Parallax ActivityBot 360 WiFi Drive with Badge WX

Parallax Badge WX (host) drives and controls the ActivityBot 360 with WiFi Module WX (client) using WiFi. Right now this is coded in Propeller C, but hopefully soon in BlocklyProp! Thanks for the tips, Andy Lindsay!

Parallax Propeller 2 - Unboxing and First Tests

Congratulations to all at Parallax on the Propeller 2 Chip! Parallax live-streamed the unboxing, the first mounting of the chip on (Peter Jakacki's) P2D2 board (by hand and then on the Pick and Place), and it's first successful programming (including generating  Square and SINE waves). 

Parallax fans and family watched from around the world, commented, rejoiced, and gave thanks. Thanks, Parallax Team, Chip Gracey, and Ken Gracey for letting us watch the P2 come to life! 

Happy Fall

My friends at Parallax posted this message and photo, "Happy Fall—from our Parallax family to yours!" You'll fall for this little Bot - Parallax's Activity Bot 360 -https://www.parallax.com/product/32600

"Old" is New

Saw this great image on a T-Shirt that Eric (erco) was wearing in a photo posted below. Eric is with the late, Gordon McComb. I'd love a long sleeve T of this classic tin toy robot image - Note: Actually, this is new art made to look like classic art by artist, John W. Golden - you can see more of his work here - Golden's tagline is "VINTAGE TECHNIQUES MADE MODERN" Warning - you can get lost looking for hours!

Voyager 1 and 2 Status Update - 2018-2019

Incredible! This video updates the Voyager 1 and 2's instrument status,  communication status, tells how we know Voyager 1 is in Interstellar Space, and where the Voyagers are headed now. Absolutely amazing. FASCINATING!

Gordon McComb, Father of Hobby Robotics, Has Passed Away

From Makezine.com on Sepetember 14, 2018. Click here.

It is with a heavy heart that we here at Make: announce the passing of hobby robotics pioneer, Gordon McComb. He died on Monday, Sept 10th, apparently of a heart attack. Gordon was a great friend to Make: and to makers and robotics hobbyists from around the world.

Gordon McComb wrote more than 65 books and thousands of magazine articles--more than a million copies of his books are in print, in more than a dozen languages. He's has been called "The Godfather of hobby robotics" by MAKE Magazine.

Gordon’s Robot Builder’s Bonanza, first published in 1987, was a key piece of the beginning of hobby robotics. I have the third and fourth editions and the first and second editions are on their way.

Gordon was a friendly and active member of the Parallax Forums. We corresponded a good bit and Gordon was a kind, gentle, encouraging and helpful voice. He was an enthusiast, and an excellent teacher and guide.

Gordon's Robot Builder’s Bonanza, Fifth Edition is available for pre-order now on Amazon.com and due to be released on December 14 of this year. I've already ordered mine. Gordon will be greatly missed.

One of my treasured memories of Gordon will always be the bit of Parallax Forum correspondence... You can click the images to enlarge them or read them (and see the video) on the Forums here. There is nothing like getting a pat on the back from one of your heroes!

UPDATE: Gordon's website is here - http://www.robotoid.com and here is a great photo of Gordon with friends Jon (left) and Eric (erco - right) - talking robots - as you can see. This was shared by Eric on his Facebook page.

Another great photo of Gordon and Eric was "discovered" in the Parallax Forums here - https://forums.parallax.com/discussion/comment/1312282/#Comment_1312282

Propeller Try-It Kit Unboxing and Making a Musical Instrument Without Code

DavyBot at YouTube made a wonderful video using the Propeller FLiP Try-It Kit to build a musical instrument. He says using BlocklyProp is like programming a multicore microcontroller without writing a single line of code. Thanks to Ken Gracey for sharing this!

IEEE Spectrum's Robots.ieee.org

Update - I recently posted a story about IEEE Spectrum's new Online Robotic's Catalog - see the R.U.S. post here.  In that post, I expressed my disappointment that they had not included any of Parallax's robots. So, I reached out to them via email as they suggested in "Calling All Robots,"  and I copied Ken Gracey, the CEO at Parallax, Inc. The article says...

So we ask again: What is your favorite robot? Go to the site and check out the robots we already have. Send us your suggestions of new robots to add by emailing hellorobots@ieee.org.

