Robot Builders Source Book - Gordon McComb Episode 2 Part 5 pptx

Kitano Symbiotic Systems Project. The Open PINO platform is based on the concept of “copyleft.” All the source code is provided under GPL GNU general pub- lic license. The Web site is in Japanese and English.  RoboProbe Technologies, Inc. 203410 P.O. Box 1037 Palatine, IL 60078 USA  (847) 934-5567  (847) 934-9434  solutions@roboprobe.com  http://www.roboprobe.com/ RoboProbe specializes in remotely operated robots and machines for hard to reach areas and hazardous appli- cations. Products include video systems, crawlers and traction devices, claws, grippers, and manipulators, and robotic components. x  Shadow Robot Company Ltd. 203753 251 Liverpool Road London N1 1LX UK  +44 (0) 2077 002487  http://www.shadow.org.uk/ Projects: bipedal robot, six-legged hexapod robot (using air), Biomorphic Arm, design for a “de-miner,” a robot designed to traverse a minefield so that mines may be detected and removed. Also sells products including air muscles that move arms and legs using a bladder of air. x V Sine Robotics 202986 P.O. Box 172 Woodinville, WA 98072-0172 USA  (425) 788-0160  bill@sinerobotics.com  http://www.sinerobotics.com/ Sine Robotics bills itself as a research and development firm specializing in small mobile robotics. SpringWalker 203089 Applied Motion, Inc. 935 North Indian Hill Blvd. Claremont, CA 91711 USA  jdick@springwalker.com  http://www.springwalker.com/ The SpringWalker is known as a “body amplifier”-a bipedal machine that you literally ride in. In the basic model no motors or other assistive force is used except for levers and springs; a new model incorporates elec- tric-powered servo control. Basic engineering details are provided from the company’s patent pages. This thing is, of course, a mechanized suit (à la Gundam Wing), taken from the pages of science fiction and demonstrated in real life. The idea may be old, but the technology to make it work is far harder than it looks. Viva Robotics, Inc. 202419 21606 Stonetree Ct. #160 Dulles, VA 21066 USA  (703) 444-7300  (703) 444-7840  http://www.vivarobotics.com/ Viva makes robots for trade shows. Check out their gallery of robots—they have a number of interesting designs worth investigating.  Yobotics 202445 850 Summer St. Ste. #201 Boston, MA 02127 USA robots-industrial/research 542 Movers and Shakers Maja J. Mataric http://www-robotics.usc.edu/~maja/ Maja Mataric is the director of the Robotics Research Lab at the University of Southern California, where (among other things) they study the interaction of robots and robot teams. Dr. Mataric has written extensively on the subject of behavior-based multiple robot coordination.  (617) 464-2144  (617) 464-2146  sales@yobotics.com  http://yobotics.com/ Yobotics makes legs . . . artificial legs to help disabled people walk and the legs of walking robots. See the company’s RoboWalker, a powered orthotic brace, designed to augment or replace muscular functions of the lower extremities. Also check out the Yobotics Simulation Construction Set, a software package simu- lating dynamical systems of legged robots and other biomechanical systems.  Zaytran Automation 203372 P.O. Box 1660 Elyria, OH 44036 USA  (440) 324-2814  (440) 324-3552  info@zaytran.com  http://www.grippers.com/ Manufacturers of precision grippers for industrial robots, mainly severe highly controlled environments, such as semiconductor manufacturing or handling deadly bacteria collected from outer space in a top- secret underground research laboratory. High end. Available through distributors—the grippers, that is; you’re on your own finding space bacteria.  t Robots-Personal Personal robots are those that function as personal valets, doing the chores you’d otherwise do. A number of commercially available robots, listed in this section, are able to do such tasks as vacuuming the floor or mowing the lawn. FloorBotics 202465 http://home.swbell.net/fontana/ Informational site on floor-cleaning robot.  Friendly Robotics 202562 8336 Sterling Dr. Irving, TX 75063 USA  (214) 277-8181  (888) 404-7626  friendly@friendlyrobotics.com  http://www.friendlymachines.com/ Makers of a commercial robotic mower, Robomower. x  robots-industrial/research 543 Dyson http://www.dyson.com/ Robotic vacuum cleaners RoboScience http://www.roboscience.com/ High-end robotic pooch; kids can ride this thing The Friendly Robotics Robomower. Photo Friendly Robotics, Inc. Omnibot 202462 http://omnibot.forsite.net/omnibot/ The Omnibot was made is the mid-1980s by a company called TOMY. Message board, parts sales, and general how-to.  