Tag Archives: DPRG

RBNV – Robot Builders Night Virtual – May 19, 2020

Posted on by

Meeting Video:

Chat Record:   RBNV 05/19 Chat Record (PDF)

When

• May 19th, starting at 7:30 PM Dallas time (CST).
• RBNV will continue each Tuesday evening until the crisis is over and the Maker Space re-opens.

How

• Join Hangouts Meet https://meet.google.com/hey-jxuo-esf
• Join by phone ‪+1 405-586-5598‬ ‬ PIN: ‪682 931 335 #‬

Why

• Talk robots & related stuff.
• Keep going while we’re stuck at home.
• Make it easier for people to attend DPRG remotely.

Agenda: RBNV – May 19th

• Round table – everybody spends a couple minutes telling what projects they’re working on as we’re all stuck at home
• Ad-hoc presentations – Whoever would like to show & tell.
• “Stump the club” Challenges – Ask for help if you’ve hit a roadblock in your project. Somebody in the club can probably get you pointed in a good direction – or even arrange a side bar session to help.

Note: We record a video of these sessions and post them on the DPRG YouTube channel. By joining the meeting, you’re giving consent to be included in the recording.

Robots vs. Humans! About Internet Search Engines… – DPRG Virtual Monthly Meeting, May 9th, 2020

Posted on by

Meeting Video:

Carl’s slide deck:   Slide Deck (PDF)

Meeting Chat Record:    Chat Record (PDF)

Join us for DPRG’s virtual online monthly meeting gathering – May 9th, at 1:00 PM (CST)!

• Join Hangouts Meet https://meet.google.com/hey-jxuo-esf
• Join by phone ‪+1 405-586-5598  PIN: ‪682 931 335 #

(If you dial by phone and find yourself muted, try *6 to unmute yourself, or exit, click ‘Rejoin’, and then follow instructions to ‘Join and use a phone for audio’. If you ‘Rejoin’, try the ‘Call me’ option, which makes it easy to bind your phone call to your web participation, then let’s you mute and unmute your own phone from your browser).

Part 1 – Search Engine Robots vs. Humans

We tend to think about robots as electro-mechanical contraptions –
• Things that drive around,
• Things that follow lines,
• Things that Boston Dynamics brag about in their videos…

But there are other kinds of robots –
• Robots which are only software
• Robots with no physical actuators…

So please join us for this unusual presentation about internet search engine robots.

DPRG member Carl Ott will describe what happens ‘under the covers’ every time you use a search engine.

You’ll learn how search engine robots are actually testing we humans!

Yes – robots are running experiments on us – each and every time we search for something.

These robots are learning and adapting their behavior based on their human experiments.

Of course – it’s only for pure and good purposes – to help us quickly find the things we want (at least that is what the robot over-mind tells us).

All kidding aside, this is a fascinating topic even for those of us who mainly focus on physical robots.

Who knows maybe this will spark ideas you can apply to your own robots, or your own robot enabled world domination plans…

Part 2 – Open Web-Cam Show & Tell

After reviewing search engine robots, we’ll have a session for open-mic show & tell, and ‘stump the club’.

So fire up your web camera, and show off your latest project!

Or if you’re stuck on something – throw a question to the club – let’s see if we can get you good answers.

About DPRG Monthly Meetings

DPRG hosts cool presentations each month during its regular membership meeting. These meetings and presentations are open to public and free to attend.

We hope to see you there. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Note 1: We do record a video of these sessions and post them on the DPRG YouTube channel. By joining the meeting, you’re giving consent to be included in the recording.

About DPRG
Dallas Personal Robotics Group has been actively building robots for fun since 1984.
We meet every Tuesday evening (currently by Robot Builders Night Virtual) and every 2nd Saturday, and frequently participate in community events.
We usually meet at the Dallas Maker Space (DMS), but are now holding virtual meetings (details on dprg.org). Guests of all ages and skill levels are always welcome!
We have tons of experience and love to share and trade tips and tricks.
Learn more and sign up for the mailing list at our home page
https://www.dprg.org/
Check out our extensive You Tube library
https://www.youtube.com/user/DPRGclips

RBNV-20201512

RBNV – Robot Builders Night Virtual – May 12, 2020

Posted on by

Meeting Video:

Meeting Chat Record:  Chat Record (PDF)

When

• May 12th, starting at 7:30 PM Dallas time (CST).
• RBNV will continue each Tuesday evening until the crisis is over and the Maker Space re-opens.

How

• Join Hangouts Meet https://meet.google.com/hey-jxuo-esf
• Join by phone ‪+1 405-586-5598‬ ‬ PIN: ‪682 931 335 #‬

Why

• Talk robots & related stuff.
• Keep going while we’re stuck at home.
• Make it easier for people to attend DPRG remotely.