Today, I got this kind and understanding response from Erico Guizzo at IEEE Spectrum!

Dear Whit, glad to hear you like the site, and we're grateful for your suggestions.

In fact, we know Parallax quite well -- we see lots of roboticists using their products, and we ourselves used one of their wheel+motor kits for a telepresence robot project we did here at IEEE Spectrum (I'm currently recycling that robot into a go-kart for my daughters :)

So reaching out to the company was on our to-do list -- thanks for making the connection!

@Ken, I'm going to email you separately and copy our photo director so we can work on gathering images. 

Thanks all!

Best,
Erico

Erico Guizzo
Senior Editor
IEEE Spectrum

So, be sure to visit the world’s largest, coolest robotics catalog from IEEE Spectrum at Robots.ieee.org If you see something they missed, send them an email. 

As this proves, they really mean what they say! That is good news for students, teachers, and roboticists everywhere.

The Forgotten History of the 800 Year-Old Robot

This very interesting article by Olivia Tambini is taken from TechRadar at this link - https://www.techradar.com/news/the-forgotten-history-of-the-800-year-old-robot

There’s Nothing New about Robotics

From the Maschinenmensch (link added by R.U.S.) in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis to C3P0, the Terminator, and Wall-E, fictional robots have delighted, horrified, and fascinated humans for more than a century, cropping up in everything from 19th-century literature to the horror B-movies of the 1950s.

Robots began to enter the Western world’s collective consciousness as a result of the mechanization of manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution, as people looked to machines to take on the menial work of their ancestors. 

Based on the Czech ‘robota’, meaning servitude, the word ‘robot’ was first used by Czech writer Karel Capek in his 1921 play R.U.R (Rossum’s Universal Robots), with autonomous and semi-autonomous machines referred to as ‘automata’ up until this point. 

Calling All Robots

IEEE Spectrum is building the world’s largest, coolest robotics catalog. The beta site is at Robots.ieee.org You can read all about it here. It is a very interesting article by Erico Guizzo and Randi Klett.

This will be a great resource for students, and robotics' enthusiasts around the world. The article states...

We want more kids to dream of becoming roboticists and technologists, or at least be sufficiently familiar with the details of the technology to make informed, thoughtful, and ethical decisions in the future. So we need to make real robots just as inspiring as their fictional counterparts, and here at Spectrum, we have a plan to do just that.

Over the past year, we’ve been creating a massive portal for everything robotics, built around a fun and unique dynamic catalog. You can see it right now at Robots.ieee.org. There you’ll find a vast zoo of humanoids, drones, exoskeletons, quadrupeds, and other kinds of automatons, each with its own profile, with photos, videos, curious facts, and technical specifications. (We’re currently in beta, preparing for a full launch next month.)

My only concern is that there was not a single Parallax-made robot on their list. NONE. Not even the venerable BoeBot or original blue Scribbler! Parallax has sold over half a million BoeBots alone! One-time students, who are now the engineers designing the world's most advanced robots, cut their teeth on Parallax's educational robots and learned from Parallax's Stamps In Class materials.

Needless to say, this blogger and Parallax user has submitted a request in the form of a detailed list with links so that this oversight can be addressed.

We will see if IEEE Spectrum is serious about a careful cataloging of robotics history and their call for submissions to this project. I hope they are because this is an exciting and much-needed resource and can be a powerful tool in raising up the next generation of roboticists.

Next Gen

A friendship with a top-secret robot turns a lonely girl's life into a thrilling adventure as they take on bullies, evil bots, and a scheming madman. Next Gen, a Netflix Film, launched on September 7th. May have to watch this.

Some Parallax Badge WX Simple Projects

Rocker Button and Touch Pad Display - This BlocklyProp code directs the user to "Press a Rocker Button or Touch Pad!" Then the display indicates < L, L, L >, < R, R, R >, A, or B. It only functions with one press at a time. Code is #52829 and linked here-http://blockly.parallax.com/blockly/editor/blocklyc.jsp?project=52829

Another simple Badge WX example - Sony IR Remote Code Reader on Badge WX - Reads Sony IR Remote Code and displays the value on the display of the Badge WX.

