soccer Tournament),
was started in Korea in 1996,
and evolved
into the FIRA (Federation of International Robot-Soccer Association) World Cup.
In basic MiroSot,
3-a-side and 5-a-side teams of remotely-controlled, palm-sized cubes on wheels use colour to identify
friend, foe, and most importantly, the orange soccer ball. Winners to date
rely on good sensors and fast reflexes with a minimum of strategy.
Other categories include nano robots (NaroSot)
less than 1.5 inches a side, simulations (SimuroSot), and a new one for humanoid robots (HuroSot).
The 2002 FIRA World Cup was well represented by Asian Pacific countries, with a sprinkling of European teams.
Adjunct events include a research congress and an exhibition on intelligent robotics.
RoboCup-2002
RoboCup claims a conception in 1993, though the first competition was not
held until 1997 in Nagoya. With a mission to
"develop a team of fully autonomous humanoid robots that can win against the human world soccer champion team by 2050"
it too fields a plethora of categories from simulations and basic bots to four-legged bots
to humanoids.
Sometimes there are even organized biological humanoid - human - matches.
The post-9/11 RoboCupRescue includes strategy simulation and actual robotic search and rescue.
Over 100 teams from 22 countries participated in Seattle in 2001, and a
record turnout is expected this year.
Reports on the research findings are presented at the RoboCup International Symposium, and there
is Robotrex, exhibiting the latest in robots and robot technology.
More Soccer Madness
The simple joys of soccer and robotics intersect in many ways.
While RoboCup Junior and many college groups have LEGO soccer competitions,
the University of Aarhus in Denmark took it one step further. Its contribution
is a demo that included a stadium complete with video screen,
scrolling commercials, and 1500 small spectators that spontaneously
performed the "Mexican wave".
The Co-Evolutionary Robot Soccer Show is a Windows-based program that breeds virtual
soccer players by allowing tweaks on population and fitness parameters.
Budding Svengalis can go head-to-head with each other by uploading their creations to
a central server to duke it out.
And for a retro blast, there is ASCII Soccer, a simple tool for investigating how groups of simple agents playing a soccer-like game, the genesis of the java-based
TeamBots environment.
My Own SoccerBot Team
Inspired to field your own robotic soccer team?
Well, you could build it yourself.
The University of Western Australia fields the autonomous CIIPS Glory
team based on their Eyebot controller and shares the knowhow with a detailed site.
You could go for a pack of AIBOs, but that would set you back a few kilodollars. And AIBOs, being
robot pets, behave like pets; they take training and sometimes have a mind of their own.
Another alternative might be the OWI soccer robot kits. These come in
a six-legged and a wheeled version, each with a dedicated third motor for catching and kicking the
soccer ball. All that agility sells for about US$40 each, brains and batteries not included.
TECHNOTOYS
Evolving Consumer Friendliness
For those of us who have ogled their ER3xx series of robotic development
kits, Evolution Robotics has just introduced the ER1 Persobnal Robotic
System at US$599 assembled (you provide the laptop computer).
The centerpiece of this minikit is its visual control center, software
that makes programming your autonomous bot a snap. Navigation, sight/sound
recording and playback, object recognition,
email, and Internet-based remote control can be all be controlled and aggregated
into more complex behaviours by point-and-click.
With a pricepoint in the consumer electronics league,
ER1 will truly test the personal robotics space
when the robotic arm accessory becomes available.
ERS-31L from Sony
For the same US$599 and no added laptop
you can become the proud owner of ERS-31L, the latest addition to
the Sony AIBO family. Part of the "Hello Kitty"-styled series with Macaron and Latte,
ERS-31L is a brown puppy with an energetic and curious personality and a
less saccharine mug.
It "wakes up" with a good morning dance, incorporating some of its 200
or so new dance moves. More intriguingly, it has a habit of wandering around,
eagerly taking pictures when it finds something interesting.
And like young children and pets, it doesn't listen very well when it's
following its whims.
ERS-31L is available on the AIBO web site and in all Sony stores.
Getting A Head in 8 Weeks
With a bit more cash (US$2,000-3,000), some photos, and 8 weeks of time,
you can get a custom-made animatronic head of yourself from that capital
of custom tailoring, Hong Kong.
Remote servo control of facial movements, such as opening and closing
eyes and mouth, moving the eyes around, and smiling,
result in many different expressions.
You can also provide your own micro video cameras eyes, or place custom
electronics in the 1/3 of the head that is not stuffed with wires
and other hardware. Realism comes from fine details - skin texture, different
eyelash styles, and individually cut teeth.
The head can be mounted on a robotic body or a stand - just make sure there is
plenty of ventilation.
BITS & PIECES
Open Source Hardware
Say "Open Source" and visions of software come to mind. But there are hardware
folks who have bought into the gospel of Open Source. While many projects
are focused on ASIC cores and controller boards, roboticists have also contributed
source for magnetometers and electromechanical control systems. To be sure,
the big difference between loading up Open Source software on your computer and running it
and taking Open Source schematics and turning them into real iron (got
a fab handy?) will drag the adoption curve. Nevertheless, the case for reuse
can be compelling, particularly in embedded systems already running Open Source uClinux.
