Newsgroups: comp.robotics
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From: mwd@walter (Mark Dalton)
Subject: Re: for Starters...
Message-ID: <1994Oct22.225427.10792@walter.cray.com>
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Date: 22 Oct 94 22:54:27 CDT

Bryan (71553.3102@CompuServe.COM) wrote:
: My 6 year-old is taking an interest in Robots.  Is anyone aware 
: of a good hands-on education package that will demonstrate the 
: basics?  I would like something that avoids soldering, because, 
: well would YOU give a soldering iron to a 6 year old?
: We are talking something beyond Lego Technics, too <g>.
: Bryan

Bryan another option may be just to get a cheap remote control
car also, and place a HC11 board (Fred Martins) and put a few
sensors on it (microswitches,etc).  (You can get the boards
preassembled).  Also there is the person that just posted about
his boards for about $25 - $35 plus the CPU/RAM.

After that perhaps use a erector set or legos, combined with the
HC11 (or do that first if you wish).

Perhaps between everyone on this group 'comp.robotics' we could
write up a few different 'styles' of robotics and different levels
of packages.  (I could place this out on a WWW page).

Any offers to help write up a 'easy to read', step-by-step, information
about how to get started in Robotics?  These should be fairly cheap,
atleast under $100 for the first levels.

    "A kit to robotics":
	 - Basic - perhaps remote control car, with HC11 board
	 - intermediate - building your own base, more 'flexible'
			  design.
	 - Advanced - Walking robots.
	 - Really advanced & Really cool Robots: Mark Tildens work.
	      - No 'CPU' needed for basic functions (walking,
		surviving), transistor based, if contains a CPU it is 
		devoted to planning, 'non-survival skills'.
		Mark Tildens work!!  Very COOL!!!
	      - Solar robots
	      - Robot Communities (small solar, thus low attention needed).

I can write up what I know (Ooops, I am almost done (^8  ).

This would be way beyond the FAQ's.  You could think of it as a Virtual course
in Robotics (and posibly Electronics/mechanics also).

If there are any offers let me know.  (I am already working on a Virtual course
for Cell biology, but I think I can do both, in my free time).

Thanks!

Mark  mwd@cray.com


