Leveraging laptops for low-cost, full-fledged outdoor robotics

Authors:
Zachary Dodds
Affiliations:
Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA
Venue:
Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges
Year:
2008

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Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges

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Abstract

The growing ubiquity and capabilities of off-the-shelf laptop computers give CS educators remarkable opportunities to include hands-on robotics within their curricula. At our college of 700 students we have developed several laptop-controlled robots based on the very inexpensive PowerWheels line of FisherPrice toys. Such a chassis offers a capable, low-cost base for large-scale outdoor navigation and planning tasks. It enables cost- and time-effective undergraduate engagement in the ongoing community of robot- and visionthemed venues, exhibitions, contests, and conferences. This work describes both successes and caveats from how laptops enable the use of these robots in AI electives and independent-study projects. We conclude that leveraging Moore's law helps make robotics not only an engineering challenge, but a truly computational endeavor at the undergraduate level.