Posts Tagged ‘News’

The DFRobotShop Rover is Here, Arduino Goes Mobile

Thursday, July 29th, 2010
DFRobotShop Rover

DFRobotShop Rover - Mobile Tracked Arduino Based

We are proud to announce that the DFRobotShop Rover, an Arduino-compatible robotic tracked platform, is available for immediate purchase right now. The Rover has been available for pre-order for some time on the RobotShop website but it is only today that we got the last shipment for the remaining parts.

What is the DFRobotShop Rover?

The DFRobotShop Rover is a versatile mobile robot tank based on the popular Arduino Duemilanove.  It incorporates all the Duemilanove features (since it uses a surface mount ATMega328),  including shield compatibility, and is supplemented with (1) an on-board DC step-up that allows it to be easily powered from small power sources such as AA batteries,  (2) a dual H-bridge DC-motor controller (L293B), and (3) an APC220 and Bluetooth serial interface connector for telemetry and radio control. As an addition it also features a temperature and light sensors that can be readily connected to analog inputs on the ATMega328 for immediate use.

This Arduino-compatible platform rides on the popular Tamiya twin motor gearbox and the Tamiya track and wheel set.  This created a low-cost traction system that has been tested to carry over 2 kg without issues.

DFRobotShop Rover - Back

DFRobotShop Rover - Back

What can it do?

The DFRobotShop Rover can be programmed using the Arduino IDE to perform any robotic action you can imagine and is versatile enough to accommodate various electronics and mechanical accessories such as various Arduino shields, a breadboard, a standard servo motor through its servo mounting point, etc. The user is free to choose what task this little robot should accomplish; we are eager to see it in the outside world doing crazy things.

Who is it for?

This robot is intended for geeks  (obviously!), anybody wanting to get started in robotics, schools (elementary, high-school, college…),  people who need to give a cool gift (to that special geek in their lives). In short anyone curious about the world of robotics.

DFRobotShop Rover and Accessories

DFRobotShop Rover and Accessories

GoRobotics.net Goes RobotShop

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
GoRobotics.net goes RobotShop

GoRobotics.net goes RobotShop

Today is a great day in the history of GoRobotics.net. This year (which also marks the 10 year anniversary of GoRobotics.net),  RobotShop has taken on the mission of continuing the legacy or Mr.  William Cox, the founding father of GoRobotics.net, by maintaining and further expanding the community by continuing to post interesting robotics projects, news and by sharing our experience for everyone to enjoy.

Just like William, we at RobotShop are truly passionate about robots and happy to be part of a community that is equally enthusiastic and interested in everything robotic. We are happy to join GoRobotics.net, and to tackle the challenge of bringing you the latest and greatest developments in this rapidly expanding field.

Besides reporting on cool robotic projects selectively chosen from around the internet, we will initially publish the How to Make a Robot, Grand Tutorial Series. These are going to be a series of detailed tutorials on how to get started with robotics by guiding you through the process of making a simple, general purpose mobile robot. It’s our way of thanking you for your sustained interest and enthusiasm.

What does it mean for the RobotShop Blog?

It means that the RobotShop Blog has now a partner site that will focus mainly on robotic projects and DIY robots. It is like having a technically inclined brother or cousin who fixes your computer (or your robot) once in a while, and brags about his new tools or hacks.