Which One Do You Want?
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I like the flying robot idea. I have started looking for a base platform for one. I think it's going to end up being a helicopter type thing, because an airplane has to maintain constant forward motion, meaning the software would have to plan out a flight path, for at least the next few seconds, and iterate that continuously. If it only reacted to the immediate moment, it would crash into something for sure. A helicopter capable of hovering would be able to "stop-and-stare" for a bit while it figures things out. That's what my bot's doing when it scans over the line. The "stop-and-stare" behavior is not ideal, but it's a major simplification in robotics software. So it's going to be a helicopter of some kind. Doesn't need to be too strong.
First implementation: Check the weather at 8am. If it's appropriate flying conditions, take off, fly up to 1000 feet to a predetermined location, hover, aim the camera at the Denver skyline and take a picture, then send the photo to an archive on the internet somewhere (could take other readings up there as well). Then it has to find it's pad and land, coupling up with a battery recharger. This would be assisted by GPS, but there should be a backup navigation in case the GPS fails (DOD standard for automated navigation). Making it back to home base is a priority - essentially because the value of the bot exceeds the value of a completed mission. This would be designed to be a self-sufficient bot, so it would need to know it's own range so it never went too far away from base, etc. It basically just needs to be reliably found at home base unless it is currently on a mission. I just have an instinct that says that's going to be the biggest problem with it... getting lost, losing power, and never being found again.
Note: this has a very big potential commercial application. I am happy to entertain serious partnerships in this venture if you have robotic skills. I am primarily a programmer.
Steve, I usually put techno on my videos, but I deliberately left that one music-free so you can hear the little motors running
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I would like 3 of the look-like-me clone series bots. One that could take my place at work, another to get a second job to better support my retirement and the third one to take care of household chores and maintenance while the wife and I go out and play.
Wife bot? The Stepford models? hmmmm...
In that case, maybe another to do the jail time that surely would follow!
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