Agenda: RBNV – May 12th

• Round table – everybody spends a couple minutes telling what projects they’re working on as we’re all stuck at home
• Ad-hoc presentations – Whoever would like to show & tell.
• “Stump the club” Challenges – Ask for help if you’ve hit a roadblock in your project. Somebody in the club can probably get you pointed in a good direction – or even arrange a side bar session to help.

Note: We record a video of these sessions and post them on the DPRG YouTube channel. By joining the meeting, you’re giving consent to be included in the recording.

RBNV – Robot Builders Night Virtual – May 5, 2020

Posted on by

Meeting video:

Chat Record:   Chat Record (PDF)

When

• May 5th, starting at 7:30 PM Dallas time (CST).
• RBNV will continue each Tuesday evening until the crisis is over and the Maker Space re-opens.

How

• Join Hangouts Meet https://meet.google.com/hey-jxuo-esf
• Join by phone ‪+1 405-586-5598‬ ‬ PIN: ‪682 931 335 #‬

Why

• Talk robots & related stuff.
• Keep going while we’re stuck at home.
• Make it easier for people to attend DPRG remotely.

Agenda: RBNV – May 5th

• Round table – everybody spends a couple minutes telling what projects they’re working on as we’re all stuck at home
• Ad-hoc presentations – Whoever would like to show & tell.
• “Stump the club” Challenges – Ask for help if you’ve hit a roadblock in your project. Somebody in the club can probably get you pointed in a good direction – or even arrange a side bar session to help.

Note 1: We record a video of these sessions and post them on the DPRG YouTube channel. By joining the meeting, you’re giving consent to be included in the recording.

RBNV – Robot Builders Night Virtual – April 28, 2020

Posted on by

Meeting video:

Meeting chat record:  Chat Record (PDF)

When

• April 28th, starting at 7:30 PM Dallas time (CST).
• RBNV will continue each Tuesday evening until the crisis is over and the Maker Space re-opens.

How

• Join Hangouts Meet https://meet.google.com/hey-jxuo-esf
• Join by phone ‪+1 405-586-5598‬ ‬ PIN: ‪682 931 335 #‬

Why

• Talk robots & related stuff.
• Keep going while we’re stuck at home.
• Make it easier for people to attend DPRG remotely.

Agenda: RBNV – 28 April

• Round table – everybody spends a couple minutes telling what projects they’re working on as we’re all stuck at home
• Ad-hoc presentations – Whoever would like to show & tell.
• “Stump the club” Challenges – Ask for help if you’ve hit a roadblock in your project. Somebody in the club can probably get you pointed in a good direction – or even arrange a side bar session to help.

Note: We record a video of these sessions and post them on the DPRG YouTube channel. By joining the meeting, you’re giving consent to be included in the recording.

RBNV – Robot Builders Night Virtual – April 21, 2020

Posted on by

Meeting video:

Meeting chat record (PDF): Chat Text

When

• April 21th, starting at 7:30 PM Dallas time (CST).
• RBNV will continue each Tuesday evening until the crisis is over and the Maker Space re-opens.

How

• Join Hangouts Meet https://meet.google.com/hey-jxuo-esf
• Join by phone ‪+1 405-586-5598‬ ‬ PIN: ‪682 931 335 #‬

Why

• Talk robots & related stuff.
• Keep going while we’re stuck at home.
• Make it easier for people to attend DPRG remotely.

Agenda: RBNV – 21 April

• Round table – everybody spends a couple minutes telling what projects they’re working on as we’re all stuck at home
• Ad-hoc presentations – Whoever would like to show & tell.
• “Stump the club” Challenges – Ask for help if you’ve hit a roadblock in your project. Somebody in the club can probably get you pointed in a good direction – or even arrange a side bar session to help.

Note 1: We record a video of these sessions and post them on the DPRG YouTube channel. By joining the meeting, you’re giving consent to be included in the recording.

Roborama 2020 has been canceled

Posted on by

The Roborama 2020 competition that was scheduled for April 25th, 2020 has been canceled due to the coronavirus situation. At this time DPRG expects to conduct an outdoor competition, RoboColumbus, sometime in the Summer and an indoor competition in November. Please stay tuned for future announcements.

RBNV – Robot Builders Night Virtual – April 14, 2020

Posted on by

Meeting video:

Meeting chat text:  chat text

• April 14th, starting at 7:30 PM Dallas time (CST).
• RBNV will continue each Tuesday evening until the crisis is over and the Maker Space re-opens.

How

• Join Hangouts Meet https://meet.google.com/hey-jxuo-esf
• Join by phone ‪+1 405-586-5598‬ ‬ PIN: ‪682 931 335 #‬

Why

• Talk robots & related stuff.
• Keep going while we’re stuck at home.
• Make it easier for people to attend DPRG remotely.

