Journal99 nov
From Simreal
Contents |
November 1999
Sat, 5 November 1999
It's mechanically complete! The electronics are all in and tested! The pneumatics are all hooked up! All that's left is...
A use for it. And the software to drive it.
Though Boris was inspired by Robot Wars, and originally created for that competition -- the design and form came from an old childhood dream to build a big, six-legged robot. And so I did. Now that I've reached this point in the project, I can look back at it and say, "wow." What an experience!
But Boris isn't really in a shape where he can go into the ring and survive, and I'm not to the point where I want to totally break him either. He would need armour, to protect his air and sensor lines. He would need better protection for his electronics. He would need the compressor mounted on his frame.
Boris has fulfilled 90% of his mission. I've learned an enormous amount building him (at a cost of over $10,000, I would hope something came out of it!). And I still intend on making Boris fully functional. Yes, he will walk, run, hop -- who knows? But not right now.
The software is all that I have left, and in fact I already have a good start on that system. To finish it will take some quality time, just me, the computer, and Boris, all in one room. But I don't have that time, and it's time to acknowledge it formally. You saw what happened in September and October -- I hardly touched him, but still he was high on my todo list. And that is frustrating. So into the crock-pot he goes, at least for now.
Soon, I'll buy a computer just for Boris, so I don't have to take my work machine down to the lab. I'll putter and fiddle with the software as I have time. Maybe, soon, I'll have an event that Boris needs to go to and that will light my fire again. Or maybe I'll get a burst of inspiration and lobby the government for a contract to put the Boris technology to use for, who knows, landmine removal, or raspberry picking. But for now, I have to work on other things.
If you follow the BattleBots or SORC forums, you may have noticed that there is a competition a-brewing to pit half-ton robots against each other. I've been talking with the producer of this show, and it sounds like it would be fun! I'm hoping to put together a team, find some sponsors, and use all those things I've learned making Boris to make a much larger, far more combat-worthy, and really interesting half-ton hydraulic mangling machine.
Sure, Boris took three years. But, I rationalize, most of that time was me feeling my way through the state space of robot construction. Learning. Experimenting. Trying to find ways to pay for things ;-}.
The joy of this new show is that it is designed to bring in sponsors. Everything depends on this! So given money, my experience, and the experience of my fellow nutcases at the Robot Group, maybe we can build a new robot in the six months or so we probably have.
Just because Boris is fading for now, that doesn't mean I am out of the Robot Combat picture! I'm biding my time, waiting for just the right moment where time, money, and opportunity collide. And it isn't BattleBots. BattleBots is great, I love it, so many of the robots out there are so inspired, and the people so talented. But until the battles go fully autonomous (where I have a heavy interest), it doesn't light my fire like it used to... it is too far away, it would cost too much to go there with no real benefit to me. I don't mean to sound greedy, here, and this statement may seem silly in light of what I've put into Boris so far, but bear with me...
Out of Boris, I've met many of you (online) and found an old high-school friend (Hi Randy!). I've developed quite the education in metalwork (you can do amazing things with a gas welder and abrasive cutoff saw), brought my digital and MCU electronics skills way up, and developed a nifty language around Fuzzy Logic. With what I've learned from Boris, I'm working on a modular control system aimed at animatronics and haunted houses, but which will also make a much better control system for robots than what Boris currently has (I may replace Boris' electronics before I'm through).
I've written and published a book, made contacts in the TV business, and I have some other contacts that have evolved from the book that will help me professionally as well.
My skill sets have multiplied -- from MCU hardware design to embedded programming, and all those other things I've learned doing Boris. And, part of what is taking me away from Boris is, these new skills are showing signs of paying off. My resume is drawing interest just by being there.
What more could I expect from a project? I really want to take Boris to a show, and all of you loyal readers deserve to see him in action. And I will. But right now, I'm too busy following up on all the opportunities that have been opened by Project Boris!
Where before I did a weekly update, now I think I'll aim for a monthly update. Progress will continue on Boris, but slowly. Until Boris is destroyed or decomissioned for his parts, I'll keep this journal alive. So check back every month, about this time, and see where things are going.
But also keep your eyes peeled for a new journal. Things are happening, and I expect to be there when they do.
