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Making Wavs

BlocklyProp makes playing wav files easy. ActivityBot 360 beeps, rotates clockwise, and the counterclockwise while announcing the direction using wav files recorded using Audacity. Then the bot adds some color commentary! Code #51940 - Tiny Tutorial to come! Fun. Fun. Fun per Ken Gracey's request!

Note: A shareable Google drive link for the wav files for Code #51940 is in the description on the Project Details page.

Louisiana Tech LWTL Bot Taking Shape

My Louisiana Tech Engineering LWTL (Living with the Lab) Bot is taking shape.

The real point for me is replacing the Arduino Uno with a Propeller FLiP mounted on an additional breadboard. I am working on finalizing the "permanent" wiring and some good demo BlocklyProp programs. Here is a preview. The video is the bot running a simple square.

DogBot

Carol Lynn Hazlett posted on Facebook that she combined National Dog Day and National Robot Day!

Giving Back...

Parallax, Ken and Chip Gracey, and Team are always doing something to give back to students and the educational community.

RUS Milestone

From my page analytics counter at the bottom of the page. Who will be the quarter of a millionth visitor?

Long Ago...

I guess all this started long ago. Here is a photo of me from Christmas of 1967 (9 years old) with the Zeroid - Zerak robot. The Zeroids were a line of toy robots from the Planet Zero made by the Ideal Toy Company that year. By the way - that is over 50 years ago. Robots were truly science fiction then.

For more on these great toy robots, see this post - https://roboticsunderthestole.blogspot.com/2016/05/idea-zeroids.html - from two years ago. I knew that I had these and now I have photographic proof in the form of the screen capture from an 8mm home movie from that year!

Map Range - Tiny Tutorial

What fun we've had making these Tiny Tutorials this past Summer. Expect more...

Temptation...

@MatzElectronics, Matthew Matz from Parallax tweeted last night this exciting teaser, "This is "Glossy Mistress".  She's going to get me in trouble :). All joking aside, it's a possible future robotics platform from @ParallaxInc.  She's really fast, really quiet, and don't tell her this...surprisingly heavy."

Lunch Bot

A present from my sweet sister...

My "Visit" to NICERC

Last Friday, my wife and I went out to play for the day. We decided to drive to Shreveport (an hour and a half west of Monroe in I-20). We were going to shop, go to a couple of coin shops, bookstores, and eat, I thought it would be fun to see the NICERC offices in Bossier - since we would be right there - and especially since I've discovered all the great things they are doing with Robotics and Education in our area. They've worked a lot with Parallax and are developing a new robot called the cyber:bot, designed to work with the micro:bit.  

I got the address before we left, and grabbed some of my "robot" business cards to share.

A cropped copy of my card.

We got to Bossier before lunch - stopped to use the bathroom, and drove to the address. There were no signs. We went into the nearest building with a sign - part of the Bossier Parish Community College. Inside, I found an office of Louisiana Tech. It was part of their Cyber Training Center. I had no idea they had anything like that!

 

I met who I later learned was the director. I had my Louisiana Tech hat on. He said, "Nice hat!" and I introduced myself and explained that I was looking for the NICERC offices. He said, "Are you going to a training event." I said, "No, I just want to visit and introduce myself."

He walked me to the windows in the space shown above and pointed to the Cyber Innovation Center. I was about an eighth of a mile down the road. He said to go there, but that I might not get very far... Talk to the guard, he said.

 

We drove down to the building and my wife parked. I walked via a large concrete plaza with flag poles and a fountain and through the very large doors into a huge (mostly empty and eerily quiet) lobby. At the end was a very wide wooden desk. As I entered, a young man looked up and moved to an open space in the middle fo desk and watched me all the way as I walked the hundred or so yards to the desk. Behind the desk was a huge military aircraft company logo. "Hi!" I said, "I am looking for the NICERC offices. Are they located here?" 

He sat, quietly for what seemed like an eternity. "........................Yes..........................." he said. 

"May I visit?" I asked. 

Another long pause. "..................Do you have an appointment?.............."