Agenda: RBNV – 14 April

• Round table – everybody spends a couple minutes telling what projects they’re working on as we’re all stuck at home
• Ad-hoc presentations – Whoever would like to show & tell.
• “Stump the club” Challenges – Ask for help if you’ve hit a roadblock in your project. Somebody in the club can probably get you pointed in a good direction – or even arrange a side bar session to help.

Note 1: We record a video of these sessions and post them on the DPRG YouTube channel. By joining the meeting, you’re giving consent to be included in the recording.

Build More Robots Tutorial Series 2 – Starts Mar 21th

Posted on by

— Tutorial Series CANCELED due to COVID-19 virus situation —

Want to build a robot? Here is your chance to do it, with some help, and in a group of similarly minded individuals. The Build More Robots Series consists of 4 sessions, each 2 hours long, held on consecutive Saturdays. The sessions will cover the assembly of the robot, basic Arduino programming, line following robots, and sumo robots. In the line following and sumo sessions, you will reconfigure your robot to accomplish line following and sumo robot functions. There may even be some friendly competition!

The series is aimed at beginners. Prior knowledge is not necessary.  The classes are open to everyone, including students, however, note that the classes move quickly, and the classes may not be a good fit for young students.

To join the series, you must bring at least the robot kit, batteries, tools, and $5 to the 1st session. The sensors will be needed in the following sessions.

You also must sign up for the class at:

https://calendar.dallasmakerspace.org/events/view/15255

Seating is limited so sign up quickly. A count of students is needed to make sure that enough Platform Upgrade Kits are available.

It is also suggested that you get your robot kit and sensors as soon as possible.

Total Cost:    ~$40.00 for parts (note: parts are listed below, tools not included in cost).

Sessions:

Mar 21 at noon  –  Robot Build Session

Mar 28 at noon  –  Basic Arduino Programming Session

Apr 4 at noon  –  Line Following Robot Session

Apr 11 at noon  –  Sumo Robot Session

What you will need:

  1. Robot Kit  – https://smile.amazon.com/VKmaker-Avoidance-tracking-Ultrasonic-tutorial/dp/B01CXVA6IO/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=smart+car+robot&qid=1580782367&sr=8-3, or similar.
  2. Sensors – https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I57HIJ0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 , or similar.
  3. Platform Upgrade Kit – Provided by instructor at a nominal cost ($5).
  4. 6 AA Alkaline batteries.
  5. A Philips head screwdriver (#1), a small pair of pliers, wire strippers (optional), and wire cutters (optional).

    Example set of tools

The session descriptions:

Build More Robots Series – Robot Build Session

In this first session, you will need the robot kit, platform upgrade kit, batteries, and tools. During the session we will build the robot together and learn about the different components of the robot while we build.

Build More Robot Series – Basic Arduino Programming Session

You have built the robot, now what? In this session of the Build More Robots Series we will explore how to program the robot’s Arduino microcontroller board. We will learn the different commands, and how to develop a programming style that makes the process more organized and easier to change. The session is geared for the novice and should help anyone move up the learning curve with confidence.

Build More Robot Series – Line Following Session

In this session of the Build More Robots Series we will explore how to make our robot follow a line. We will cover some of the sensor strategies used in line following, then build our line following sensor using the infrared obstacle avoidance sensor modules that we purchased. After assembling and mounting our new sensor, we will program a basic line following program using what we learned in the Arduino Programming session. You will need the listed sensors for this and the next session.

Build More Robot Series – Sumo Session

What is Sumo? When talking robots, we mean a competition where two robots are placed in a circular arena and proceed to try and push each other out of the arena. It is a sort of bumper cars for robots. In this session of the Build More Robots Series, we will discuss basic strategies used by Sumo robots, and why they are used. We will also modify our robot into a Sumo robot and demonstrate a basic robot sumo program. Next, we battle!

Graduation Competition

After the last session, the attendees will have a chance to test their robot in a friendly competition. They may also consider attending DPRG’s Roborama on April 25th, and competing for prizes.

Have Questions?

You can contact the instructor by emailing info(at)dprg.org.

IRON REIGN Presents their Newest Robot – Monthly Meeting Topic – Feb 8th, 2020

Posted on by

One of our favorite First Tech Challenge robot teams, Iron Reign, will present their newest champion robot at DPRG’s February monthly meeting. This robot was built to solve the current First tech challenge, titled Skystone. The robot competes to build a structure made of 4x8x5 inch blocks in 2.5 minutes while buzzing around a 12’x12′ arena with 3 other robots. As with all First Tech challenges there are multiple of complications. A full description of the challenge can be found at Skystone video. Competitive robots can build a structure of 6 feet or more.

Iron Reign’s robots always have cool and clever mechanisms that will delight anyone interested in robotics.

Come join the fun at the DPRG Feb 8th monthly meeting at the Dallas Makerspace in the Interactive Room. Presentation starts at noon.

This is a wonderful opportunity to see and ask questions about a really neat and interesting robot.