In the Mail Today!

This arrived today! The Parallax DHB-10 Dual H Bridge 10 Amp Motor Controller. Absolutely beautiful construction - very well designed and feature packed - just what I've all come to love about Parallax products - love getting a package with the Parallax packing tape!

It is a very compact design too. They are back in stock! Check it out here or just visit Parallax and look around. You will learn something - I promise!

Good News for this Summer from Parallax

The new S3 has many new features and easy hack-ability!

Just posted on the Parallax site - Parallax Insider News - Scribbler 3 Robot Update!

Here is the text...

Did you know that the origins of the Scribbler 3 (S3) robot started 15 years ago with the blue Scribbler and a BASIC Stamp 2? Since then, we’ve put over 20,000 of these robots into schools around the world. Many of the original robots are still in use too! 

Educators are asking Parallax about the new S3 Robot. Many schools have been using the S2 for several years and are ready to order the new S3. Here’s a quick update for your planning.

• Availability: We have analyzed a dozen prototypes and approved the S3 for production earlier this week. We expect our first batch of production units to arrive at Parallax in August.

• Price: Final price has yet to be determined. We estimate that the S3 will be between $149 and $179. Volume discounts for class packs will be available.

• Stock Code: The Parallax stock code for the S3 is #28333.

• Placing Orders: We will enable pre-ordering for schools as soon as we have 100% confidence about the delivery date from our Rocklin, California warehouse.

• Features: Some of the S3’s new features include:

• USB-rechargeable lithium ion battery with up to eight hours of run time

• USB programmability

• Exposed hacker port for additional Parallax sensors (Ping))), PIR, etc.)

• XBee socket for future WiFi programming or robot-robot, robot-computer control

• Green color (original choice was yellow but this color caused too much internal infrared scattering) 

The most important issue for Parallax and our customers is the programming software. The original Scribbler 2 (S2) Graphical User Interface (S2 GUI) runs only in Windows. Attempts to port it to Mac have now ended (it uses an obsolete code base in Perl). Upon release of the S3 we will have backward-compatible support with the S2 GUI so the robot can be programmed in the same tool. 

Our official Scribbler 3 programming tool will become BlocklyProp. Parallax is openly developing the http://blockly.parallax.com interface around Google’s block programming language. We have customized this tool for the Propeller microcontroller which will enable students to have their first programming experience with a multicore processor. We plan on supporting the S3 in BlocklyProp with a series of blocks specific to the robot. A Chrome-compatible version is also in consideration for the 1-to-1 Chromebook schools. 

To track our progress with BlocklyProp and the S3 robot please follow me on Twitter @ParallaxKen.

Follow Parallax's development of Blockly here too. Register and keep up for yourself!

You can see one of these at my house as soon as they are available! WOW - Can not wait!

The Original Scribbler - Old Blue!

The Fantastic S2 - Propeller Powered!

Underwater Robotics

From the SeaDrone Facebook page.

Here is a robotic subject I have not dealt much with, but in Louisiana - with all  our rivers, bayous and lakes (and also aquaculture) - this could be a natural and a great robotic educational opportunity.

This is SeaDrone. More info is on the web at their site here. An article is also here on IEEE Spectrum about the idea's developement (Stanford brains again!).

The video above is very interesting. It really might be fun to develop an inexpensive hobby/educational bot (ala Phil Pilgrim's work on the Parallax Forums especially in this thread) - like the ELEV-8 for under water use.

This seems like it fits Parallax's mission. The SeaDrone above seems to have the "right stuff" for such an idea/concept - revised, of course, and made available in an ELEV-8 sort of package. It needs Parallax Control (brains) and the educational materials - but this could be really fun!

This really has me thinking about a new area of robotics that would be fun to explore - practical - and very interesting for students of all ages!

NASA Challenges Us...

All the info on the Centennial Challenge is here.

Not True!

Sent by a friend - absolutely false, but funny! ;-)

wink emoticon

Understanding the Physics of Multirotor Flight

Good stuff at learn.parallax.com - Understanding the Physics of Multirotor Flight

The Smart Folks at Stanford Strike Again

Why You Should Be Glad That Quadrotors Have Learned to Dodge Swords: A Stanford roboticist (and fencer) discusses drones, swords, and why mixing them is such a great idea!