Probotics, Inc./Cye 203478 Ste. 223 700 River Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15212-5907 USA  (412) 322-6005  (412) 3220-3569  (888) 550-7658  customersupport@personalrobots.com  http://www.personalrobots.com/ Probotics makes Cye, a home/office robot that can be programmed from your computer. One of its jobs is to vacuum. Their Map-N-Zap software is a room-mapping program to allow Cye a priori navigation capabilities. x V Fancy two-legged walking robot Laboratoire de Mcanique des Solides and INRIA Rhne-Alpes. Web site is in English and French.  BiPed Robot  203035 http://members.chello.at/alex.v/ Alex gone and built himself a bipedal (two-legged) walking robot that exhibits dynamic balance. Operated by aircraft servos. Watch the MPEG movies to see the machine in action. The Web site provides hardware and software design overview, including a 3D exploded view of the robot’s parts. Notice the two servos in the ankles of both legs. This is critical in allowing the robot to keep balance.  Hexplorer 2000 203761 http://real.uwaterloo.ca/~bot/ The Hexplorer is a six-legged walking robot at the University of Waterloo, located in Ontario, Canada. Construction details and programming overview are provided. See also the main page for the Motion Research Group at: http://real.uwaterloo.ca/  Legged Robot Builder, The 202259 http://www.joinme.net/robotwise/ This site is a resource for builders of autonomous legged robots. Whether your robot walks, crawls, runs, or hops, these links may inspire you.  Lynmotion http://ww.lynxmotion.com Maker of several walking robot kits. See listing in Robots-Hobby & Kit.  robots-personal 544 The Cye-sr from Probotics. Photo Probotics, Inc. Solar Mower 203476 http://www.solarmower.com/ Husqvarna’s solar lawnmower robot. It’s powered by solar energy and automatically cuts your grass without any help from you. Not quite as cheap as the neighbor kid down the street, but you can’t have everything. t Robots-Walking Walking robots are able to travel over rough terrain and can more readily operate in environments not specifi- cally designed for autonomous machinery. Walking robots include small four- and six-legged robot kits, as well as sophisticated experimental robots that travel on 1, 2, 4, 8, and even 12 legs. BARt-UH 202024 http://www.irt.uni-hannover.de/~iped/ BARt-UH is a bipedal autonomous walking robot designed at the University of Hannover in Germany. Web site is in English.  BIP2000 Anthropomorphic Biped Robot 202973 http://www.inrialpes.fr/bip/Bip-2000/ MHEX-My Six-Legged Walking Robot 202971 http://www.geocities.com/viasc/mhex/mhex.htm Very nicely done 12-servo hexapod, created out of machined aluminum.  Petzi, My 4-Legged Walking Wonder 202256 http://www.gel.usherb.ca/caron/petzi/petzi.html Petzi is a homemade walking dog, using R/C servos. Plenty of pictures and a discussion of walking gaits for quadrapedal robots.  Poly-PEDAL Lab 204158 http://polypedal.berkeley.edu/ The Poly-PEDAL Lab studies motion in animals and insects. The walk (gait) and balance studies often help in designing legged robots.  Ray Van Elst  203379 http://home.hccnet.nl/raymond.van.elst/ Walker plans, robots. Check out the CAD files for the walker robot. Some of the Web site is in Dutch.  RHex 202023 http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/RHex/ RHex is a wicked compliant hexapod robot. It is capa- ble of walking, running, leaping over obstacles, and climbing stairs. From the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor).  Walking Machine Catalogue 203086 http://www.fzi.de/divisions/ipt/WMC/ walking_machines_katalog/ walking_machines_katalog.html In the words of the Web site: “At the beginning of my work, I wanted to create a catalogue of all the walking machines that were ever built. This collection should represent the state of the art in this interesting research field, as well as the history of walking machines.” Pictures and text of walking robots.  Walking Machine Challenge 202561 http://www.sae.org/students/walking.htm The Society of Automotive Engineers sponsors a “chal- lenge” in college-level engineering to design, build, and test a walking machine with a self-contained power source. Many of the resulting designs are quite sophisticated.  