The MechBash Traveling Robot Show
by Jon Vandervelde
One night, a gaggle of robot builders were posing questions like “how can we get robot combat — with all its associated cultural and educational benefits — back into the public eye?” Another question that came up was “how can I get paid to blow things up, and yet stay out of jail?” Needless to say, with the sheer, concentrated weight of genius crammed into that tiny, bamboo paneled Tiki bar, answers to these questions and many more besides were soon flowing thick and fast. And from these ... Page 39

Capacity: The Key to Battery Runtime
by Isidor Buchmann
A look at emerging rapid-test technologies for deep-cycle, lead-acid batteries | The secret of battery runtime lies in the capacity. Capacity defines the energy a battery can hold. The definition for capacity is usually given in ampere-hours (Ah); it specifies the elapsed time when discharging a battery at a calibrated current to the end-of-discharge voltage. Portable batteries commonly use a one hour discharge; larger batteries are rated at either a five or 20 hour discharge period... Page 54

The RoboCooler

by Jerry Reed
I teach introductory programming classes at a local community college and I’m always looking for an involving project for my students. One of the problems with entry-level programming classes is that many students find the example programs they construct boring and somewhat removed from the real world. It’s hard for anyone — myself included — to get too excited about coding a bubble sort, for instance. I’ve tried various simple control projects before and sometimes the devices themselves ... Page 31

Reviving an Androbot BOB | Part 1

by Robert Doerr
I enjoy restoring early personal robots to their original working condition. Most of my time is spent working on the HERO robots, but I always have other projects going on. One robot in particular — an early Androbot BOB prototype — was missing all of his brains and had been sitting for years as an empty shell. That was just not acceptable! Since the original electronics would probably never be found, I decided that I should at least use some of the extra robot parts from past projects to get... Page 57

Robytes
by Jeff Eckert
Robytes | February 2008 | UAV Imitates Sea Birds
So one day Guy Meadows, director of the Marine Hydrodynamics Labs at the University of Michigan (www.umich.edu), was floating around and saw a flying fish pop out of the water and soar over the waves. He was so impressed and inspired that he said, “Wow. I’ll bet I can build one of those,” hence the name of the UAV that he and some engineering researchers designed and built. Somehow the concept evolved away from fish and focused on sea birds, but the name stuck. In any event, Meadows and his ... Page 08

Ask Mr. Roboto
by Pete Miles
Ask Mr. Roboto | February 2008
Your Problems Solved Here. Page 14

Lessons From The Lab
by James Isom
NXT Packbot | Part 3
Let’s pick up where we left off in December and finish up the main chassis of the Packbot. Rear Chassis Assembly: The two sides are mirror images of one another that come together with a middle bracket that will eventually help organize the wires for your motors and sensors. Once again, I’ll include instructions for both sides to make it easier... Page 67

Then and Now
by Tom Carroll
Personal Robots: From Science Fiction to Reality
I’ve written about personal robots for years in this column. I’ve discussed some of the early machines available back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s such as the Heath Hero series, the Androbots, and the RB5X, among others. These machines certainly differed from their industrial cousins that toiled away in modern factories. They also differ from service robots that include ROVs (remotely operated vehicles), UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) that I wrote about last month, and AUVs ... Page 78