People sure love their pets. Some even go out of their way to comfort them when not at home, like hiring a sitter or taking them to a doggy day-spa. Others, like Microsoft engineer Jordan Correa, build interactive robots to keep tabs on them while away. Called Darwinbot (named after his dog Darwin), Jordan started the build using the iRobot Create, a cleaning robot at its heart. Now with version 2, Correa moved on to the Parallax Eddie platform, which used the 8-core Propeller microcontroller, Kinect sensor, and a hand full of additional features missing from the iRobot Create.
As a Microsoft employee, it is not surprising that the MS Robotics Developer Studio was used for the dog-interaction software. The robot is equipped with a ‘ball-launcher,’ that can hurl the ball about 15 feet, along with a Lynxmotion robotic arm that is used for ball retrieval. Included on the robot is a ‘hopper’ that dispenses treats on command (why Darwin simply doesn’t raid the dispenser is currently unknown). Housed on the front of the robot is an array of cameras that include a webcam that can pan and tilt along with a Kinect that’s used for obstacle detection and avoidance. Also included is a Slate PC that runs Skype, so Darwin can see and hear his master who controls the robot via an Xbox 360 controller.
It is assured that promoting Microsoft like this is the only way Correa can get away with a telepresence, play with his dog, session while on the clock. Will his dog love the robot more over time?
See more robots in the element14 Robotics Group.
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