Walking Robots 203470 http://www.walkingrobots.com/ Presented is a collection of walking robots, most of which were machines using an abrasive waterjet (appar- ently, this is a kind of machining tool, not a description of a mean boss who spits when yelling at you). Close-up photos but no construction details. For more information on the manufacturer of specialty parts using the abrasive waterjet, see: http://www.ormondllc.com/  Wilby Walker 203781 http://members.aol.com/wilbywalker/ Description and construction details of the Wilby Walker, a six-legged hexapod. DXF CAM/CAD files are provided.  robots-walking 545 Sensors A robot without sensors is just a fancy machine. If “clothes make the man” (applies to women, too, of course), then sensors make the robot. In this section, and the several sections that follow, you’ll find various types of sensors suitable for use in robotics. Sensors can be quite expensive, and several high-end variations are listed. However, most of these sources are affordable. And, most sensor makers and sellers provide copious datasheets and application notes about their products, which you can study as you learn how the various sensor technologies work. Note that while some sensor manufacturers will sell directly to the public, those that do often have mini- mum-order requirements. Also included for reference are Web resources on sen- sors and sensor technology, how to build homemade sensors, and how to interface sensors to microcon- trollers and computers. SEE ALSO: LEGO-Mindstorms: Web sites and retailers of sensors made to work with the LEGO Mindstorms Retail-Robotics Specialty: Sources of sensors specifically for amateur robots Baumer Electric Ltd. 202114 122 Spring St., C-6 Southington, CT 06489-1534 USA  (860) 628-6280  (800) 937-9336  http://www.baumerelectric.com/ Baumer makes industrial sensors: inductive capacitive; photoelectric, retroreflective, and thru-beam; ultra- sonic, proximity, and rotary encoders. This stuff isn’t cheap, but if you need quality, this is where you’ll find it. Web site is in English and German.  x  sensors 546 Common Robotic Senses Robots need to sense the world around them in order to interact with it. Without such senses, they become little more than machines. We have five senses with which to expe- rience our world: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. A robot can be endowed with any and all of these senses as well. • Sensitivity to sound is a common sensory system given to robots. The reason: Sound is easy to detect, and unless you’re trying to listen for a specific kind of sound, circuits for sound detection are simple and straightforward. • Sensitivity to light is also common, but the kind of light is usually restricted to a slender band of infrared, for the purpose of sensing the heat of a fire or for navigating through a room by way of an invisible light beam. • In robotics, the sense of touch is most often confined to collision switches mounted around the periphery of the machine. On more sophisticated robots, pressure sensors may be attached to the tips of fingers in the robot’s hands. The more the fingers of the hand close in around the object, the greater the pressure. • The senses of smell and taste aren’t generally implemented in robot systems, though some security robots designed for industrial use are outfitted with a gas sensor that, in effect, smells the presence of dangerous toxic gas. Not all robotic senses are well developed. Robot eyesight is a good example. While electronic cameras, which can serve as the robot’s eyes, are both affordable and easy to connect to a computer, the processing of the information from a camera is a complex task. The visual scene must be electronically rendered and programming must make sense of the object the robot sees. Copyright 2003 by Gordon McComb. Click Here for Terms of Use. Carlo Gavazzi Holding AG 203992 Sumpfstrasse 32 CH-6312 Steinhausen Switzerland  +41 41 747 4525  +41 41 740 4560  gavazzi@carlogavazzi.ch  http://www.carlogavazzi.com/ High-end industrial automation components. Sensors (proximity and photoelectric), solid-state relays, and motor controllers. x  V sensors 547 Object Detection: The Close, the Far, and the In-between For robots to be self-sufficient in the human world, they must be able to determine their environment. They do this by sensing objects, obstacles, and terrain around them. This can include you, the cat, an old sock, the wall, the little hump on the ground between the carpet