The BlocklyProp Code is here -http://blockly.parallax.com/blockly/my/projects.jsp#53197

Video Friday from IEEE Spectrum

Video Friday: Lifelike Robot Heads, and More - Your weekly selection of awesome robot videos
By Evan Ackerman, Erico Guizzo and Fan Shi

See the full story at IEEE Spectrum here. 

Birthday Bot

HEXBUG Party nano - Click here. I know what I want running around my next cake! HEXBUG site says, 

"Sporting a tiny removable party hat, this special edition bug is ready for some festive fun! The HEXBUG nano is a small micro robotic creature that uses the physics of vibration to propel itself forward and explore any environment.  

Powered by a tiny motor, and 12 fixed, angular legs, you'll be amazed as it skitters across the floor, entertaining any party guest, young or old! Available in a variety of bright colors, this robot is great for any grab bag! Comes party-ready, encased in decorative birthday candle-shaped packaging."

The IT Girl

What a fantastic story!

FLiP LWTL Bot LaserPING Push

Here is my Propeller FLiP LWTL Bot (Louisiana Tech's Living with the Lab Bot) running a program I call LaserPING Push in BlocklyProp - It maintains a set distance using LaserPING - BlocklyProp Code is #52613 and is here - http://blockly.parallax.com/blockly/my/projects.jsp#52613

Photos are of the bot set-up, BlocklyProp Code, and C. The video is of the code running.

Wireless Programming in BlocklyProp

In this "Unofficial" Tiny Tutorial, filmed on the fly (and a bit shaky), we learn Wireless Programming in BlocklyProp using the Parallax Wi-Fi Module WX on an ActivityBot 360.

The simple "ActivityBot 360 Do Nothing Beep LEDs" code is #50492 - linked here - http://blockly.parallax.com/blockly/my/projects.jsp#50492

2-Axis Joystick Demo with Terminal

This "Unofficial" Tiny Tutorial shows how to use the Parallax 2-Axis Joystick with the Terminal in BlocklyProp. The code is #52094 - here is the link - http://blockly.parallax.com/blockly/my/projects.jsp#52094

Robot Uprising at Inventoy

My pal, Eric Ostendorff (erco), posts today on Facebook, "Robot uprising at Inventoy today. I lived to fight again another day." Here is the photo...

Inventoy is the latest chapter in Eric's long-time work in the toy industry. He was at Mattel for many years and perhaps the only person crazier than me about robots and robotics.

Inventoy looks like a fun place to work - or maybe Eric's wife just makes him go there to get out of her hair. I asked what I had to do to earn one of those mugs. Eric replied, "Earn a free mug when you partner with us to invent toys!" 

I am hoping a shout-out on RUS might work...

Play Wav Files

Update: This Tiny Tutorial is now official. See https://youtu.be/N55sUzw_E_c

This is an "Unofficial" Tiny Tutorial showing how to play wav files from an SD card on the Parallax Propeller ActivityBot 360 (PAB-WX) using BlocklyProp.

Code is #51940 and here - http://blockly.parallax.com/blockly/my/projects.jsp#51940

2-Axis Joystick with Servos

Update: This Tiny Tutorial is now official. See - https://youtu.be/OlQINlNHWGI

This is an "Unofficial" Tiny Tutorial - 2-Axis Joystick with Servos. BlocklyProp code is #52097 and is here - http://blockly.parallax.com/blockly/my/projects.jsp#52097

COES Vending Machines

In the basement of Bogard Hall in the College of Engineering & Science at Louisiana Tech, the students have access to the coolest vending machines ever!

The two standard vending machines contain all sorts of electronic and robotic parts. The prices are very reasonable and you can buy what you need at any time- quarters only!

I made a visit to the machines today and picked up a pair of Alligator Clip Jumpers - 1 Red, and 1 Black for one dollar.

Take a look at the photos below. What fun!

Note - Photos are courtesy of my daughter Tracy - taken during a break - while moving my son, Thomas, into his dorm room in Ruston, today. He is a freshman at Tech in Journalism, and my daughter is a junior in Special Education. 

Happy Labor Day!

Meet H.A.R.L.A.N.D. (the advanced drive-thru robot) at KFC. If you missed National Fried Chicken Day, maybe you can have some on Labor Day and have a bit of robotic fun too.

Parallax

Ken Gracey explains Parallax's unique vision - This is why I am such a dedicated supporter of all they make, share, and teach. www.parallax.com and learn.parallax.com