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Create Community :
General Discussion :
Suggestions- What changes would you like to see in the Create?
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Re: Suggestions- What changes would you like to see in the Create?
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TCIII
Contributor
Posts: 33
Registered: 03-14-2007
Message 21 of 79
Viewed 34,222 times
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Hi all, It seems to me that many of the sensor accessories (Ultrasonic Ranging, IR Sensors, Compass, etc) that Create users want to see added to the Create/CM are already available on the Parallax Boe Bot. I am in the process of adding several networked Parallax BS2/BOEs to the Create that can achieve all of the sensor functions the Create users have described. They will obviously take the place of the CM and interface with the Create over its serial lines using BBR's WAC. This approach is similar to what Joe is doing with the PIC and the CM. Just a thought. Regards, TCIII
_____________________________________________________
If you are going to send a Robot to save the world, you better make sure it likes it the way it is.
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04-09-2007 10:37 AM
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Re: Suggestions- What changes would you like to see in the Create?
[ Edited ]
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farhawk3
Regular Contributor
Posts: 160
Registered: 01-08-2007
Message 22 of 79
Viewed 34,179 times
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Button Placement This may sound trivial but I'm about to add a platform to my Create for sensors and an LCD and I now realize that getting to both the Create buttons and the CM buttons is going to become difficult. There are at least two ways that a next gen Create could address this. (1) Move the buttons to a location near the periphery (top edge or side) of the shell, (2) provide jacks or pins that the user can interface to buttons, perhaps with buttons on wires that can be easily pinned to the shell at various locations or to add on to structures added by the user. Same goes for the LEDs. The current placement works well on the vacuums but if the Create evolves beyond the basic vacuum design then this is something that would benefit from change I think. IR Sensor This might also be made removeable/remountable so that it could be positioned above other mounted equipment. I suspect based on the design of the docking station's lens that too much vertical displacement might be a problem so perhaps some alternative lenses for the create that can be side mounted or nose mounted would help. Then again, a built in nose sonar would be very helpful for non-contact obstacle avoidance and it could be used to make the whole docking process simpler and cleaner. Message Edited by farhawk3 on 04-10-200702:19 PM
- Farhawk
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04-10-2007 02:17 PM
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Re: Suggestions- What changes would you like to see in the Create?
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 RoombaDude
Administrator
Posts: 103
Registered: 01-11-2007
Message 23 of 79
Viewed 34,145 times
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Farhawk and Creators
Excellent feedback, everyone!
Keep it coming. As is obvious to everyone, the Create maintained a lot of the Roomba's design elements with the hope of retaining the reliability, stability, etc... I expected there would feedback challenging this which will help us make the leap to a different design concept. As I stated before, Create is a good generation robotics platform, but it won't meet everyones optimal needs.
Please keep the feedback coming.
RoombaDude
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04-11-2007 10:01 AM
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Re: Suggestions- What changes would you like to see in the Create?
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farhawk3
Regular Contributor
Posts: 160
Registered: 01-08-2007
Message 25 of 79
Viewed 34,115 times
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Yup. I had not even thought of the USB cable access but I think that could be the biggest issue since any deck that is close to the robot will be hard to squeeze a cable under even if you want to simply put a USB extension cable on it and remount elsewhere. In a pinch I think a dowel/rod though a small tube can be designed into a deck to give access to the Reset button but a pin for input would work best. Too bad PC6 was not mapped out to Pin#6 on any of the ePorts. That would have worked well and that pin is apparently not used now.
- Farhawk
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04-11-2007 02:51 PM
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Re: Suggestions- What changes would you like to see in the Create?
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Joe
Regular Contributor
Posts: 478
Registered: 02-07-2007
Message 26 of 79
Viewed 33,896 times
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An affordable base like the Create but with a bit more clearance and off-roadable wheels. Basically an out-door off-roading Create would be nice to see, with a trailer-hitch, and an external battery option for additional pulling power so I can ride too.  It seems a lot of people have out-door uses for the Create so it might be nice to have a hobby-ist version of one of your more robuts units (yet not necessarily to military specs).
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04-27-2007 01:08 PM
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Re: Suggestions- What changes would you like to see in the Create?
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RoombaDude
Administrator
Posts: 103
Registered: 01-11-2007
Message 27 of 79
Viewed 33,893 times
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All,
How about a Create compatible remote that can turn on the Create, emulate all the buttons on the Create and be able to run programs in the Command Module. Feel free to add your own particulars.
RoombaDude
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04-27-2007 01:15 PM
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Re: Suggestions- What changes would you like to see in the Create?
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farhawk3
Regular Contributor
Posts: 160
Registered: 01-08-2007
Message 28 of 79
Viewed 33,881 times
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RoombaDude - You can do most of that (except power up/down) with the standard remote so another remote would be low on my list if it were IR. The IR works well for the docking but interfence with other IR devices (home base, v-walls) and line-of-sight issues make IR pretty tough for this. I've got it working but whenever the robot gets in range of some other device it goes AWOL. Also adding any substantial gear to the top of the robot base blocks the IR dome from view in a lot of situations. For these reasons I think that a wireless radio link is a better approach to communication. I'd like to see something like wifi or Bluetooth built right in. I think wifi would be better. You could make the robot just another network device so the real brains can be easily offloaded to hardware on the network. It might need a bit more battery storage so making this modular as well (add a battery or two and have them all intelligently charge when docked).
- Farhawk
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04-27-2007 05:34 PM
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Re: Suggestions- What changes would you like to see in the Create?
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Joe
Regular Contributor
Posts: 478
Registered: 02-07-2007
Message 29 of 79
Viewed 33,874 times
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I think wifi would be the most globally appreciated. It always comes down to the communication between the world and their robots. Wifi is everywhere. If my robot had Wifi, it could literally roam the city here (city-wide wifi to residents, they are EVERYWHERE on the light poles). I think the Beginners would be up and running faster if the robot had Wifi. A lot of talk here has been about how to interface different computers with the create serial port and get them talking out of the box. But they probably all had Wifi and already knew how to configure their access point. It would have saved me many days dealing with interfacing a Radio to the create if it already had wifi, or bluetooth. Power is definitely a problem with wifi. And it might be easier to make a bluetooth remote control, which could be multi-purpose for you computer as well. I don't think you can please everyone with either so you are going to have to make the wireless module an Optional plug-in component. Ideally you'd be able to use Both modules if one so chooses. Offer a bluetooth remote (so if they want the bluetooth remote, they must buy the bluetooth communication module). Offer an Advanced Advances Power System with more power for longer Wifi run-time. My guess is people would opt for the low-power and lower-cost bluetooth option first, but eventually need more range and flexibility and go for Wifi. The Wifi option would have to have a built-in web server to allow the Beginner to click Forward, Reverse, Left, Right, etc., like on the Remote. That would give the new buyer instant satisfaction (Remote Control is the Coolest!). flip flop flip flop
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04-28-2007 12:21 AM
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Charging
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JohnQ
Super Contributor
Posts: 556
Registered: 01-24-2007
Message 30 of 79
Viewed 33,831 times
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Create should automatically charge when it detects it is on the dock or wall charger regardless of state. Or at a minimum, provide an OI command to initiate charging once your software detects a charger. It should not change state (Passive/Safe/Full) as a result of the charging process.
John Q. - Sunny Tucson Arizona USA
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04-30-2007 03:23 PM
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