Finally released my linux driver for the Ajeco ANDI-SERVO motion control board.
Archives for Academia
andi-servo
Dagda – part two (cameras and computers)
Dagda, the robot I spent several years of my PhD building – this post is on the cameras and computer system on the robot.
Dagda
Dagda, the robot I spent several years of my PhD building – this post is on the main frame of the robot, motors and motor control, and power systems, as well as how the robot managed to shoot me in the face.
How long is an hour?
[digg http://digg.com/educational/How_long_is_an_hour]So on Saturday, the Minister for Education announced that he was very worried because two people had told him (possibly over coffee and some nice biscuits) that most academics only work for four hours a week. Now most of the time, with most people, that’d lead to someone looking up what the situation actually is and determining if there was a problem and so noone would be worried about knee-jerk reactions. Thing is, we’re talking about a Minister for Education who recently decided to abolish the NUI and didn’t tell anyone until the press conference (ignoring the point that abolishing the NUI does not abolish the work they are required to do; and that therefore abolishing the NUI means replacing a working system that’s been there since before the founding of the state with a quango whose suitability and efficacy will be utterly unproven). So it probably shouldn’t be a surprise that the… Read the rest
Tetra
Or, as I first said on watching this, “Holy *****….”
I mean, myself and Ian Dowse built a micromouse robot once, way back in the mists of prehistoric time, but, well…
It wasn’t exactly going to finish in 4.766 seconds, you know?
And it certainly didn’t look as slick as Tetra did:
Makes you wish there was money and facilities for doing robotics hardware in an Irish college, doesn’t it? I mean, look at it, the sheer elegant efficiency of the design, the purpose to it – the PCB extends out in front to put the weight on the front drive wheels so that it’s fast when turning, and the rear wheels come into play when it’s accelerating forward – it’s very elegant minimalist design, mechanically. We just never had the money, facilities, tools or other necessary things to do that sort of work 
