Introduction

The Iconic Interface system allows students to write programs for the Personal Exploration Rover (PER) without knowledge of robotics or programming languages. By using icons, students can tell the robot to perform simple or complex tasks, and write small programs to be re-run later.

Setup

System Requirements

To run the Iconic Interface on your computer, you will need:

Unpacking the Iconic Interface

The Iconic Interface program is distributed as a compressed Zip file. In order to run the program, you will need to unpack it. Windows XP will unpack the file if you right-click on it, then choose the "Extract All" option. The Zip file will expand into a new folder called "per-bin".

Configuring Your Computer to Control The Robot

First, turn on the Personal Exploration Rover. The power switch is located on its right side. The rover should twitch briefly when you turn the switch on, and a green light on the switch should glow. There will be a pause of approximately sixty seconds, and then the rover's head should look up briefly, then move back to a level area.


Go to the Start menu and choose Control Panel. Select Network Connections, then choose Wireless Network Connection. Click on the "Properties" button. You will see a screen like Illustration 1.



Choose the "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" component and click on "Properties". You will see a screen like the following:




Make sure that your IP address starts with "192.168.2.", and that your subnet is "255.255.255.0".

Finally, click on the "Wireless Networks" tab in the Network Connections control panel. One of the available wireless networks should be "RoverNet". Select this network and choose "Connect".

Basic Use

In order to command the robot to do anything, you must first enter a command. Click on the red "plus" sign in the middle of the screen, then click in the blue field in the middle of the screen. The results will look like Illustration 3.



Illustration 3: After adding a command




Next, we're going to command the robot to move forward five inches. To make this command, click on the blue-and-red arrow in the upper middle of the screen, then click on the empty command we just created. A dialog box will appear with the message: "Enter the distance parameter for MOVE FORWARD action." Click on the white box beside this message and enter the number "5", then click the OK button. After you have clicked "OK", your robot will look like this:



Now, click the triangular "play" button located in the middle of the window. The robot should move forward about five inches.

Troubleshooting

Problem

Solution

The Rover's green light does not illuminate when the power is turned on.

1. Check that the battery is connected to the robot. See the PER manual for details.

2. The Rover's battery needs to be recharged. Recharge the battery. See the PER manual for details.

The "RoverNet" network does not appear.

1. Check that the Rover is turned on. Is the switch in the "On" position? Is the green light showing on the power switch?

2. Check that the Rover has completed its wake-up sequence. If not, wait for about sixty seconds for the Rover to look up then down again.

3. Check that your computer is configured to display Ad-Hoc wireless networks. If not, click on the "Advanced" button on the Wireless Networks" screen, and choose "Allow Ad-Hoc Networks".

You get a message box saying "Rover error(s): java.lang.Exception: Too many retries/errors".

The Iconic Interface cannot contact the rover. Things to check:

1. Is the Rover turned on? Is the green light on the Rover's switch illuminated? If not, turn the Rover on.

2. Has the Rover completed its wake-up sequence? If not, wait for the Rover to move its head.

3. Does your computer's IP address start with "192.168.2"? If not, follow the instructions under "Initial Setup" to configure your network control panel.