Author Topic: searching for Robot programmer  (Read 2175 times)

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Offline AkiemTopic starter

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searching for Robot programmer
« on: July 07, 2010, 05:49:16 AM »
Searching for Robot programmer for ABB robot (or other robot)

Underware is company which is specialized in designing and producing digital typefaces. The recent years we have been working on an intelligent typeface which gives a result as beautiful as a professional sign-writer. See it live here:
http://www.underware.nl/site2/index.php?id1=liza&id2=test

Based on this typeface we want to build the first robot which can write as beautiful as a human being.
ABB is willing to provide a robot for this project. But they can not provide somebody to program it.
Therefore we are looking for a robot programmer, who is interested in cooperating with us on this project.
Any help or suggestion is highly appreciated.

Kind regards, Akiem, Underware
--
Here a preview of the font:

Offline Soeren

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Re: searching for Robot programmer
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2010, 04:50:19 AM »
Hi,

Make sure that the 'bot has a huge resolution and precision and be prepared to hire someone for at least a year for this project - it's not something a hobby 'botter can do in a spare weekend or two.

Whoever may bite, would have to be provided with the robot, as it would simply be much to slow working over the net.

And finally, you'd have to give that person access to your font technology (the hopefully well documented source) as well.

Major job, expect a major salary claim to go with it.
Regards,
Søren

A rather fast and fairly heavy robot with quite large wheels needs what? A lot of power?
Please remember...
Engineering is based on numbers - not adjectives

Offline dunk

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Re: searching for Robot programmer
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2010, 05:26:43 AM »
hi Soeren,
i'm not convinced it would be that hard...
it would not be time consuming though...
the developer would certainly need access to the robot to test on and access to an API for the font.

the hardest part would be converting the text into a 2 dimensional path for the pen.
i get the impression from the way the font combines letters that *some* of this work has already been done by Underware.
i would speculate to render the font they have several possible images for each letter and pick from the image depending on the proceeding and following letter.
you would need to do similar to create a 2 dimensional path, combining path segments in the same manner.

i would imagine there is already software available from ABB to convert a 2 dimensional path into the necessary robot movements.


so i would speculate to complete this task you would need to create a collection of path segments for each variation of each letter.
use the same algorithm as the original font to pick the path segments and combine into a full path.
convert that 2 dimensional path into a format the ABB robot's API understands.


dunk.

Offline Soeren

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Re: searching for Robot programmer
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2010, 06:49:25 AM »
Hi Dunk,

hi Soeren,
i'm not convinced it would be that hard...
it would not be time consuming though...
I think there's a "not" too much in that sentence?
Anyway, I never said it would be hard (for someone that are used to this kind of programming), just that it's a long project.

We surely agree a lot on the path to follow, but unless industrial robots have improved at least hundredth fold in precision since the eighties (where I made programs for a few industrial 'bots), I think there will be a lot of exceptions to program for each version of a letter (with endless hours of trial and error.

I think the company with the very Dutch name ;) would be best off with a local programmer, so they can meet up every now and then to discuss (and enjoy a cold one) and keep a tap on progress - the man-man interface can be quite important in such a project.

If you feel up to the task and would like the challenge, do apply though, I'm sure they could do worse!
Regards,
Søren

A rather fast and fairly heavy robot with quite large wheels needs what? A lot of power?
Please remember...
Engineering is based on numbers - not adjectives

Offline dunk

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Re: searching for Robot programmer
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2010, 10:23:27 AM »
hi Soeren,
i'm not convinced it would be that hard...
it would not be time consuming though...
I think there's a "not" too much in that sentence?
o yea. thanks.
i meant
"it would be time consuming though..."

We surely agree a lot on the path to follow, but unless industrial robots have improved at least hundredth fold in precision since the eighties (where I made programs for a few industrial 'bots), I think there will be a lot of exceptions to program for each version of a letter (with endless hours of trial and error.
so modern industrial robots do have the precision required if you are willing to pay enough. you get what you pay for.
from Akiem saying "ABB is willing to provide a robot for this project" i presumed ABB were donating the robot for this.
in which case i would also presume the robot was up to the job. (maybe 0.1 millimeter tolerances or better.)

if i was picking a machine for this i would use a plotter though.
far less expensive for the same tolerances.
not the same "cool factor" though.

I think the company with the very Dutch name Wink would be best off with a local programmer, so they can meet up every now and then to discuss (and enjoy a cold one) and keep a tap on progress - the man-man interface can be quite important in such a project.
absolutely.
i have no interest in doing this myself. (the Netherlands is too flat for me.)
just discussing the options.


dunk.

 


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