PROOF OF THE PUDDING
Boeing X-45A UCAV
Spy plane Predator grabbed the headlines earlier in the year
when a modified version started to launch missiles
in Afghanistan. The Boeing X-45A, the first UAV designed for combat,
has since made a successful
maiden flight in May, upping the competition for the unmanned combat air vehicle
(UCAV) slice of the Defense pie. The 27-foot jet operates at high altitude and can carry
a 1,500 pound payload. The X-45B, a prototype with fully functional sensor
suites, weapons bays, and other capabilities close to the final operational version, is in development. The program is expected to be operational at the end of the decade.
At an estimated US$10-15 million apiece,
the X-45 is less than 1/3 the projected price of a Global Hawk.
Data, Data Everywhere
Did various branches of the US Government have early indications of the 9/11 attacks
but just couldn't connect the dots?.
There are some who believe that AI systems might provide a silver bullet.
Cousins of credit card fraud detection systems
can help sift through the mountains of intelligence
data and detect potential terrorist activities. For example, changing patterns of telephone
traffic in Pakistan have been associated with attacks on both the USS Cole and the US embassies
in Kenya and Tanzania. A network of systems would share suspicious patterns and
synthesize trends out of the babel of sources.
Possibility or pipe dream? Clean data is one of the
toughest problems in data mining and intelligence data in its many forms and languages
surely will pose rather awesome challenges.
Nintendo Soldiers
Throwable reconaissance microbots are an intriguing concept, but not every
soldier has the arm of a major league baseball pitcher.
A more practical local reconnaissance tool is the Dragon Runner,
a remote-controlled backpack-sized minitruck equipped with a video camera,
onboard motion sensors, and oversized tires. Conceptually
not that different from the fighting bots that thrill audiences
of Robot Wars and Battlebots, the Runner is rugged enough to withstand
being thrown around and survive 14-foot drops.
Other cool toys in the Marine arsenal include a 45-inch wide UAV launched
with a bungee cord and controlled from a Windows PC.
The generation of soldiers raised on Nintendo will feel downright at home.
New Touch in Robotic Surgery
The advantages of minimally-invasive, robot-assisted surgery is well recognized.
The tiny incisions, the precision of cutting and sewing, the lack of caffeine jitters
all bode well for patient recovery. To date, surgical systems rely largely on
video cameras and what can be seen. But often, lumps and bumps are not easy to see
or find through the minimal openings. In response,
Harvard's BioRobotics Lab has developed an electronic
fingertip - a matrix of pressure sensors - that will give tactile feedback to the
surgeon. Currently in prototype, the device has been greeted with guarded enthusiasm
by surgeons.
MAN vs MAN
Summer Camp
Tired of tennis camps and wilderness camps and the same-old-same-old?
Head out to Moffett Field in sunny Silicon Valley where NASA and robotics
powerhouse CMU are offering a 7-week robotics program for high school juniors.
The goal is to learn all about autonomous robots, and to build one - with
vision and a pile of neat tricks - that you can take home and use to wow your buddies.
Intellectual enthusiasm but no previous knowledge of robotics required.
Bring younger siblings along for the trip and park them at the LEGO Robotics workshops.
LEGO robotics summer camps have become quite popular - check out your local science
center, summer school program, or college robotics clubs and get involved.
MAN vs MACHINE
One Man Nightmare
Some of the most aggressive and destructive heavyweights in the robot battle
arena come from the fertile brain of Jim Smentowski. Best known among these are
Nightmare, the 210 pound behemoth
and its 58 pound little buddy Backlash, both sport spinning "Discs of
Destruction" that pack a devastating wallop. Team Nightmare's site is loaded
with details about the robots, tips on building robots, the history of robot combat,
great battle videos, and other cool goodies - plus super production values as befits
a former member of the Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) team.
In addition to combat robots, the lineup also features a FIRST entry, and
HouseBot, a 2-person Hallowe'en costume
that lost to the 3-person Titanic and Iceberg at an ILM party.
IN THE ARTS
Sumi-ebots et al
Made of LEGO bricks and topped with a plastic doll head, Sumi-ebots
pull inkbrushes across a scroll of painter, creating strokes and
dabs evocative of the Sumi-e style of Japanese painting. They are among the most
robotic of entries in the Pratt Institute ArtBots robotic artistic talent show.
Others include interactive metronomes, page turning readers, roving sound samplers and
music makers. The roboticists' favourite? A solar-powered BEAM bot family that leave
trails of dots à la Seurat as they hop around. Patience is required: the
"paintings" may take over 8 hours to complete.
PERIPHERAL VISION
How Many Angels on the Head of a Pin?
