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Features

Tips for Selecting DC Motors for Your Mobile Robot by A. J. Neal
When building a mobile robot, selecting the drive motors is one of the most important decisions you will make.

Optics for Your Robot Using a Webcam by Mike Keesling
Learn some basics about lenses, light, and color to get your started using machine vision.

From Autonomy to Symbiosis: Some Thoughts on the Complexities of Networked Robots by Fulvio Mastrogiovanni
Certain actions are much easier for humans than robots, so, how will they ever make it to the workplace with us?

Self Similar Optimization by Sean O’Connor
This new coding idea will change how you design and optimize robots.

Hacker Dojos offer Collaboration Opps for Robot Hobbyists by Jeremy Kerfs
Developer communities help everyone. See what came our of the recent "Random Hacks of Kindness" event at a Hacker Dojo in Mountain View, CA.

Projects

Digilent’s Robot Starter Kit by Fred Eady
Once we sort through this new kit, we'll get a joystick, three momentary pushbuttons, and a pair of LEDs up and running.

Simple Sensor Interface by The CHIPAXE Team
See how to implement this new chip on the block into some extremely simple and low cost sensor applications.

Columns

Robytes by Jeff Eckert
Stimulating Robot Tidbits.

GeerHead by David Geer
Artificial Intelligence Brings Humanoid Robots to Life
Researchers have a variety of goals for artificial intelligence. Some scientists are examining human biology together with artificial intelligence in an effort to create robots that are as humanlike as possible. Still others examine AI from an engineering perspective, begging the question, what can robots be enabled to do?

Ask Mr. Roboto by Dennis Clark
Your Problems Solved Here.

Then and Now by Tom Carroll
The Future of Robotics Competitions
There have been interesting threads on the Seattle Robotics Society’s (SRS), the Portland Area Robotics Society’s (PARTS), and the Dallas Personal Robotics Group’s (DPRG) websites lately concerning the state of experimental and home-brew robotics, and the many types of competitions available to amateur robot builders.

Combat Zone

My First Welder (or not?)
Most bot builders, at some time, think about buying a welding system. There are dozens of choices out there, each with their own jargon, culture, and opinions (think Ford vs. Chevy!).

Debugging Welding Problems
The poster has some very old welding experience, from 15 years ago. He just bought a battered old arc welder, 220V AC, with no DC conversion unit.

No Gain Without Pain - Franklin Institute 2009
The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA (www2.fi.edu) holds their “World Space Week” each autumn and hosted the Northeast Robotics Club’s (www .nerc.us) big autumn competition on Saturday, October 3rd.