Way back in 2001 I created a website called, The Robot Directory. It was designed to be a place for robot buliders to showcase their creations, see other people’s creations, and generally get inspired. It worked out well until the scope of the site overstepped my abilities to do code. Chris Jorgenson then stepped in and together we created Version 2. That was over 3 years ago, and once again the project has languished because my inabilities to keep the software side updated.

But, now it’s time to resurrect the site, and I’m calling on you, faithful readers, to see if any of you out there want to help me redesign/code the Robot Directory and make it something useful for all robot builders out there. I’ve been eyeing Ruby on Rails as the new application framework, but I’m open to other options. Send me an email (gallamine@REMOVEgmail.com) and we’ll talk . Maybe we can pick up some extra pizza robot part money.

We now return to your regularly scheduled robot news.



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Today UGOBE has released initial details on the upcoming software development kit for Pleo. The Pleo Development Kit, or PDK, will allow users to create applications that will run on top of Pleo’s “Life OS”. The applications will be written in PAWN, which is … 

The initial PDK release will focus on giving users access to Pleo’s motors, sensors, and other low-level OS features. Future PDK releases will expose all of Pleo’s Life OS to applications, creating a huge array of potential applications.

Applications will be allowed to override built-in Pleo behavior, which UGOBE calls “shadowing”, to allow users to take total control of Pleo and his behavior.

Unfortuntely, it will still be a while before the PDK is released (no word on an exact date). In the meantime, UGOBE says to play around with the “My Skit” performance editor for Pleo, and to brush up on your PAWN skills. More information can be found on the PleoWorld website and the new developer section of the PleoWorld forums. If you’re getting excited about writing custom applications for Pleo, you can go ahead and purchase one from RobotShop.

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A bit of humor (or distopian prophecy) from The Onion.


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You may remember our posts on the sad plight of iRobot, who had accused their ex-employee, Jameel Ahed, of stealing their design, only to have the US Military award a whopping $280 million dollar contract to said ex-employee, and rejecting iRobot. Oh the injustice!

Weep no more, fellow shareholders and Roomba lovers, because justice has been served! Unfortunately, the price of that justice was a cool $2.9million dollars. But, nobody said good ol’ Lex Rex came cheap.

In addition to the judges in both lawsuits rulling in favor of iRobot – one ruling that Robotic FX had infringed iRobot’s patent, and the other ruling that, Robotic FX stole proprietary information – Robotic FX will now be dissolved and its assets given to iRobot as payment.



In response to the news, the US DoD awarded iRobot the $280 million dollar contract that was previously awarded to Robotic FX. While iRobot’s stock price has a long way to go from the $24 high it was before all of these events transpired, the future is looking much brighter.



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The US Department of Defense (DoD) has released a report detailing the future of robotic military equipment and how the US military should proceed. The 188 page report (pdf) covers the next 25 years of unmanned military systems in the air, and sea, and on land.



This report is unique in that it address both ground and sea vehicles in addition to the much more "popular" and oft-used arial systems. This reinforces the Department’s position that integration of air, land, and sea systems is a vital part of the future of US military systems.

The report details recomendations made by field commanders and how further AI developments can lead to "thinking" systems.


Another fascinating aspect of the report is a huge appendix listing all the unmanned systems currently in use by the military. The image to the left is a shot of the Lockheed Martin Protector Unmanned Surface Vehicle.

If you have a hard time downloading the document, Roland Piquepaille provides a good outline.


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