and the kitchen floor, a rock, another robot, a stair, a table leg, and a million other things. We’ll lump it all under “object detection” and move on. Robots perform object detection using either contact or noncontact means. Contact detection is when the robot, or some appendage of the robot, touches the object. Typical examples are leaf switches with pieces of wires, serving as whiskers, connected to them. Noncontact detection relies on sensing proximity to an object, without actually touching that object. This can be done using vision, ultrasonics, infrared light, inductance, capaci- tance, and many other techniques. Once an object is detected, collision with it is avoided, or avoided as much as possible. In the case of contact sensing, the robot has already touched the object, but ideally not in a way that causes damage to either object or robot. For proximity sensing, the robot may be inches, feet, or yards away from the object. In any case, the robot “sees” the object, and then goes about deciding how best to avoid it. Near- and Far-Object Detection Proximity detection can be further broken down into two subgroups: near-object and far- object. The difference is relative and depends on such things as the size and speed of the robot, the size and speed of the object, and the type of object. For a typical carpet-roving bot, anything more than 8 to 10 feet away could be considered “far” and is unlikely to be a major influence on the machine. However, the robot still may need to be aware of the object’s presence in order to formulate all of its operating plans. Conversely, objects that are closer must be dealt with in a more immediate and aggressive manner. Such objects are within the robot’s immediate sphere of operation. Detecting them is more critical, because they are the ones the robot will likely bump into or fall over. Proximity or Distance? There are two ways to approach near-object detection: proximity and distance. • Proximity sensors care only that some object is within a zone of relevance. That is, if an object is near enough in the physical scene the robot is looking at, the sensor detects it and triggers the appropriate circuit in the robot. Objects beyond the proximal range of a sensor are effectively ignored, because they cannot be detected. • Distance measurement sensors determine the distance between the sensor and what- ever object is within range. Distance measurement techniques vary; almost all have notable minimums and maximums. Few yield accurate data if an object is smack-dab next to the robot; likewise, objects just outside range can yield inaccurate results. Crossbow Technology, Inc. 202272 41 Daggett Dr. San Jose, CA 95134 USA  (408) 965-3300  (408) 324-4840  info@xbow.com  http://www.xbow.com/ Crossbow is into industrial sensors. Among their prod- uct line: • Inertial and gyro systems • Accelerometers • Wireless sensor networks • Tilt sensors • Magnetometers  x  V Davis INOTEK 202604 4701 Mount Hope Dr. Baltimore, MD 21215 USA  (800) 492-6767  info@inotek.com  http://www.inotek.com/ Sensors (Omron proximity and others); test equip- ment; and RFID  x V Entran Devices, Inc. 203324 10 Washington Ave. Fairfield, NJ 07004-3877 USA sensors 548 Proximity Detection versus Distance Measurement Robots employ a number of noncontact methods to determine if an object is nearby (noncontact meaning nothing on the robot physically touches the object). There are two forms of noncontact detection, proximity detection and distance measurement. • Proximity detection. Proximity detection is concerned only that some object is within a specified zone in front of or around the robot. Proximity simply means “close by”; it does not take into account how close or far the object is from the robot, nor does it concern itself with the size of the object. A common nonrobot example of proximity detection is the automatic security light: Walk in front of the sensor at night, and the light turns on. • Distance (or range) measurement. With distance measurement, detection involves measuring the physical range between the object and the robot. Depending on the type of sensor used to measure the distance, relative size of the object may also be inferred. Both detection schemes use similar technologies. The most common proximity detec- tion schemes use infrared light or ultrasonic sound. If enough light (or sound) is reflected off the object and received back by the robot, then an object is within