I'm looking for a bare bones R2D2

November 27, 2005 10:03 AM

Please help me find a system to prototype my wireless robotic ideas.

I'm looking for a system very much like the SPIF robot. I'm looking for a processing board that supports PCMIA and USB connections, an operating system that supports a wide variety of drivers, as well as easy to configure (i.e. Linux, but maybe some flavor of Windows might work as well). Bonus if the main board is pre-connected to a motorized chassis. Oh, and it should be able to run off battery. Ideally it should have a connector for additional power supplies (i.e. solar). Some of the things I'll be playing around with are cameras and remote control where the link is weak/lossy, as well as playing around with various wireless technologies. I'm less interested in the robot being autonomous, but if that comes along for the ride I'm fine.
I know these things exist, since the SPIF robot is exactly what I'm looking for. Does anyone know if anything like that is commercially available?

posted by forforf to technology (1 comment total)

Have you tried contacting the ENST Computer Science department? They might be willing to help you obtain the parts to build one.

Alternately, check your local university to see if they have a robotics platform that they recommend.

You may also have a local group of enthusiasts worth contacting.
posted by b1tr0t at 11:30 AM on November 27, 2005