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UofG Robotics: Next Phase

Question #1

1. A material transporter
2. A garbage collector
3. A homework delivery device
4. A (self-driven?) car
5. A ball retriever
6. A rigid-incline scaler
7. An explorer/map-maker
8. A heavy-load stair climber

So now I'm going to ask you to vote on the above candidates.

The voting process will be like this:

Send me an email listing your three favourite ideas from the list above
along with a point value for each.  Give your favourite project idea 3
points, give your second favourite idea 2 points and your third
favourite a single point.  For example, using fictitious devices (so as not to bias the vote) you might write:

<begin example>
Dear Chris.  Here are my choices,

#3 the library book shelver thingy (3 points)
#7 the undertable gum-remover (2 points)
#8 the shipwreck finder (1 point)

Thanks
Rodney Brooks

P.S: You're doing a great job, but you're a bit slow. : )
<end example>

No anonymous email pleaseOkay so then I will simply add up the
scores, check the arithmetic and publish the results.

TASK ASSIGNMENTS

Meanwhile we can begin to undertake some background work. While respondents didn't agree on much, one thing most did agree upon was that they didn't have much knowledge about the field.

It seems clear that on the whole we need to make a collective survey of the field of robotics.  We need to take note of the common jargon roboticists use to describe their work.  We need to know what devices or classes of devices they employ.  We might want to know what their past experience has taught them about the art of robotics; what some refer to as "prior art."  Finally, we need to understand these things on our level - the level of uninitiated undergrads who have had little previous experience in electronics or manufacturing, let alone robotics.

On another level we need to do some reconnaisance work too.  We need people to scout out resources: electronics supplies, building materials, machine shops, electrical shops, parts catalogues, funding, etc.

So here's the plan:

I like to have a web site for our group with the following table on it.
Matt (Mathees) is still working on it. Just have a look at our Progress Table

This table will be a directory of tasks over which group members have taken "ownership", meaning responsibility.  For example, if you wish to do some fund-raising on behalf of the group you would start by doing a lookup in the table to see who is currently responsible for fund-raising and contacting them.  If you find that some source of funds has been overlooked or should be included you would ask to have an entry submitted under the TASK/ISSUE column, with yourself as the owner.  The ITEM # of the original fund-raising entry would be entered as the PARENT OF... your fund-raising entry.  This way readers can clearly follow a thread of development.  In many cases there will be no parent task or issue.  The REFERENCE column will be used as a link to a webpage detailing your goal(s), findings, progress, roadblocks or whatever ("you know, like whatever").  You can supply our webmaster with your own webpage or have them draw one up for you from your email.  In any case, a centralised archive of webpages should result for us to see where we've been and where we're going.  Remember, this was envisioned as a multi-year project.

This table is an attempt at getting us away from attending needless meetings while at the same time keeping our efforts coordinated, documented and visible.  Hopefully, it will allow us to use a multi-threaded approach whenever tasks can be accomplished concurrently.  It also puts the onus on ***YOU*** the individual,to take the initiative to get things done that clearly need doing.  If you see a task or issue that needs addressing but hasn't been raised by anyone you are encouraged to take ownership of it.  If you need help, perhaps because the task is too big, then enter "HELP!" in the STATUS column.  We'll see what we can do to share the load.  I'm also hoping that decision-making can be decentralized as much as possible and moved to the lowest necessary levels of the project (but no lower).  After all, not every issue needs to be voted on by everyone.  If this concerns you bring it up as an "issue"!

Any suggestions or comments?
Now then...

Have you ever heard the expression "When the only tool you have is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail"?   Well now you have.  The point is that if we're going to make informed decisions about building robots then we should be, well... "informed."  So I'm going to ask for some volunteers to cobble together some documents covering:

1. A general survey of sensor technology. (html report)
2. A general survey of motor/actuator technology. (html report)
3. A general survey of microcontrollers. (html report)
4. A general survey of neural networks/genetic algorithms/fuzzy logic (html report)

What we want here are some general outlines, beginner's stuff.
Get-to-know-the-jargon stuff.

I'm also going to ask for some volunteers to start hunting down the following:
5. Money
6. Machine shop/Electrical shop (see me about this one).

Can you suggest something else?
7. Your suggestion here...

Once we have the table up, we'll add these names and tasks to it.

Whew! So that's about it for me.  Below, you will find the rest of the
survey results.  Please let me know what you think (about anything).
 

Chris