Though carrying out Natural Language Processing (NLP) for the Robotix 2012 event Echelon might seem a daunting task, the tools for such are readily available online. The programmer need only concern himself with the appropriate usage of these tools to achieve his ends. This article deals with doing so using Java. And if you’re one of those who i... continue reading
[caption id=”attachment_122” align=”alignright” width=”300” caption=”The RoboSoccer Challenge”][/caption] The Freshers’ RoboSoccer Challenge conducted this year turned out to be a delight with participants being mighty enthusiastic about making and playing with their very first Robots! Though in principle these robots were merily differential... continue reading
Biomimicry is one of the most inspiring fields around which present day robotics researches revolve. It is our technology exchange with mother nature, who cranks out newer and newer designs that we have never even dreamt of and many that we haven’t been able to figure out yet. The reason being evident that it is one of the most energy efficien... continue reading
LEGOMindstorms ® NXT ® is a product offered by the world’s fourth largest manufacturer of toys, LEGO. It ships as a kit, which consists of the NXT or the CPU, various components such as axles, gears, and other fabricated plastic parts that make it very easy to assemble and modify your robot quickly. Creating good looking robots really easily see... continue reading
At slower speeds, line following is pretty simple - if the sensors say it is going left, steer right and if going right, steer left. This process has its limitations though, mainly when the speed is increased. This is when a PID controller starts to shine. PID stands for** Proportional, Integral and Derivative**. A **PID **controller is a mat... continue reading
Let us look back at ROBOTIX 2011 from the point of view of a robotics aficionado with a fetish for out - of – the – box solutions to even the minimum of robot tasks. As we dug into our archives, we found a treasure trove of interesting robots that featured in this year’s edition of the fest. Without a lengthy preamble, lets head straight into t... continue reading
Most of us have used DC motors at one point or another. They follow pretty simple rules like speed is directly proportional to voltage and reversing terminals mean reversing the direction of motion. As we move forward from a simple differential drive our actuator requirements also change. This post is to familiarize beginners with servos- a typ... continue reading
“Jacob took that coke in his hand, the Herald919, what he named his other “arm”, made of tinker and junk mimicked the same. As he undid the wrapping, Herald broke the other one.” Take a look at your hand and now replace (mentally) every moving part of it with metal segments and joints and there you go! you have your very own robotic arm. Usuall... continue reading
RAFT was one of the most successful mechanical events in Robotix 2011. Receiving participation from robot lovers all over the country, this event was one of a kind. Based on a practical and industry derived problem statement, the simplicity yet the unique nature of the event received wide acceptance. First years from IIT Kharagpur also showed de... continue reading
Negotiators the online coding event of Robotix 2011 was an original design which went on to be largely successful. The participant’s program was pitched against that of two others in order to negotiate a pattern on a grid with blocks. Trivia: Some participants submitted multiple entries hoping that their dummy entries would be pitted against th... continue reading