5 open source robots

Questions why robots are needed and how they work can be safely classified as rhetorical. Because, as it seems to everyone, the answers to them are obvious. But is it really so? Well, yes, of course, the person on duty “to ease a person’s life” seems to be asking for language. But if you dig deeper, then there will be no continuation. Indeed, the capabilities of robots and the true potential of robotics itself can only be assessed when you try to figure out how everything works and how it could work.

It is in this plane that the latest popular projects to create simple robots with open software and hardware platforms are developing. And five of them are in our selection.

Ringo - a palm-sized robot

Let's start with the simplest. Ringo is a desktop (floor) mobile robot, the development project of which has already raised over $ 70,000 on Kickstarter instead of the declared $ 12,000. Why only development? Yes, because the hardware is already assembled, and you can already order it for $ 129, becoming the backer of the project on Kickstarter.com .



This "home bug" was created on the base microprocessor board Arduino Uno, equipped with a three-axis accelerometer and gyroscope, a set of sensors, including light and remote, a remote control receiver unit, a charging module - a full list of "on-board iron" can be viewed on the website.

The robot comes with ten predefined behavior programs. Well, then you yourself give it your individual traits, fortunately, the Arduino platform is open, and even the children write the first C commands.

GroBotz - a do-it-yourself modular robot

Another development team adheres to the opposite concept - their GroBotz robot comes in separate function blocks:



With these modules you can assemble very utilitarian robots, original toys and vehicles, musical instruments and much more . You can order a basic set of ten functional modules - a processor, sensors, sensors, a power supply, and so on, plus 10 blocks to create a design on Kickstarter for $ 150.

By downloading the application, you can not only control your robot, but also complete the architecture - read all the information here .

LIME - a robotic brush

To understand the basics of robotics, as they say, on the fingers - for this very reason, obviously, the LIME project , presented on Kickstarter and still in the funding stage , was conceived :



for $ 150 you can get a development kit that includes:

• robotic arm
• microcontroller based on Arduino Uno,
• 3 servomotors
• connecting cables
• Power Supply,
• Lyoth software,
• training course.

Of course, if we talk about the potential of the platform, then it is, in general, small. But if you understand the mechanics of creating the hardware and the synergy with software, then the further design of the parts of the android, obviously, will not cause problems. In any case, the creators of the project think so.

RoboCORE - the heart of your personal robot

If you have already begun to master in robotics and fully explored all the possibilities of Lego Mindstorms, then you can move on to a higher level of designing your own android - use the innovative RoboCORE development .



Combining all the hardware and an open software platform, the heart of your robot takes over the communications and functioning of the mechanical parts according to the given algorithms. The only thing that is needed from you is the design and creation of the mechanical parts necessary for solving the problems themselves.

A robotic arm, a mobile camera or a mobile communicator - you define the concept, and you can build at least out of Lego blocks. By the way, how to do this, see here .

Funding has already ended on Kickstarter, and you can order the module here for $ 119.

And finally, the most difficult project, which brings you closer to creating a robot from scratch.



Set PLEN2It includes an in-house microcircuit compatible with Arduino, 18 servomotors, a Blutooth module, six-axis sensors (gyroscope + accelerometer) and a pair of LED lights for the eyes of the robot. And where is the robot itself? But it is proposed to print it on a 3D printer, the developer provides all the data for this.

In general, it should be interesting, but participation in the project as a developer with the appropriate kit will cost you $ 1,100. Expensive or not, decide for yourself, but someone will probably develop the project.

Just like all other areas of modern robotics - it’s impossible to imagine our modern, and even more so, our future world without mechanical and electronic assistants. So we will dare.