#robotics Logs

May 07 2014

01:35 GuShH_ rue_more: chipped a half inch hss tool's edge... first time for everything I guess, the SFM was too low and it was an interrupted cut... that's how you ruin bits
01:36 GuShH_ I need to figure out a way to grind at steady angles, maybe some multi purpose fixture that could also be used to guide drills, although I'm fine freehanding twist drills on the grinder, but I can't get perfect flat surfaces on bits by hand
08:15 rue_bed why am I awake!
09:00 rue_more ok what do I do after I wake up
12:50 robotustra hi
13:21 robotustra MrCurious: how are you?
15:54 Fooman2011 hello
15:56 MrCurious cyl 5 had a bad exhaust valve
15:56 MrCurious hopefully problem solved now
15:58 SquirrelCZECH naaaah
15:58 SquirrelCZECH I hate RC Factories
15:58 Fooman2011 i'm looking for the simplest way to make my robot back to the base (base il located on a wall in the appartment). Do you have any idea ? Constraint: No environment cartography. Convex and Concave obstacles may appears anywhere. Thanks for your suggestions.
15:58 SquirrelCZECH they made awesome thingy and I just desperately try to find reason to buy it
16:00 SquirrelCZECH radio beacon?
16:00 SquirrelCZECH Fooman2011: copy the system from "Roomba" robots
16:00 Fooman2011 mmh I'm not an expert but how do you use the radio beacon ?
16:01 Fooman2011 on the robot I can't detect where the signal come from ?
16:08 SquirrelCZECH no, you can't
16:08 SquirrelCZECH but!
16:08 Fooman2011 ?
16:08 SquirrelCZECH if you are able to measure it from three points
16:08 SquirrelCZECH by knowing the time different between these 3 points
16:08 SquirrelCZECH you can tell where the beacon is :)
16:08 SquirrelCZECH and same goes for three beacons and one receiver (that's how GPS works)
16:08 SquirrelCZECH :)
16:09 SquirrelCZECH so, in your case
16:09 SquirrelCZECH 4 beacons, each in different corner and somehow time synced (they have to send the signal in exact same time)
16:09 Fooman2011 Oh ok I see. But my robot is small (20 cm max) if I put 3 receivers in 3 directions on it, do you think it will works ?
16:10 SquirrelCZECH 2 receivers on the robot, and with relatively single math you can tell where are you and which way you are oriented
16:10 SquirrelCZECH Fooman2011: well
16:10 Fooman2011 4 beacons ?
16:10 SquirrelCZECH yeah, each in corner
16:10 SquirrelCZECH 3 is minimum
16:10 Fooman2011 The robot is not located in 1 room
16:10 SquirrelCZECH with "4" you are more precise
16:10 SquirrelCZECH hmm
16:10 Fooman2011 (I forget to specify this constraint)
16:10 Fooman2011 sorry
16:11 SquirrelCZECH well, it depends, but it shoudln't be problem if signal can get trought the walls :D
16:11 SquirrelCZECH but, to be honest, I only know the theory behind it
16:11 Fooman2011 radio signal can be used ?
16:11 SquirrelCZECH I can't tell you which beacons and receivers you can use :-/
16:11 SquirrelCZECH I suppose so
16:11 Fooman2011 yeah ok i'm looking for help on theory too
16:12 SquirrelCZECH to get your location based on time difference of multiple signals send from multiple devices you know location of
16:13 SquirrelCZECH is base of "where are you?" in robotics I would say :D
16:13 Fooman2011 SquirrelCZECH I found this using "radio beacon": http://letsmakerobots.com/node/4366 does this explain your theory ?
16:13 SquirrelCZECH but I can't tell you how to implement it :)
16:14 SquirrelCZECH Fooman2011: something similar
16:15 SquirrelCZECH Fooman2011: in that example, robot can tell on which "angle" he is for the beacon
16:15 SquirrelCZECH :)
16:15 SquirrelCZECH Fooman2011: hmm
16:15 SquirrelCZECH one thing that could work... maybe :D
16:15 SquirrelCZECH Fooman2011: are you in some zone where is "too much of wifi" ?
16:15 SquirrelCZECH like 6 wifi networks etc... ?
16:16 SquirrelCZECH I once wanted to try to apply theory I described on wifi networks (mobile phones can do that :) )
16:17 SquirrelCZECH naaaah
16:17 SquirrelCZECH but I've got an idea of experiment
16:17 Fooman2011 oops
16:17 SquirrelCZECH if you have smartphone
16:17 SquirrelCZECH maybe you could just install some wifi-strength app
16:17 Fooman2011 about the wifi, I don't know yet
16:18 SquirrelCZECH (it shows you strength of wifi)
16:18 SquirrelCZECH and try to do simple "hand" measure just by that
16:18 Fooman2011 ah yeah
16:18 SquirrelCZECH in theory, after mapping your enviroment
16:18 SquirrelCZECH I suppose you should be able to tell in which room you are at least :D
16:19 SquirrelCZECH and if you would have some nice quality device, maybe even something more precise? :)
16:19 SquirrelCZECH Fooman2011: do you have "compass" in your robot?
