Feb. 23,2005

Meeting Agenda for next meeting on Sat. Mar.5th

Feb.  5,2005

Meeting Highlights brought to you by Jeff Rice Hey people!  Yes, all you Pittsburgh-area folks interested in robots! Where were you when the Pittsburgh Robotics Society had its inaugural meeting February 5, 2005? You missed it! Here's a random sampling from the discussion you missed: Simple, but effective, robot vision techniques; robotic Sumo contests; BEAM; "What the Frog's Eye Tells the Frog's Brain"; famous robotic duo Elektro and Sparko; good parts stores in nearby Ohio; impressive robots controlled with vacuum tubes, relays, or analog circuits, instead of microcontrollers; how long a servo lasts under hard usage; robotics magazines; the early 80's hobbyist robot boom; maverick roboticist/neurophysiologist W. Grey Walter; the still well-known Heathkit Hero; Sojourner, Spirit, and Opportunity; Newton Labs; memorable pioneering authors from the 70's like David Heiserman with his TTL-controlled robot Buster, and Todd Loofbourrow with Mike; CMU's entry in the DARPA Grand Challenge race; and lots more. You missed witnessing the amazing encyclopedic knowledge of "Nuts & Volts" robotics columnist and sci-fi author Robert ("Bob") Nansel. You also missed Bob's demo of a couple of neat Solarbotics kits, including the ScoutWalker II quadruped, which pulls off creepily insect-like motion with only 4 servos and no computer!  The weird way it sometimes reared up on its hind legs with the front legs churning and the antennae twitching really freaked me out. And you missed meeting Dan Roganti, the computer engineer who's been doing the hard work of founding a vigorous, new robot club in Pittsburgh, just as he has previously helped to do elsewhere. Thanks to Dan's energy, here are some cool club activities already on tap for later: * Hosting an interactive robotics exhibit at the Pittsburgh SciTech Festival this fall * Organized competitions * Group tours of robotics goings-on in the Pittsburgh area Well, if you're kicking yourself now, all is not lost.  The next monthly meeting of the PRS is tentatively scheduled for March 5.  Stay tuned here for an announcement and location.  Everyone is welcome: kids and adults, at any level, from newbies, up to experts like Dan and Bob.  All you have to bring is:  1. An interest in robots, and 2. You! And don't miss the new website at: http://pghrobot.home.comcast.net -- Jeff Rice Minutes from the last Meeting are available here  -- Dan