iRobot link

Professor Santiago admits he loves Robotics especially if there are affordable educational toys.  Below are some of the ones he's working (or should we say playing)

Introduction.  We have seen in movies how Robots  minimum human's motions and behavior.  Hollywood often portrayed robots as even superior to humans.   In a robot, sensors, actuators, and microcontrollers need to work together to accomplish an objective and to form a system.  Now, robots are critical elements of various industries and capable of performing a variety of tasks and operations.  The subject of robotics covers many different areas and consisting of many components and subsystems that are integrated to perform a particular task or operation.

Micro Mosquito Helicopter.  The micro helicopter is very stable.  Here are two  YouTube videos that can be viewed here:  Video One and Video Two.  Retailing at about $69.99 from Radio Shack it is one of the smallest indoor helicoptor in the world
 
 
     

 

MICRO MOSQUITO HELICOPTER                                      (Video 1, 56 seconds)

  

 

The videos on this web page is my first day of experimenting or playing with the Mosquito.  From my perspective the micro helicopter is relatively stable.  It took several tries before I got the hang of it, especially with the sensitivity of the throttle.  Pressing too much provides quick liftoff and it hovers while touching the ceiling.  For more professional videos on how this Mosquito performs here are two  YouTube videos that can be viewed here:  Video One and Video Two. 

Retailing at about $69.99 from Radio Shack it is one of the smallest indoor helicopter in the world.  The one at Radio Shack is called the Bladerunner Series Micro Mosquito.  The package consists of:

  •   Micro Mosquito
  •   Portable Charger
  •   Radio Transmitter
  •   Radio Transmitter Antenna

Not included in the kit is a 9V alkaline battery and 6 C size alkaline batteries.

Again, the video here is my first day experimenting the maneuverability of the Micro Mosquito Helicopter.

 
 

 

MICRO MOSQUITO HELICOPTOR                                     (Video 2, 3:56 minutes)

  

The  development of the  BladeRunner helicopter system consists of a double-propeller system which relies on a coaxial rotor to make piloting the ‘chopper easier.

The remote control system is digital and has three channel for:

  •  up & down motion
  •  forward & reverse
  •  turning left & right

and even allows the Mosquito to hover.

When first flying I had to trim frequently so that the helicopter can stop rotating left or right.  Eventually with a little practice, you can adjust the left/right channel to prevent the Mosquito from rotating.  I had a few crashes but the propellers remain in tack.  Relatively durable but not comfortable with the crash.  If you release the trottle too soon, the mosquito system dropped gently to the ground and the landing system is robust enough to withstand hard drops of about five feet.

 

 

    
     

iRobot Vacuum

 

Irobot

To my surprise, my wife Emily bought the iRobot based on a friend’s recommendation.  If  I suggested it would have been a toy for me (she’s right!).  Anyway, with iRobot Roomba, you can check vacuuming off your daily list (although we are comfortable with watching rather than have it go on a particular schedule because it can get entangled with the floor rugs.   

A one year warranty is included with the following key features:

  •  AWARETM Robot Intelligence System and as shown in adjacent video, the intelligence system allows Roomba to navigate around and clear your entire room
  •  Bagless Bin means that there are no bags to replace and it’s easy to empty the dirt.
  •  Edge Cleaning is based on Roomba’s spinning side brush and wall-following technology work together to grab dirt in hard to reach places
  •  The power and charging system allows the robot to clean for 60 minutes per charge and will fully recharge in 7 hours
  •  Roomba’s powerful vacuum system can even remove dirt and pet hair  from deep carpet.