At Elmar's Request, here's ten possible uses for the Autonomous Tracked Motion Platform (aka tanSKy).... in brackets are the various sensors etc envisaged to perform task....
- This one has been done numerous times, here's a paper describing a bot using a visual recognition system for the detection of flame... here's another using visible, ir and uv spectrum light...
- fire fighting bot (flame/smoke/temp/gas sensor)
The low cost and availability of numerous dedicatedflame, co2, smoke, and temperature sensors out there make this a very practical and exciting project to open source, especially if possible at a low cost...
- The idea proposed here is for a gps-guided autonomous version of the bicycle couriers you see round the city all the time. Allow your smartphone (via customer software) to send your location to the service (activating a virtual 'butler' bell) and the next available courier will arrive at your premise, ready for its load. Once loaded, it will zip off speedily to the destination you program into the software.
- autonomous courier (gps / safety / live tracking to internet via pachube) - esp for dangerous areas like warzone/minefield/extreme environments
An idea like this would need much further development, pedestrian & traffic awareness, a lockable safe, and some kind of live update tracking system so location could be tracked in real time (and perhaps updated for clients viapachube...
Here's at least one customer savvy to my ideas :)
Interesting research by Brosch with regards to an autonomous picking / moving / sorting device that could be upscaled to warehousing and perhaps rather suited to domestic cleaning also if objects could be catalogued in a database with desired location? - See pertinent research by Geere, Hunter & Jagals (2010) doi: 10.1186/1476-069X-9-52 for more insight into the health implications (i.e actually causing disabilities) faced in the third world due to both transportation of and unsanitary water supplies...
- water transportation in developing nations (solar, robust, simple, flexible, built in purifier/cooler)
Exceptionally important for this solution to work would be the simplicity of the device (making maintainance/repair possible anywhere, with minimal tools/specific parts/knowledge) and the ability to power/recharge the device from a number of sources.
A built in purifier with a high capacity and easily maintainable filtration system is mandatory.... And perhaps a cushion for those long suffering ladies to take the load off?
Ideas of an autonomous water-seeking device could be expanded, with the device being able to seek and refill the water reservoir, and smart-charge itself when not in use...
- Where to begin here.... Check out the local market? Airport? It's basically a scaled down electric wheelchair for the slightly more able, i guess. But it follows you around. And you can ride it when you are tired..
- shopping cart / suitcase (esp for elderly/disabled - speech control, auto tracking, emergency sos beacon built in, can ride on for mobility if tired)
Tremendous amounts of money and research going into mobility aids for the disabled, but of worthy mention from the research i did is a direct quote that i think neatly encapsulates one person's unique situation:
"Been that we have an aging population any people have special needs. To have a robot to help at everything would be a blessing. I am a paraplegic and been new am not as independent as I would like to be. To have to ask for help is the last thing I want. We tend to think write or wrong that we are been a burden. To be able to go ego less and ask a robot for our special needs would be fantastic. I think this could really be something many people with special needs would love."
11/10/2011 7:22 AM - @play - tank-esky (as previously discussed)...
- Everyone's dream... the golden sun, sand and salt of the beach... But who wants to carry the tackle (or the monstrous catch) along? and with all the destruction of dunes by recreational vehicles, one has to be environmentally conscious about the old 'cruiser rippin up the beach...
- fishing tackle + catch along the beach (solar, sandproof, gps/clock/weather forecast stream)
...so let's downscale, and up-feature - add in a small screen with all the relevant weather / tide / emergency warning feeds updated in realtime, gps (so you don't get lost out there, and as an emergency locator), and a solar cell to charge the batteries whilst waiting for the fish to bite... hey, why not buy two - one to take the tackle, and aTanSKy to keep the beers cold! - A niche idea of need identified a number of times, unprompted, in my survey....
- @work - tool-box (rfid? beacon? intelligent sorting/identification/recognition/retrieval of tools, perhaps with a robot arm to pick the right tool and present it…
My thoughts (without further research into this area) would be this would be another nice project to open source - perhaps a perfect d.i.y job for a mechanic or engineer....
Much development would be needed with regards to the sorting / picking mechanism, thankfully there is plenty of research into the matter thanks to warehousing solutions and the previously mentioned courier-bot study. Interesting avenues could be found in the language interactions and machine learning side, with a user being able to 'train' his toolbox to 'fetch' the 'ten-mil'-ring-spanner'.
Further excitement and functionality could be added (if required, to break the monotony of a long lonely day at work) by human-bot language games, quiz/trivia games, parts reference / repair guide (spoken out loud step by step walkthroughs of repair jobs) and a hands-free telephone service complete with robot secretary if you arejust too busy! - Another area of interest in the survey - but this time it's personal! thats me in the pink above... well, almost.. landscaping is a job i do for cash sometimes... and often spend large portions of my day thinking there are so many ways this or that process could be improved...
- @work or home - power assisted wheelbarrow / load transporter (hydraulic tip, motors controlled by cord eg, also can program/remember actions for unattended work)
The most important issue for me was to not have to take the wheelbarrow to and from the skip bin all day, when i could be digging more dirt. I'd love to be able to 'show' the wheelbarrow where the bin is once, and then have it 'repeat' those movements when a weight sensor attached to it's payload knows it's full. Of course stairs are an issue here, and robustness...
The Tokyo Institute of Technology have prototyped an interesting load-carrying robot that you guide gently with a rope... This looks like a simple, intuitive and effective method of guidance for such a bot? - The offender in blue in the above photo is Bar2d2.... He'salready been open-sourced on instructables.com....
- @work (suggested by research) - drinks / snacks butler (does lap of office and offers drinks n snacks to employees) (safety , speech control or can activate beacon on desk to call butler - would be good example of pooling resource)
A number of survey respondents identified the want for a robot butler, cook or cleaner.... Personally, i'd prefer the girls beside Bar2d2 to serve my drinks, but, you never know...
Carnegie Mellon University has some very similar research (but backed by NASA - so with a little more budget..) into the design of a domestic personal robot (2003) - this one uses a software interface for task design and scheduling.
Most interesting was this colourful and elucidating response to the survey:
"For work: have it deliver sh^t to your desk, food, coffee... id be happy to share one between say 5 employees. For home id want a clean/cook style bot but one which can climb stairs easily. Preferrably a hover bot."
...The idea of robot-pooling, or for a small local community to be able to offset the cost and downtime of such devices by sharing is a very futuristic and sustainable idea. Perhaps participants in a scheme could book times via an online calendar system, accessible through smartphone? - We all get thirsty... ;)
- half time drinks @ robo wars? (fill full of beer/robofluids)
Hope this gives a starting point for some of the possibilities afforded by the proposed platform..... Any more ideas / suggestions are greatly appreciated!!
>&c.
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