Newsgroups: comp.sys.transputer,comp.realtime,comp.robotics
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!howland.reston.ans.net!ix.netcom.com!netcom.com!glg
From: glg@netcom.com (Generic Logic)
Subject: Re: Need to control a robot-- Any suggestions?
Message-ID: <glgD4tAtM.188@netcom.com>
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
References: <troybenj-1602952211460001@friley79.res.iastate.edu>
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 12:03:22 GMT
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Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.sys.transputer:6845 comp.realtime:8853 comp.robotics:18512

troybenj@iastate.edu (Troy Benjegerdes) writes:

>   I am working with a professor at Iowa State on a force-feedback system
>for virtual reality. We are basically in the concept stage, and right now,
>we have an IBM-PC controlling a one-dimensional force feedback mechanism.
>   I am looking for some kind of processing system to replace the PC. This
>system has to do several things: track the user's hand, calculate the
>position of the robot in space, calculate and apply the correct forces to
>the user's hand.
>   This system should also have the capability to interface with a Silicon
>Graphics computer. We plan to use a SGI Reality Engine to do the graphics
>computation. We need some kind of system to control the robot that applies
>forces to the hand.
>   The professor I am working with has heard of colleauges using
>transputers for this. I am also going to get some information from
>Motorola on their embedded controllers.
>   One thing we need is at least 12 bit D-A and A-D accuracy (we think)
>and the ability to have one proccesor in the system communicate with the
>others easily.
>   Another important consideration is cost. We don't really want to spend
>lots of money on something that may or may not work.
>   If anyone knew of a way to network SGI's to do this, that would work
>too. We have access to as many SGI's as we could use, but, from what I
>understand, D-A and A-D boards are hard to find and SGI's don't have a
>realtime operating system.

You may use Generic Logic Toolkit for the graphic part. The toolkit 
allows creating the 3D drawing of the robot using the drawing editor 
and attaching parametric animation to its elements. The drawing then 
may be loaded into the program and animated according to the real-time data.
If a wire-frame drawing is used, the graphics should be fast enough even 
on low end machines. The Toolkit is also available on QNX and Linux. The 
demo showing excavator controlled be sliders is available (the demo uses 
filled polygons, shading and hidden surface removal and is slower then 
the wire-frame drawing would be).

=========================================================================
                   | Generic Logic Toolkit: Widgets and Graphics Builder
Alex Fridman       | 
Generic Logic, Inc.|      For a free Demo and Widget Catalog:   
alex@genlogic.com  | email: glg@genlogic.com         call: (617)254-4153
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