Mobile Robotics Services (MRS)

 

 

Overview:

 

MRS is a web service based project that enables a user to create, compile and wirelessly upload programs for a NewCDbot robot using an iPAQ or Pocket PC. The NewCDbot robot is outfitted with an OOPic II+ microcontroller, which is manufactured by Savage Innovations and an Embedded Blue transceiver manufactured by A7 Engineering and sold by Parallax. The iPAQ or Pocket PC must be Bluetooth capable and also be connected to a local network with internet access. Since the OOPic Multi-Language Compiler must be installed on a computer running Windows®, a web service has been utilized to perform the actual program compilation. This project builds off of the NewCDbot Programmer Software (NCPS) GUI and makes use of simple buttons, drop-down menus, scrollbars, etc to create behavior for the robot. In addition to compiling programs, the web service also stores compiled programs into a database so that users can later retrieve them. This project was supported in part by Abe Howell's Robotics for a Microsoft® sponsored coding competition, the 2004 Imagine Cup.

 

Team Members:

 

Abe Howell - Owner of Abe Howell's Robotics (BSME 99, MSME 03).

Dave Sersen - Electrical Engineering Student at Binghamton University (BSEE, Minor CS 04).

Kenny Weiss - Computer Science Student at Binghamton University (BSCS BA Math 04).

Shane Liu - Computer Science Student at Binghamton University (BSCS 04).

 

Screen Shots of iPAQ Software:

 

Main ScreenSample Program In Code PanelManual ScreenSearch Screen

 

 

Current Status of Project:

 

Currently, the project is only in the development stages, but we hope to push this forward in the future so that anyone can benefit and make use of this application. Please check back frequently for updates. Click here to view a movie demonstration of MRS using an iPaq4155 and NewCDbot robot.

 

Dave Sersen and Abe Howell published a paper regarding the use of this project to teach computer science and engineering at the Electro/Information Technology (EIT) Conference 2004. We intend to continue to develop this project and in the near future implement in a K-12 classroom.

 

 

 

Abe's Drill Chart

 

   

 

Abe's Drill Chart is a free Pocket PC program that helps to figure out the correct drill sizes when either tapping or drilling clearance holes for common UNC and UNF bolt threads. Here's the Pocket PC installer. Abe's Drill Chart utilizes an XML file to store all the information so that it can easily be modified by the user. To add new data simply use the tag naming format that I have. All standard data is encapsulated by an appropriate "S" tag and all metric data with an "M" tag. You must also include all the properties for a new bolt size. If you leave out information you'll get a "Missing Data!" error when the application is run. Also, you may want to keep the sizes orientated from smallest to largest as I've already done. By using XML the user is able to easily add new bolt sizes and data without requiring a modification to the application's code. This makes for a very user friendly program. You can also download the Desktop version of Abe's Drill Chart and install it on your Windows(R) machine for when you're working on a laptop or desktop. Here's a text document that describes how to add/change the XML data file.

 

 

Abe's Beta Bluetooth Chat

 

      

 

Abe's Chat is a free beta chat program for Bluetooth enabled Pocket PCs (PPCs). Install on two PPCs and get ready to chat. Click here for the complete installer for Abe's Chat. You must first pair the two PPCs and have Bluetooth running on each before attempting to open a port and chat. Once Abe's Chat is launched you can set your own username, this way anyone you're paired with knows who's who. This has been tested on an iPaq h4155 and a Bluetooth equipped laptop running XP and the desktop version of Abe's Chat, which can be downloaded from here. Here is a document that describes how to Bluetooth Pair your Pocket PC. We've just revised the Pocket PC version so that your username persists and now you can also change the background color and that will persist as well. Simply remove the older version if you installed it and then download and install the newer version from the link above.

 

 

Abe's ER1 TCP

 

           

 

Abe's ER1 TCP is a Pocket PC application that will allow you to connect to your ER1 robot and basically send commands to control the motion and also access the Robot API by simply typing in the appropriate commands. I offer this software at no charge and make no guarantees with respect to its functionality or use. To use this program simply download the installer found here and then run the installation. In the near future, I hope to create a User's Guide, but for now the application is quite easy to use for anyone familiar with the ER1. You can also just download the executable from here, but you will need to copy it over to your Pocket PC's Program Files directory.

 

 

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