From fuel cells and materials to MEMS components and microscopic robots,
we frequently find "nanotech" topics in the realm of robotics. The field was first
described by physicist Richard Feynman in his seminal talk "There's Plenty of Room
at the Bottom". While one could argue that "nano" is just a matter of scale, say stuff
1-100 nanometers in size, purists focus on unique processes and properties, particularly
molecular self assembly. Although these ideas sound farfetched,
much of the underlying theory was worked out by Eric Drexler in the mid 1990s. While
smarter material science is making its way into our lives as stain resistant Dockers and
less toxic cancer treatments, the bleeding edge thinkers may be found in places like
the Foresight Institute and Institute for Molecular Manufacturing.
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STAR TURN
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UDO 4
Whether it's those beautifully manicured soccer fields or just your own
little piece of paradise, summer time is lawn time, and the
quest for a perfect patch of green invariably leads roboticists
to mower bots. UDO 4 (Unidentified Driving Object version 4) is
Wim Hager's contribution to the genre.
UDO 4 is a battery-powered vehicle about the size of an A4
sheet of paper, runs on a Basic Stamp II computer and three custom-milled wheels,
and cuts the grass with blades from
a hobby-knife.
At his amusing and highly animated site, you can get "The Mow Story",
the year-long blow-by-blow of building the UDO,
as well as detailed parts lists, electronic and mechanical
schematics, and lots of high-res images.
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BOOKS 'N' STUFF
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Official Battlebots
by Mark Clarkson
Osborne McGraw-Hill
ISBN: 0072224258
04/2002
If you've ever griped about the skimpy Battlebots web site,
this is the book for you. While there is a history of combat robotics
and Battlebots in particular, details of the Battlebot competition itself,
and a solid tutorial chapter on battlebot construction
for beginners, the stars of the screen are the stars of the
book as well. Centerfold-style spreads of
competition bots are augmented with technical details, cost and time
to build, builders bios, win-lose records and other stats,
and all those details you
don't get in the heat of the battle. For the young aficionado, there is
also a 64-page
condensed version.
Biorobotics
by Barbara Webb, Thomas R. Consi (Editors)
MIT Press
ISBN: 026273141X
08/2001
Mother Nature had millions and millions of years to practise building
all the complex critters we see around us, including ourselves. Biorobotics
is the intersection where roboticists learn about building complex
systems simply and biologists have models through which to understand
organisms and their interactions with their environments.
The book "Biorobotics" describes the sensory and motor systems of
insects like crickets and flies, and how robots can incorporate similar
systems. It concludes by moving up the evolutionary ladder with a
discussion of the brain and neural function in mammals
and humanoid robots.
Robotic Explorations: An Introduction to Engineering Through Design
by Fred G. Martin
Prentice Hall
ISBN: 0130895687
12/2000
As advertised by its title, this book both explores the building of a
fully functional autonomous robot and serves as an excellent
introduction to general engineering. Based on LEGO Technic system and augmented
with a Handyboard and some basic tools and parts, the book works systematically
through design, construction, and programming issues. While the purist may want
to see more engineering theory and principles, most readers will happily dive
into the hands-on building aspects asap. With a little bit of imagination,
LEGO Mindstorms equipment can be used in place of mechanically more sophisticated
Technic components,
although the latter will enable more complex projects.
The Complete Robot
by Isaac Asimov
Acacia Press, Inc.
ISBN: 0586057242
1983
Whet your appetite on Asimov's
I, Robot and you may want to devour every last morsel of his robotic
inventions. The Complete Robot is the full collection, almost twice the
size at 500 plus pages. From the classics that introduced the Laws of
Robotics to light-hearted shorts and brainteasers, each story is threaded with
provocative wit and wisdom. Whether you are a veteran revisiting with old friends
or a newbie just discovering Asimov's world, this volume is worth the wait
usually required.
Zero Blaster Fog Ring Maker
It's not a robot but who cares? The toroidal fog vortices had the staff at
Netsurfer mesmerized.
Shoot fog rings up to 6 inches in diameter clear across the room.
Challenge yourself to make rings intersect, or send one ring through another before they disappear!
(Okay, it takes practice and your mileage may vary).
Pulling one trigger on the colorful launcher heats the special water-based,
non-toxic fluid into a dense fog. Pulling the second trigger pops out a perfect smoke ring.
The blaster comes with 3 oz of fluid, enough for tens of thousands of rings, but
you need to get your own batteries.
The Iron Giant
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ISBN: B000028U3R
1999
The story of a boy and his dog in the Maine woods takes a twist in this underrated
animation when Hogarth befriends a 50-foot iron-eating robot that has
fallen from the stars. The giant is friendly, funny, and has more
gadgets than a Swiss army knife on steroids.
But how do you hide your new and very big
friend from Mom - and protect it from
the pursuit of government agents in the throes of Cold War paranoia?
With superb 3D animation and an excellent human cast, this heartwarming
tale works at many levels for kids, parents, and animation aficionados alike.
For more selections, check out the Netsurfer Library at
http://www.netsurf.com/nsl.
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