Graphics enhanced version of this site
Palm Pilot Robot Kit (PPRK)
This project is no longer active.
Head: Illah Nourbakhsh
Contact: Illah Nourbakhsh (illah@ri.cmu.edu)
Mailing address:
Carnegie Mellon University
Robotics Institute
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Associated center: VASC
Associated labs/groups: CREATE: Community Robotics, Education and Technology Empowerment and Manipulation Lab
For more information, see this project's homepage.
Our robot empowers a Palm Pilot to move about and sense the nearby environment. The base uses three "omni-wheels" that allow driving in any direction with independent control of rotation, meaning it moves holonomically in the plane. The base also has three optical range sensors to "see" the nearby environment up to about a meter away.
The software we provide can be compiled on a Windows PC using the free Code Warrior Lite compiler and downloaded to the Palm. The robot can then drive itself around on flat surfaces, using optical range sensors to sense nearby obstacles and walls.
We have just completed an exclusive licensing agreement with Acroname, Inc to sell the PPRK. They are selling a barebones kit with everything in it and they are also selling a pretty impressive fast-build kit that just requires 1 hour and a screwdriver.