proximity. Distance measurement sensors also use infrared light and ultrasonic sound, but the mechanisms tend to be more sophisticated. A popular group of sensors made by Sharp employs what’s know as parallax to measure the distance to an object. In operation, infrared light is directed at an angle at an object. The light bounces from the object at the same angle and reenters the sensor. The displacement of the reflected beam indicates the distance between the sensor and the object. The greater the displacement, the greater the distance. Ultrasonic sensors (proximity or ranging) measure the time it takes for a burst of high- frequency sound to travel from the sensor, strike an object, and return. Though the speed of sound varies depending on atmospheric conditions (humidity, temperature, and alti- tude), ultrasonic sensors are surprisingly accurate. The popular Polaroid 6500 sensor and control board boast a +/- 1% accuracy over the effective range of the sensor, which is 6 inches to 35 feet. A 1% error at 35 feet is less than five inches.  (973) 227-1002  (973) 227-6865  (888) 836-8726  sales@entran.com  http://www.entran.com/ Manufacturer of strain gauges, load cells, accelerome- ters, and pressure sensors. Not cheap. Web site is in English, French, German, and Spanish.  x  Honeywell International Inc. 203919 101 Columbia Rd. P.O. Box 4000 Morristown, NJ 07962-2497 USA  (973) 455-2000  (973) 455-4807  (800) 707-4555  http://www.honeywell.com/ Honeywell is a manufacturer of automation and control products. Several of their products are available through distributors such as Digi-Key. The company also sells some products directly. x  Measurement Specialties, Inc.  202119 P.O. Box 799 Valley Forge, PA 19482 USA  (610) 650-1509  (888) 215-1744  http://www.measurementspecialties.com/ Measurement Specialties makes and sells sensors, par- ticularly piezo sensors using Kynar plastic. These sen- sors can be used for such things as ultrasonic measure- ment, touch, vibration, and accelerometer. The company provides online buying, but the minimum order is $100. Some of their products are also sold by Digi-Key and other distributors. x $  Merlin Systems Corp, Ltd. 202086 ITTC Tamar Science Park 1 Davy Road Derriford Plymouth, PL6 8BX UK  +44 (0) 1752 764205  +44 (0) 1752 772227  info@merlinsystemscorp.co.uk  http://www.merlinsystemscorp.co.uk/ Makers of the Humaniform Muscle, a lightweight actua- tor technology ideal for robotics. Other products include: • MIABOTS—Intelligent autonomous microrobots • LEX Sensor—Digital absolute position sensor • Humaniform robotics and control systems technol- ogy • Stretch sensor x  Murata Manufacturing Co. 202472 26-10, Tenjin 2-chome Nagaokakyo, Kyoto 617-8555 Japan  +81 75 955 6502  +81 75 955 6526  http://www.murata.com/ Makers of: • Pyroelectric infrared sensor • Piezoelectric gyroscope • Piezoelectric ceramics sensor • Thermistors • Magnetic pattern recognition • Shock sensors • Piezoelectric sound components Lots and lots of datasheets. Offices in Japan, North America, and Europe. See also: http://www.murata-northamerica.com/ http://www.murata-europe.com/  x  sensors 549 A bend sensor made from piezo film. Picard Indistries 202360 4960 Quaker Hill Rd. Albion, NY 14411 USA  (716) 589-0358  (716) 589-0358  jcamdep4@iinc.com  http://www.picard-industries.com/ Picard specializes in miniature smart motors and sen- sors. Their product line includes programmable sole- noids, motor control, and sensors. x  Robot Electronics  202242 Unit 2B Gilray Road Diss Norfolk IP22 4EU UK  +44 (0) 1379 640450  +44 (0) 1379 650482  sales@robot-electronics.co.uk  http://www.robot-electronics.co.uk/ Robot Electronics (sometimes referred to as Devantech) manufactures unique and affordable robotic compo- nents, including miniature ultrasonic sensors, elec- tronic compasses, and 50-amp H-bridges for motor control. The company’s SRF08 high-performance ultrasonic rangefinder module can be connected to most any computer or microcontroller and provides real-time continuous distance measurements using ultrasonics. The measurement values are sent as digital signals and are selectable between microseconds, millimeters, or inches. x d  sensors 550 Sensor Beam Spread Infrared and ultrasonic sensors emit light or sound, respectively, in order to detect nearby objects. With both sensor types, the further the object is from the sensor, the more the light or sound spreads by the time it gets