I am an active C/C++ programmer and I have always had an interest in electronics. I think that getting into robotics might be a very good way to ally both of my passions.
I have been doing a good bit of reading on robotics in the past. The thing that surprises me is that when it comes to building robots, people always seem to make sacrifices on the computer hardware. Most of the hobby robots involve using some rather weak microcontrollers with very limited resources. I had an idea recently: why not use a PC? After all, PCs are getting so cheap now... I have a good amount of spare material lying around... Certainly enough to build an OK computer. This seems like a very good solution to me. For quite cheap, its possible to get a microATX motherboard with onboard video and a decent processor (like a Duron 1.600 or a Thunrdebird 1.333).
With a PC, it becomes possible to hook a cheap camera (like an USB webcam) and interface it very easily... You also get one (or more) serial ports, which allows to interface some basic motors and sensors without using a microcontroller. You also get the biggest benefit of all: enough processing power to actually do something. With a duron 1600, you can take images from the camera and run complex algorithms on them to determine how space is organized. There is also one more quite cool advantage: the possibility of installing a WiFi network card and organizing some TCP/IP based remote control system.
I am thinking it would be possible to build a nice R2D2 sized robot that way. The biggest challenge would probably be to build (or find) a large chassis and install a motorized wheel system. Some of you might be wondering about the power... Thats not even a problem. All that would be needed would be to hook some sealed lead acid batteries in parallel and use a power inverter to power an ATX PSU for the motherboard/PC hardware. Other devices such as the motors/lights could take their power directly from the battery.
What do you guys think about that?
I have been doing a good bit of reading on robotics in the past. The thing that surprises me is that when it comes to building robots, people always seem to make sacrifices on the computer hardware. Most of the hobby robots involve using some rather weak microcontrollers with very limited resources. I had an idea recently: why not use a PC? After all, PCs are getting so cheap now... I have a good amount of spare material lying around... Certainly enough to build an OK computer. This seems like a very good solution to me. For quite cheap, its possible to get a microATX motherboard with onboard video and a decent processor (like a Duron 1.600 or a Thunrdebird 1.333).
With a PC, it becomes possible to hook a cheap camera (like an USB webcam) and interface it very easily... You also get one (or more) serial ports, which allows to interface some basic motors and sensors without using a microcontroller. You also get the biggest benefit of all: enough processing power to actually do something. With a duron 1600, you can take images from the camera and run complex algorithms on them to determine how space is organized. There is also one more quite cool advantage: the possibility of installing a WiFi network card and organizing some TCP/IP based remote control system.
I am thinking it would be possible to build a nice R2D2 sized robot that way. The biggest challenge would probably be to build (or find) a large chassis and install a motorized wheel system. Some of you might be wondering about the power... Thats not even a problem. All that would be needed would be to hook some sealed lead acid batteries in parallel and use a power inverter to power an ATX PSU for the motherboard/PC hardware. Other devices such as the motors/lights could take their power directly from the battery.
What do you guys think about that?