I decided that I should get a Roomba to experiment with.
The Roomba is a floor vacuuming robot; it is capable of detecting walls (with bumpers), stairs (by detecting when its wheels “drop out”), how dirty the floor under it is (with magic), and a bunch of other bits. What interests me most is the serial port on the back of the robot—you can plug in a PC or other device and control the Roomba yourself.
When controlling the Roomba, you can read from the sensors and direct it using your own control code. I’m pretty psyched about this—it’s a quick-and-dirty platform for experimenting with robotic control. By purchasing a refurb unit, using a coupon code for 20% off on robots, and using Google Checkout, I managed to get the bot for $78. I haven’t decided if I’m going to bounce it against my hardware budget or not.
Carrie said I can leave it at home when I’m not experimenting with it…
I’ve heard those robots are great for tormenting cats, too.
[...] Sadly, my Roomba arrived dead-on-arrival. I’m waiting for a UPS label to mail it back (along with the bits that fell out of its innards upon opening). Given our timeframe, I don’t think I’ll order another before going back to England. [...]