there. Infrared light is easier to focus into a small beam so that beam spread is minimized. With proper optics, beam spread over a distance of 10 or 15 feet may be only a few inches in diameter. This allows infrared sensors to be more selective in the objects they detect. However, it also requires more stringent alignment and maintenance of the sen- sor. If the focusing lenses of the sensor are not properly aligned, no object may ever be detected! Sound waves can also be focused, but in most ultrasonic sensor applications this is not required; by its nature, high-frequency sound disperses (spreads) less readily than low- frequency sound. Even without acoustic focusing, the beam pattern of an ultrasonic sen- sor such as the Polaroid 6500 is approximately 25 degrees. (The beam pattern also con- tains nodes to either side of the main beam, but these are at relatively low acoustic power.) A narrow beam isn’t always desirable. Sometimes you want the widest spread possi- ble. In these instances, it’s best not to purposely “defocus” the beam, but to incorporate several sensors to create an array. The elements in the array are carefully positioned so that cover is broadened, without excessive overlap. The SRF08, from Robot Electronics. Photo Robot Electronics. Schaevitz 202918 1000 Lucas Way Virginia, VA 23666 USA  (757) 766-1500  (757) 766-4297  http://www.schaevitz.com/ Schaevitz manufactures industrial sensors, including LVDTs (linear variable differential transformers), pres- sure, tilt (clinometers and protractors), accelerometers, and inertial sensors. Many products are for sale on the Web site. x  Sensorland.com 204226 http://www.sensorland.com/ Online repository of sensors: overviews, suppliers, tech- nical articles, and new product releases. Check the “How It Works” section for semitechnical articles on how different sensors do what they do. Sensors, Inc. 203991 3338 Republic Ave. Miineapolis, MN 55426 USA  (952) 920-0939  (952) 920-9839  (888) 920-0939  custserv@sensorsincorporated.com  http://www.sensorsincorporated.com/ Sensors, what else? Online retailer/distributor for Hohner (encoders), Carlo Gavazzi (proximity), Cutler- Hammer, SICK, and others. V SICK, Inc. 202117 6900 West 110th St. Bloomington, MN 55438 USA  (952) 941-6780  (952) 941-9287  (800) 314-4071  http://www.sickoptic.com/ SICK is a manufacturer of high-end industrial sen- sors and electronic measurement systems, including laser proximity scanners, bar coders, and 2D laser radar. Technical white papers are available on the Web site. x  Sunx Sensors USA 202919 1207 Maple West Des Moines, IA 50265 USA  (512) 225-6933  (512) 225-0063  (800) 280-6933  sunx@sunx-ramco.com  http://www.sunx-ramco.com/ Specialty miniature sensors for industrial control appli- cations: photoelectric, fiber optic, inductive proximity, microphoto, laser beam, color and mark detection, ultraviolet, ultrasonic, pressure, and vacuum. Spec sheets are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. x  Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. 203906 63 Lincoln Hwy. Malvern, PA 19355-2120 USA  (610) 644-1300  (610) 889-9429  http://www.vishay.com/ See listing under Manufacturer-Semiconductors. x  Sensors-Encoders This section contains resources for shaft and linear encoders, which includes both optical and mechanical devices. Shaft encoders are used to detect extent of motion. As sensors, encoders tend to be on the expen- sive end of the spectrum, though several low-cost varia- tions exist. Many of these are low-resolution devices meant as substitutes for mechanical potentiometers. They are not made for use in high-speed or heavy-duty applications, but they should suffice for many jobs in amateur robotics. Agilent Technologies, Inc. 202010 SPG Technical Response Center 3175 Bowers Ave. Santa Clara, CA 95054 USA  (408) 654-8675  (408) 654-8575 sensors 551 [...]