Robonova 1 - Advice, comparisons, news, reviews and prices.

Robonova 1 is a fully customizable and programmable aluminum robot. Its movement is done with HiTEC muscles. These smart muscles and joints give complete control of torque, speed and position. The programming software is simple, so advanced knowledge of programming is not needed. It can walk, run, do flips, cartwheels and dance. It is available as a kit, so you can enjoy building your robot yourself, or as a pre-assembled, ready to walk. In addition to the typical robot talent for walking until it senses a wall using ultrasound, Robonova can be instructed to do cartwheels, take a bow and even do one-handed push-ups.

ROBONOVA-I robotics kit was designed for easy assembly in 6 to 8 hours using only a screwdriver. With the help of detailed step-by-step instructions you assemble the kit components to produce a working humanoid robot of the kind only usually found in universities and research institutes. The set includes all the software required to allow you to bring the robot to purposeful life - even if you are a complete beginner.

The plastic components are made of an extremely high-quality material which provides all the robustness required for daily use. The custom gold anodized metal servo brackets serve as strong and lightweight exoskeleton and the durable plastic body case components protect the control board and battery from damage.

The brain and heart of the ROBONOVA-1 is the well-known ATMEL ATMega 128 processor, its internal memory supplemented by a 64K*8 EEPROM as storage for Robo-Script and Robo-Basic programs. The robot can be fitted with an Infra-Red receiver and controlled using a standard IR remote control handset.

To asseble, program and run it you will need: PC Computer (running Windows 98 or later), philips screwdriver, tweezers, nippers, screw lock, 2 AAA Batteries (for remoto control).

Servo Motors: The robot's muscles take the form of servos. This 12 inch high robot is controlled with 16 powerful HSR-8498HB digital servos that feature set pin locking of the servo arms for easy assembly, over-voltage current protection, super strong Karbonite gear trains and feedback technology.

Control Board: The control board can operate up to 24 servos and 16 accessory modules. Optional devices will eventually include gyros, acceleration sensors, speech synthesis modules and operational devices such as Bluetooth controllers and R/C transmitters and receivers.

Battery and Charger: Powering the ROBONOVA-I is a 5 cell, environmentally friendly NiMH rechargeable battery that delivers around 1 hour of operational time. Other battery options can include 7.4 volt 2 cell Lithium Polymer battery packs when used with a 6 volt regulator. The included D/C to D/C charger features a protection circuit to help prevent battery charging mishaps. On a single battery charge the ROBONOVA-1 can be operated for around 60 minutes; the actual operating time varies according to the complexity of the movement processes.

Programming: The software included in the set enables anyone to develop the movement processes of the ROBONOVA-1, and define its response to sensor events, using a PC running the Windows operating system (Windows 98 or later).

The simplest way to program ROBONOVA-1 is with the 'catch and play' function. Using RoboScript or RoboBasic, just move the robot into any position and click the mouse to 'capture' that position. Move the robot into another position and repeat the process. The software then links these 'captured' positions and once activated, smoothly transitions the robot's movements through these programmed positions.

Beginners to robot programming technology can use the supplied RoboScript programming software. Using the RoboRemocon software users can create operational subroutines without knowing any programming language at all. Robo-Script and Robo-Remocon are ideal for the beginner. The computer screen displays sliders for every individual servo (joint). Moving the sliders changes the position of the servos. Simple movements can then be assembled to produce complex movements simply by clicking the mouse. REMOCON provides a graphical user interface for calling up these movements.

More advanced users can use RoboBasic - a programming tool based on the BASIC programming language. RoboBasic can also be used in conjuction with RoboScript to increase the performance of the supplied Micom controller board. Robo-Basic is a dialect of Basic. It enables you to create complex applications designed to accomplish your own individual tasks. The independent development environment includes editor and compiler. Robo-Basic includes commands for synchronous servo movements, servo point-to-point movements, servo motion feedback

Extensions ROBONOVA-1 can be extended with several accessory modules and items: additional servos and brackets, gyros, acceleration sensors, speech functions, R/C control accessories and more can also be added as they become available.