article on robot OS standardization

[Admin]

Nothing really new, but it summarizes everything really nicely.

If a standardized OS is built, I'll be just a little worried about russian hackers putting my internet-enabled ERP into 'kill all humans' mode . . .

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327206.300-robots-to-get-their-own-operating-system.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

[wil.hamilton]

when i read the article i kept thinking it would be a nice thing to have, but, i also felt it was more aimed at robots running off of better hardware than an atmel168 as a cpu

it will be interesting to see what happens in the next couple of years towards creating a unified environment for robotics

[SmAsH]

yeah, i think that this isn't really aimed towards the $50 robot
but, one day... we will unite and kill all humans... one day...

[Weird Fishes]

yeah, seeing as it runs on UNIX-like systems, I'm pretty sure it's not intended for the atmega series =P

Pretty cool nonetheless.

If you look more into it ROS was originally developed by Stanford and is now developed mainly by Willow Garage (the guys behind the PR2).

[Truckstop]

I think a standard os would be a good idea but it seems to me like it would make the average cost to build a robot go up, instead i think maybe a standard programming environment, Built for both PC and Mac that can program a very wide variety of processor chips in the same basic language,  where you would write your code, and then the program would interpret the code however needed to make the chip work? would be a good first step,


Truckstop

P.S.  i want Nao's head for my project....

[SmAsH]

im gonna have to second truckstop on his statement.
it would make the costs go up quite a bit and take out some of the flexibility we love
whereas software, can and in most cases is free, would take most of the hassles out.

i reckon some software that is compatible with both basic and c, runs on windows, mac and linux and can program a wide variety of chips would be so great, yet i cant really see it happening

[Truckstop]

oops forgot linux  bad truckstop baaad. yeah it might never happen but it would be rather nice. just imagine being able to sit down. open a single program! and start writing code for a multi processor system ( uhmm soldiers for a robot army perhaps) that use's say a basic stamp, an atmega8, a audrino, and something totally random for the last one, being able to write code for them in the same programming environment and being able to debug all of them in the same programming environment. allowing the ease of getting the best out of every chip.. (sorry im starting to drool) if only... 

On another note if there was a standard Os we would also be limited by not only the hardware it runs on but by the ability's of what the source was written in, the "standard" Os would haft to be extremely versatile to make everyone happy... and yet if it is so versatile then its not really a standard. it almost sounds like a way of controlling the out product of the creation process... id much rather have the programming enviroment over the standard os any day

Truckstop

[wil.hamilton]

hell, i'd be satisfied with writing c code that would run on atmel chips and pics.  that would be nice.

[SmAsH]

hell yeah, i wish more people would just use them...
but they don't