On-line Resources

This is by no means complete yet - feel free to suggest links of your own

[FAQ and Hotlists] [Robot Competitions and Games]
[Robot Resources] [Robot Equipment] [Robots Others Have Built]
[Robot Newsgroups] [Robot Research]

FAQ and Hotlists

* Robotics FAQ
* Yahoo Robotics Resource List
* University of Massachusetts Robotics Resource List
* Link Menu Robotics
* Robotics Internet Resources
* Dallas Personal Robotics Group Links page

Robot Competitions and Games

* Robot Competition FAQ
* BattleBots ®
* Robot Challenge 1999
* RoboCup: The World Cup Robot Soccer
* Singapore Robotic Games 1999
* Danish Championship in Robot Soccer 1997
* All Japan MicroMouse Contest 1998
* University of Queensland Robot Cricket Competition 1995
* MIT LEGO Robot Design Competition course notes
     (6.270 Robot Builder's Guide)

Robot Resources

Related interest groups

* Young Engineers, Queensland

Instructional Information

* Information on Building Sensors
* Where Am I? - Sensors and Methods for Autonomous Mobile Robot Positioning

Robot Books

* Robot Books.com - Robot Kits, Robotics, and Toy Robots

*"The Robot Builders Bonanza" by Gordon McComb.
This leads you through a whole bunch of projects designed to build up electronic knowledge.

*"Mobile Robots" by Joseph Jones and Anita Flynn.
Has an optional kit to go with it that you can buy. It builds two robots, the second of which - the "Rugwarrior" - is quite advanced.

Robot Equipment

Parts and Kits

* The Handy Board, from MIT
This MC68HC11-based board from MIT is similar to other boards from MIT: the board from the "6.270 Robot Builders Guide" and the Rugwarrior (designed for the book "Mobile Robots"). It runs Interactive C and has a lot of built-in feature such as an LCD panel. Fred Martin (the creator) is also writing a text book called "Robotic Explorations: An Introduction to Engineering and Design" based on the 6.270 Robot Builder's Guide, and this will optionally ship with the Handyboard.

* Lego Mindstorms and the RCX Programmable Microcomputer Brick
Inspired by the MIT Programmable Brick, this commercial product should be available in 1998.

* F1 Controller
An embedded controller based on the MC68HC11F1 microprocessor, designed by Pete Dunster from Wollongong. The design is very modular, and thus very flexible.

* Norland Research - Small Andriod Model (SAM)
SAM was designed to replace converting toys to robots. It is a quick and innovative platform for the robot hobbiest.

* Robot Bilby
These kits are designed for school children and novices. They are controlled from the computer via a cable, and programmed in BASIC

* The Bilby project
More robot Bilbies.

* The Programmable Brick, from MIT
MIT Programmable Brick is a MC68HC11-based controller board (similar to the Handyboard) embedded inside a LEGO brick.

* The Cricket, from MIT
The Cricket is based on the Microchip PIC 16C84 microprocessor. It is exceedingly small, and is programmed using a version of LOGO. Unfortunately it isn't available to the general public but it is still worth looking at.

* Robix RCS-6 Robot Construction Set
* Lego Technic
* California Cybernetics Home Page
* Lynxmotion Robotic Arm Kit

Suppliers

* RobotOz
Australian supplier of robot kits (Lynxmotion, Cybug, etc)

* DonTronics
Low cost DIY printed circuit boards in Australia and around the world. Range includes various PICs, etc.

* PicBus and StampBus modules
These modules are manufactured in Melbourne. They also have a distributer in the UK.

* The Robot Store
All types of kits available, indexed by price/skill/manufacturer. Sells the Rugwarrior kit that normally comes with the book "Mobile Robots". Based in the United States but sells anywhere.

* iRobot Corporation
iRobot engineers and markets the most innovative research robots, interactive toys, robots for energy & utilities, and robots for commerce and industry. Based in the United States but sells anywhere.

* Alpha Motion Systems
A stepper motor controller (controls up to 2) that interfaces with a PC via the parallel port.

* Injection Molded Spur Gears
This site features injection molded gears for use in various motion control capacities.

Robots others have built

* Car One (A Stock Car)
* Midnight Stallion (A Stock Car)
* Hornet (A Stock Car)
* Modular Handyboard
* Robotic Racers: Small robots and control computers
* Salamander: Robotronic Sludge Crawler

Robot Newsgroups

* comp.robotics.misc
* comp.robotics.research

Robot Research

Conferences

* CALL FOR PAPERS
     7th Annual conference on Mechatronics and Machine Vision in Practice,
     Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia, 19-21 September 2000

Australia

* Australian Centre for Field Robotics, University of Sydney
* National Centre For Engineering in Agriculture (Mechatronics Projects)

Europe

* The Brooker Laboratory For Intelligent Embedded Systems
* Robotics at LAMI, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

United States

* Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, MIT
* Laboratory for Perceptual Robotics, University of Massachusetts
* NavLab (Autonomous Navigation), Carnegie Mellon University
* Robotics Group, California Institute of Technology
* Robotics Laboratory, University of Maryland

Other

* Grad Student's Who's Who in Robotics

Tele-robots, while not autonomous, are an interesting class of mobile robots.

* A Telerobot On The World Wide Web, University of Western Australia
* Mercury Project, University of Southern California