KnuthLab Robotics
Published on 11 Jan 2007 at 12:24 am.
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Filed under Intelligent Systems, Research, Robotics.
I have been working steadily into the field of robotics. This all started with my interest in designing intelligent instruments that were a symbiotic fusion between the instrument itself (endowed with self-monitoring sensors) and the intelligent data analysis algorithms. While I was at NASA, this research was funded by the Intelligent Data Understanding Program. Since that time, I have become keenly aware that robotics is the next major frontier after the internet.
With a portion of my start-up funds at the University at Albany, I have acquired three Lego Mindstorms Robotics Sets. This last fall, I spent a good bit of time putting together a collection of designs from the Lego manuals. This has been necessary, since I am a physicist and not an engineer! The Lego system is very intelligently designed, and I will be posting some design tips that I have come across or discovered.
Below is a picture of the first robot of my own creation. He is similar to the tribot design that the Lego kit starts you out with, but has a lower center of gravity, is lacking the front graspers, and can turn his ultrasonic rangefinder from side-to-side.
At this point, his programming is trivial, but I aim to enable him to drive around continuously avoiding obstacles. I have always read that this is more difficult than it first seems, and my experience in other fields of science suggests that I should believe the warnings. But in the weeks to come, I will find out first-hand what makes it more difficult.
To find out more about my research on intelligent systems,
visit KnuthLab.
Kevin Knuth
Albany NY
