Trossen Robotics Blog

Trossen Robotics Community Lounge @ Robogames 2009

Andrew — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:32:45 +0000

We had a blast at Robogames 2009 and had quite a few of our Community members show up and hang out in our lounge. Robots were battled, discussed, and otherwise shared! We cannot wait until next year, and we hope to see more of you there. Here is a quick highlight video showing some of the lounge and the attending members, as well as some of our member’s robots interacting with the crowd.

Ultimate collection: 101 Awesome Robot T-Shirts

Andrew — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:32:50 +0000

Do you ever find yourself in need of exactly 101 awesome Robot T-Shirts? Your long search is over thanks to the T-Shirt Blog, HIDEYOURARMS. This is quite possibly the single most comprehensive list of robot related torso wear the internets has ever seen, so I won’t bore you with the many reasons on why it is awesome. Instead, click the picture below and enjoy!

Some TRC Projects to keep an eye on!

Andrew — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:49:10 +0000

We’re rather lucky that we have such a large group of talented individuals in our community who are willing to share their progress and projects! A few recent projects have caught my eye so I wanted to share the wealth; some pure robotic goodness to be had here.

First up we have the infamous Zenta’s quadrapod robot project: Felix! Zenta has recently picked this project back up and teased us with a quick video of the bot walking. You can certainly see its Big Dog inspired walking gait and design.

WGhost9 is impressing us all with the professional machining skills displayed in his latest project, Beetlejuice. This is a hybrid hexapod with wheels on each end actuator, coupled with some fantastic craftsmanship on the shell that gives it a great aesthetic. It’s still a work in progress, but he is detailing each step he is taking in the project, definitely something to keep an eye on.

And last but not least, newcomer Upgrayd is detailing his quadrapod Mech build, “Second Amendment“. He is also posting as the project progresses, so the readers get a chance to see the thought process and inevitable mistakes that come along with any big robotics project. Can’t wait to see this bot at next year’s Mech Warfare!

iPhone controlled Mech?

Andrew — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:05:42 +0000

After Year 1 of Mech Warfare, the competitors are busy working away to improve their bots, control scheme, weapons, etc… so it was only a matter of time before we would see someone adapting an iPhone to control their mech. Seeing as though the iPhone can be used for anything (Defibbing people, saving kittens from trees, backup generator for your house, etc), remotely controlling walking combat robots was the next logical step.

Builder Mannyr7 and his mech project CLYDE suffered some last minute setbacks that prevented him from competing at Year 1 (though he did show up to cheer us on and impress us with his professional airsoft gun setup), however he has taken the time to write up a tutorial and shoot a video on his latest iPhone control scheme. Definitely check it out, as its applicable to a variety of robots!

Take the XMOS challenge!

Andrew — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:50:25 +0000

Who doesn’t like free stuff? XMOS is offering some development kits of their new event driven parallel processors to qualified parties and individuals. These controllers looks like they pack a punch in terms of features and processing power and would make an awesome robotics controller! If you’re interested, check out the forum post by XMOS and answer the requested questions. Definitely shows some promise, check out the forums and the videos below for more info.

XMOS event driven processors allow you to execute code in parallel which could open up a number of possibilities to evolve your robots “mind” to the next level!

I have some development kits to give away potentially, but before I give away all the details, I just wanted to see if there was any interest.

People have made some cool stuff with our tech before (See videos).

Some details of the processor itself which will be on the dev kit (to be released soon):

- Single core device (Although we do have quad core versions – ask me)
- 400 MIPS per core.
- 8 Threads per core.
- 64Kb RAM
- 8KBytes OTP memory for applications, boot code or security keys, with security mode
- 64 user I/O pins
- Support for high performance DSP (32 x 32 → 64bit MAC) and cryptographic functions
- Time aware ports provide up to 10ns timing resolution
- Designs implemented using a software-based design flow (can program in C or XC – very similar to C but with support for extras such as parallel execution)
- Scalable – can connect many kits together for crazy amounts of processing power using Xlinks.

iBotz Beginner Robot Kits!

Andrew — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:42:32 +0000

The iBotz line of educational robot kits are an ideal introduction for children ages 8 and up wanting to investigate the fascinating world of electronics and intelligent machines. Developed with the help of the Open University in the United Kingdom, these kits have a strong focus on teaching not only how to build the robot, but how the robot works. Detailed explanations of the circuitry driving the robot are examined, as well as what role the individual components play in the robot’s functionality.

Initial Mech Warfare Coverage

Andrew — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:40:20 +0000

We want to apologize for being so quiet, but Robogames and the subsequent chaos of getting caught up has taken us all by a storm. We’ll be making up for it by posting a ton of content in the next few days.

Year 1 of Mech Warfare turned out great, better than expected for a first year competition. We came, we conquered, and more than anything we learned a LOT. Seven robots total showed up, though Murphy’s Law was in full effect and we only had 4 running consistently. That said, everyone involved still had a ton of fun, and Botjunkie and Society of Robots were there covering the action. Here are two quick highlight videos they put together, stay tuned for the official Mech Warfare coverage video from multiple in-arena cameras in the near future!

Video coverage from Botjunkie:

And video coverage from Society of Robots:

New Phoenix Demonstration Videos!

Andrew — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:01:36 +0000

We’ve been a bit quiet on the blog front as we are getting ready for Robogames 2009 in a little over a week and are furiously working away to finish up projects for demonstration. Our video production crew has been keeping busy also, and just finished up some new demonstration videos for the Phoenix Hexapod, showcasing its numerous features. This Hexapod continues to be one of our most popular sellers, definitely check it out!

Walking Gait Demo

Remote Control Demo

Body Control Demo

All Metal Construction Demo

The Roboard is Back in Stock!

Andrew — Mon, 18 May 2009 21:50:41 +0000

This has to be one of our hottest selling Robotics controllers yet. Our initial stock sold out almost immediately, the 2nd shipment sold out before we even received it in, and the third shipment received today is already half way gone! Get ‘em while they’re hot!

The Roboard RB-100 is a new breed of robotics controller: a fusion of a traditional microcontroller and a full function computer. Think of it as an OS capable microcontroller on steroids, boasting a 32bit x86 CPU running at 1000MHz and 256MB DRAM. The ability to load an operating system of your choice and have direct access to I/O, Comm ports, USB, and networking opens this controller up to a wide range of robotics based applications. Our Roboard Starter Kit comes with just about everything you need to implement this feature rich controller in your next robotics project! All you need to supply is a 1-2gb Micro-SD card to load an OS onto, 6-24v, and a robot!

Hexbugs and Bioloids, Oh My!

Andrew — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:00:14 +0000

Our video crew has been hard at work showcasing our various robotic products, and recently highlighted the Bioloid and Hexbug robots.

Is your house tidy? Are you lacking pesky insects in your kitchen? HEXBUGs are your solution!

Why deal with real insects when you can fill that void with these cute little robobugs! Hexbugs are tiny, cute, and make the perfect gift or desktoy for a geek near you! You can pick these up at our online store, as well as at our booth at Robogames 2009 in San Fransisco!

The Bioloid Comprehensive Kit is a tried and true humanoid kit, literally one of the most popular robot kits on the market. We put together a quick video highlighting some custom motions that can be easily programmed into the robot, as well as the new Zig-100 wireless controller. Stay tuned to our blog for an upcoming tutorial on how to make your Bioloid humanoid robot completely remote controlled and competition ready!