... still get lost, but at least you’ll know where you are! 56 0 sensors-gps Navtech Seminars and GPS Supply (408) 61 5- 5 100 (408) 61 5- 5 20 0 http://www.magellangps.com 20 3997 Ste 400 6 121 Lincolnia Rd Alexandria, VA 22 31 2- 2 707 USA Manufacturer of GPS systems x (703) 25 6-8 900 National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) (703) 25 6-8 988 20 3 7 25 (800) 62 8-0 8 85 http://www.nmea.org A technical association that helps... and, of course, costs a whole lot more x Synergy Systems, LLP P.O Box 26 2 25 0 San Diego, CA 921 96 USA ( 858 ) 56 6-0 666 ( 858 ) 56 6-0 768 (888) 47 9-6 749 info@synergy-gps.com http://www.synergy-gps.com/ 20 354 6 20 3 751 u-blox ag 20 3996 Zuercherstrasse 68 8800 Thalwil Switzerland +41 1 722 74 44 +41 1 722 74 47 info@u-blox.com http://www.u-blox.ch/ What the Heck Are NMEA Sentences? Scan through manuals and literature... as developer’s kits x d 54 80 Creek Rd Cincinnati, OH 4 52 4 2 USA (51 3) 98 4 -2 101 (51 3) 79 2- 4 27 2 (800) 44 6-1 991 info@racoindustries.com http://www.idwarehouse.com/ Resellers of various bar code and RFID tagging systems x OMRON Corporation 14th FL Gate City Osaki West Tower 1-1 1-1 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku Tokyo 14 1-0 0 32 Japan +81 35 4 35 20 16 +81 35 4 35 20 17 http://www.omron.com/ 20 3843 V 20 3839 Active Wave Inc... be used with outdoor robots to give them a sense of exactly where they are in the world Bike World 20 3848 59 11 Broadway San Antonio, TX 7 820 9 USA (21 0) 82 8 -5 55 8 (21 0) 82 8-3 29 9 800. 928 .55 58 Bike parts, including chains and sprockets, bars and bar stock (some of it carbon composite or fiberglass), and control cables, as well as small GPS receivers x V Garmin Ltd 20 354 4 Harbour Place 5th Fl., 113 S Church... often four to eight satellites But in some other parts of the world, only one or two satellite signals may be received, and this is insufficient to provide a fix sensors-gps 55 9 (630) 58 4-3 55 7 Lowrance Electronics, Inc (630) 58 4-4 1 05 120 00 E Skelly Dr Tulsa, OK 74 128 USA (918) 43 7-6 881 (918) 23 4-1 7 05 (800) 32 4-1 356 http://www.lowrance.com (800) 90 6-6 600 info@gpsworldsupply.com http://store.gpsworldsupply.com/... additional sensors that use light Glolab Corporation 307 Pine Ridge Dr Wappingers Falls, NY 1 25 90 USA (8 45) 29 7-9 7 72 kits@glolab.com 20 3040 Fresnel lens for PIR sensor Photo Frank Montegari, Glolab.com Hamamatsu Corp 20 37 42 32 5- 6 Sunayama-cho Hamamatsu City Shizuoka Pref.,43 0-8 58 7 Japan +81 53 4 52 2141 +81 53 456 7889 usa@hamamatsu.com http://www.hamamatsu.com/ Main Japan office listed; Web site is provided... 20 3041 3703 West Lake Ave Ste 20 3 Glenview, IL 60 0 25 USA (847) 83 2- 1 701 (847) 83 2- 1 7 05 figarousa@figarosensor.com http://www.figarosensor.com/ 20 2448 54 64 Skylane Blvd Ste A Santa Rosa, CA 954 03 USA (707) 56 6 -2 26 0 (707) 56 6 -2 26 1 customerservice@pnicorp.com http://www.pnicorp.com/ PNI makes compass, radar, magnetometer, and inclinometer sensors Note: The company’s Vector 2X digital compass is no longer... x PERIM-ALERT III Fence Sensor PNI Corp / Precision Navigation 20 2078 http://www.perim-alert.com/sensor.shtml Perim-Alert is a sensor sensitive to vibrations of chain link fences Possible uses in robotics 20 4014 3041 Melby Rd Eau Claire, WI 54 703 USA (7 15) 83 9-0 628 (7 15) 83 9-8 24 8 (800) 22 2- 4 976 inforeq@watson-gyro.com http://www.watson-gyro.com/ Electronic Compasses: Where on Earth Is Your Robot? Just... CA 9 25 0 7 -2 114 USA (909) 78 1 -5 690 (909) 78 1 -5 27 3 trimcus@bourns.com http://www.bourns.com/ Switches, encoders, potentiometers, linear motion potentiometers See listing under ManufacturerComponents x Clarostat Manufacturing Co Agilent HEDR54xx series encoder Photo Agilent Technologies Automationdirect.com 20 2 829 350 5 Hutchinson Rd Cumming, GA 30040 USA (770) 88 9 -2 858 (770) 88 9-7 876 (800) 63 3-0 4 05 sales@automationdirect.com... sensorproducts@clarostat.com http://www.clarostat.com/ 20 2 828 26 50 South Croddy Way P.O Box 25 063 Santa Ana, CA 927 9 9 -5 063 USA (714) 55 6-3 100 (714) 24 1-9 061 switch@earthlink.net http://www.cole-switches.com/ Makers of small panel-mount optical encoders and mechanical rotary switches Specification sheets are provided in Adobe Acrobat PDF format x sensors-encoders 55 3 Odometry: Five Clicks off the Starboard Bow . Message board, parts sales, and general how-to.  Probotics, Inc./Cye 20 3478 Ste. 22 3 700 River Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 1 52 1 2- 5 907 USA  (4 12) 32 2-6 0 05  (4 12) 322 0-3 56 9  (888) 55 0-7 658  customersupport@personalrobots.com . control systems technol- ogy • Stretch sensor x  Murata Manufacturing Co. 20 24 72 2 6-1 0, Tenjin 2- chome Nagaokakyo, Kyoto 61 7-8 55 5 Japan  +81 75 955 65 02  +81 75 955 6 52 6  http://www.murata.com/ Makers. site. x  Sunx Sensors USA 20 2919 120 7 Maple West Des Moines, IA 5 026 5 USA  (5 12) 22 5- 6 933  (5 12) 22 5- 0 063  (800) 28 0-6 933  sunx@sunx-ramco.com  http://www.sunx-ramco.com/ Specialty miniature