16:20 SquirrelCZECH compass + information about in which room you are (I think you should be able to figure out that with wifi) and I suppose you should be able to get into room you want
16:20 SquirrelCZECH :)
16:20 SquirrelCZECH + of course "wall detection" sensors etc...
16:20 Fooman2011 But about the signal, i have a question. In the appartment there are wall, doors, and sometimes you have a "bar". Walls block the signal and block the robot, open doors let pass the signal and the robot, but bars let ass the signal but block the robot. Am I right ?
16:21 SquirrelCZECH well, yeah
16:21 SquirrelCZECH fuck it
16:22 uirrelCZECH got really nice udacity video about this topic, where they explained everyt
16:22 SquirrelCZECH how to get from banging into wall to level of google cars
16:22 SquirrelCZECH and they want money now for it!
16:22 SquirrelCZECH damnit
16:23 SquirrelCZECH Fooman2011: that's exactly the tricky part you have to get rid off :D
16:23 SquirrelCZECH or to handle
16:23 SquirrelCZECH :)
16:23 Fooman2011 get rid off the bars from the house ? :p
16:23 SquirrelCZECH no no no
16:24 SquirrelCZECH :D
16:24 SquirrelCZECH but to learn the robot how to bypass them
16:24 SquirrelCZECH :)
16:24 SquirrelCZECH Fooman2011: on "Roomba" robots, my impression is that the "docking house" act as beacon (one) and robot got three receivers
16:24 SquirrelCZECH or, no, one is not enough
16:25 SquirrelCZECH hmm
16:25 SquirrelCZECH dunno
16:25 SquirrelCZECH Fooman2011: but I suppose you now know the basic logic
16:26 SquirrelCZECH "it sends signal, and by the time difference when I measure it from three different spots, I can tell something"
16:26 Fooman2011 maybe with one more receiver at top, I can detect that the signal is more powerfull at top so "maybe it is a bar"
16:26 SquirrelCZECH maybe ? :D
16:27 Fooman2011 ok well I will try something like this
16:27 Fooman2011 we'll see if it's ok :) or not :(
16:27 SquirrelCZECH :D
16:28 Fooman2011 thanks for your help :)
16:28 SquirrelCZECH np
16:28 SquirrelCZECH well, I just explained the theory :D
16:28 SquirrelCZECH another problem is to get some usefull data from sensors
16:28 SquirrelCZECH and another to figure out something from it :)
16:28 SquirrelCZECH but now you at least know the way :D
16:34 Fooman2011 Yep
16:34 Fooman2011 Thanks :)
16:35 Fooman2011 I have to go. Bye
20:30 MrCurious In Soviet Ukrane, Government attacks You!
20:43 rue_more in russia the attack you government!
20:44 MrCurious its no fun without robustra here to get tweeked
20:49 skilz Hello
20:49 skilz I am working on a project and looking for members to join my team.
20:50 MrCurious what you working on?
20:50 skilz Please don't laugh... A miniature version of SkyNet.
20:50 GargantuaSauce as long as they're tiny terminators, we're good
20:51 GargantuaSauce wait maybe tiny terminators are even more terrifying
20:51 MrCurious Hair-Net?
20:51 skilz I have a central server setup in my home which my bots can download instruction sets from and upload information to the database for the others to download/share and learn.
20:51 MrCurious sounds like the making for a godzilla movie spoof
20:52 MrCurious so in essence an over the air mechanism for downloading programs to microcontrollers
20:52 MrCurious as well as a message passing system for sharing data between micro controler nodes
20:52 skilz These bots are very basic, they just roam around picking up things off the ground and transporting them to a bin and also lighting dark areas of the room.
20:53 MrCurious https://launch.punchthrough.com/
20:53 skilz Yes, fundamentally and essentially speaking.
20:53 MrCurious or you could go with a arm based solution
20:53 MrCurious easier to do using linux than micro controlers
20:53 MrCurious and costs are similar for an arm board + usb wifi
20:54 skilz Yes I was thinking of using Debian
20:54 skilz OR NetBSD
20:56 MrCurious i would use an odroid u3
20:56 MrCurious cheap, and enough oomph to do video
20:57 skilz So strap a odroid u3 to my bots?
20:58 skilz I want these bots to learn for themselves
21:00 MrCurious so run a neural network code on the odroid
21:00 skilz Yes
21:00 MrCurious perhaps make a single prototype first
21:00 skilz Yes thats the idea :)
21:02 skilz Then I want to build a human sized bot to walk the streets
21:02 skilz I imagine I would need a lot of batteries for that. Unless I use a small nuclear reactor
21:03 skilz Put a baseball bat in its hands
21:08 MrCurious robustra is your man for the human sized bot...
21:10 skilz :)
21:11 MrCurious hmmm http://kindofnormal.com/img/wumo/2014/05/08.jpg
21:11 skilz Haha
23:58 rue_more considering that this is cold spagetti I just burned while reheating it from being last nights leftovers, its pretty good