"No, I have heard about NICERC. I wanted to introduce myself. I guess I can't do that?" I said. 

He just continued to look at me.

"I guess I should contact them directly. Should I do that?" 

"................Yes..........................", he finally said.

"Okay," I said and walked back out to the car. 

It was like I imagine a visit to Area 51 in Roswell! I've since found out that the whole place is part of the National Cyber Research Park - right in Northwest Louisiana.  It is advertised all over the web - but not very welcoming - to put it mildly! :-)

Ha! It was really weird.

I have messaged them on Facebook and gotten no answer either. 

Will try to contact them via their contact info email. 

Thought you might enjoy the story. Maybe I can meet some of them one day...

Further Thoughts: I guess as I reflect on this, it is not so strange. NICERC is the educational branch of the Cyber Innovation Center.

Together, they represent a huge financial investment to foster collaboration between the government, industry, and academia in our region and in the country! Its goal is to accelerate technology, research, and development. One of its primary missions is to develop a sustainable knowledge-based workforce.

Most of my work in robotics is with educators and much smaller customer oriented companies like Parallax. This is a not a small organization!

The Creator Touches the Created

The Hand of Man - Creature & The Hand of God - Creator
Sistine Chapel Ceiling by Michelangelo

 A Robotic Hand - Created & A Human Hand - Creator

Research Page - Tufts University

Note: The human hand below is inverted  - symbolically turning the creation story upside down.

Research

“If we knew what we were doing it wouldn’t be called research.”

Note: This quote is variously attributed, sometimes to Einstein. See everything you wanted to know about bad citation practices for more detail. It remains true, however, whoever first understood this truth and stated it!

In Our Backyard...

Right here, right now...

NICERC focuses on STEM Curriculum design, Computer Science Curriculum design, Cyber Curriculum design, professional development, and collaboration in K-12 education. Check it out at www.nicerc.org, or www.facebook.com/CIC.NICERC/

Another Tiny Tutorial Published

IEEE Spectrum Robotics' RSS Feed

Robotics Under the Stole has added in the right sidebar an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed with the latest Robotics' news from the Engineering Topics Section of IEEE Spectrum. Great news and video!

Today's Feed

X-Files Quote

Scully: I, uh... actually, I was thinking about the- this gift that you gave me for my birthday. (takes out the Apollo 11 pendant/keychain and looks at it) You never got to tell me why you gave it to me or what it means. But I think I know. I think that you appreciate that there are extraordinary men and women and extraordinary moments when history leaps forward on the backs of these individuals. That what can be imagined can be achieved. That you must dare to dream, but that there's no substitute for perseverance and hard work. And teamwork, because no one gets there alone. And while we commemorate the greatness of these events and the individuals who achieved them, we cannot forget the sacrifice of those who make these achievements and leaps possible.

Mulder: ...I just thought it was a pretty cool keychain.

X-Files, Season 4, Episode 18, Part 2

Professor Ishiguro’s New Robot Child

This was the Friday Video on August 3, 2018, at IEEE Spectrum.

JPL Open Source Rover Project

The JPL Open Source Rover is an open source, build it yourself, scaled down version of the 6 wheel rover design that JPL uses to explore the surface of Mars. The Open Source Rover is designed almost entirely out of consumer off the shelf (COTS) parts. This project is intended to be a teaching and learning experience for those who want to get involved in mechanical engineering, software, electronics, or robotics. All the info you need is on GitHub - https://github.com/nasa-jpl/open-source-rover

Read all about it here at IEEE Spectrum, " Explore New Worlds With JPL’s Open Source Rover" by Evan Ackerman.

Parallax Tiny Tutorials

Parallax's collection of "Tiny Tutorials with BlocklyProp" videos has grown to over 20 - and shows no signs of slowing down. If you haven't watched a Tiny Tutorial since they started the Summer Of Learning, here's a link to the YouTube Playlist

Note: It has been my great pleasure to help in the creation of some of these videos. What fun!

For Robot Lovers with Cats

For Robot Lovers with Cats (and yes there do seem to be a lot of them!) HexBug's nano Robotic Cat Toy - Click here.