Rug Warrior

Rug Warrior

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Mobile Robots : Inspiration to Implementation is one of our best selling books and one of the most popular robotics titles ever. One of the reasons it is so popular is that it describes a very clever little robot called "Rug Warrior". The robot was originally developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for use in robotics courses. The authors and the publisher of the book received so many inquiries about the robot that they decided to offer it as a kit. The Rug Warrior kit is one of the best selling robot kits ever. If you have been thinking about building a robot, this is the kit for you!

Rug Warrior : Mobile Robot Kit

Rug Warrior Robot Rug Warrior is an autonomous mobile robot designed for educators, researchers, and hobbyists. It is ideal for learning robotics, performing cooperative agent research, experimenting with cutting-edge technology, or just having fun.

The kit supplies all the sensors, electronics, and mechanical hardware you need to construct a custom designed, fully autonomous mobile robot. It is designed to go together very easily because the tricky electronics parts are assembled and tested at the factory, including the microprocessor, memory, and interface circuits. The rest of the electronics components are easy to solder in place, even for a beginner.

Programming
Rug Warrior is programmed from your computer (either Mac or IBM PC compatible). Programs for Rug Warrior are written in a powerful and easy-to-learn programming system; Interactive C. The code is then downloaded to the robot via the serial port. Library routines and self-test code are provided for all of Rug Warrior's standard sensors and actuators. Also included is a demonstration program that exercises many of Rug Warriors capabilities. Source code for all robot programs is included on a 3.5" disk.

Rug Warrior can be controlled directly from your computer's keyboard by typing commands, or it can operate autonomously under the control of its on-board microprocessor. The Interactive C programming environment makes it easy to test and debug any portion of your robot program. Documentation for Interactive C is included.

Sensors
The Rug Warrior is packed with an amazing array of sensors to detect and react to its environment. The robot can be programmed to explore your home and find its way with its left and right visible light detectors. It will sense and avoid walls with its left and right infrared obstacle illuminators and detector. If your cat decides to paw it, the robot will detect it with the six-direction bump-sensing "full enclosure" skirt. Left and right wheel encoders enables your robot to sense the distance it has covered and the direction it is going. It can even be programmed to react to the sounds it hears with its built-in microphone. Library functions simplify access to all sensors and actuators and the self-test code provides examples of how to use the library functions.

Feedback
Rug Warrior LCD Screen The robot can let you know what it is sensing and thinking with several feedback devices. An LED indicates a low battery, and a piezo buzzer can be programmed to sound at a particular event or condition. The 32 Character (2 lines x 16) Liquid Crystal Display is also very useful for debugging and feedback.

Electronics
The "brains" of the robot is the versatile and powerful MC68HC11 microcontroller from Motorola. A time sharing operating system allows the execution of parallel processes. One process may be used for motor control, while another independent process is used for reading and processing sensor values. Wiring of sensors and actuators is simplified with two ribbon cables.

Three analog input lines and three digital input lines are not committed to sensors in the standard package. You can use these to customize your robot. The standard electronics include a low-dropout Voltage regulator for logic supply and memory backup and a low-voltage inhibit chip to resist memory corruption during transients.

Optional stackable expansion modules are available if you would like to add your own custom circuitry to the robot. These boards plug right into the standard electronics board for unlimited experimentation potential. See below for details.

Mechanics
Two high quality 6-Volt gear motors drive the dual 2.5" wheels. The robot balances on a third wheel - a 1 inch Delrin caster. A transparent body or "skirt" surrounds and protects the robot. The kit comes with a battery box to hold a high capacity power pack, and all the mounting hardware you need to complete the robot. All these components are assembled onto a custom chassis plate. When finished, your robot will measure 7.3 inches in diameter and 4.75 inches tall. The Rug Warrior will operate several hours on one battery charge.

Rug Warrior Robot Assembly
The assembly manual provides detailed instructions for installing the standard sensors and support circuitry. Alternately, you can customize the board as desired. Diagnostic software, included with the kit, helps builders discover any errors they might make as subsystems are added. Experienced builders should be able to assemble all electronic and mechanical components in a weekend.

Expandability
You can customize your robot in many ways. In addition to the RugEx stackable expansion modules, the RugI/O Input Output Module enables the easy addition of extra sensors and actuators. Also available is the RugBat Sonar Range Finder. RugBat consists of a sonar transducer and the associated circuitry needed to perform real-time sonar ranging measurements. By providing an accurate measure of the distance, sonar ranging allows a robot to avoid nearby obstacles and to find long clear paths for navigation.

Join the Club
Mobile Robots : Inspiration to Implementation was first published in 1993. It became an immediate best seller in the field of hobby robotics. In 1994 the Rug Warrior kits were made available to the public and they became the number one best selling kits ever. In 1997 the kit was revised and updated and became known as "Rug Warrior Pro" (all our descriptions refer to the latest version of the kit). In 1999 a new edition of Mobile Robots : Inspiration to Implementation was published and it sparked even more interest and sales of the Rug Warrior.

Rug Warrior Robot The generous array of sensors, and the ease of use and assembly have made the Rug Warrior the number-one choice for people interested in robotics. Numerous universities and research institutes also use the Rug Warrior. For example, the Institute for Parallel and Distributed High Performance Systems at the University of Stuttgart uses 15 of these robots for teaching lab courses in Mobile Robotics as well as for other research.

Optional Components
Rug Warrior is currently offered in three different forms:
Brains Kit -- Circuit board and all required sensors and electronic components.
Brawn Kit -- All the mechanical components.
Full Rug Warrior Kit -- A combination of the Brains and Brawn kits.

Also available are several optional components:
RugEx -- Experimenter Board
RugI/O -- Input Output module
RugBat -- Sonar Range Finder

Check below for the details, and choose the options that are right for you!

Rug Warrior Pro: The Brains

The Brains kit includes the circuit board and all required sensors and electronic components. The Brains kit is shipped partially assembled -- critical logic, memory, and interface components are factory installed and tested. So right out of the box, Rug Warrior is ready to connect to your computer and accept programs. Sensors and auxiliary circuitry are left to you to assemble from parts included in the kit. Full instructions are provided in the accompanying Mobile Robot Assembly Guide.

The Brains kit includes:

Motorola MC68HC11 microcontroller
LCD screen; two lines, 16 characters per line
32 K of battery backed static RAM
RS-232 serial port
Full coverage collision detector
Dual photoresistor light sensors
Infrared obstacle emitters and detector
Microphone
Dual shaft encoders
L293 two channel motor driver chip
Piezoelectric buzzer
Four user-controllable LEDs
Battery holder for logic supply
Floppy Disk with "Interactive C"
Interactive C Manual
Library function to control all sensors and actuators
The Mobile Robot Assembly Guide
Self test program
Robot demonstration program
Rug Warrior Experts Group member list for online help

The Brains Kit can be used with robots other than the Brawn Kit. This is a great way to add a microcontroller, electronics, motor drivers, and sensors to your own robot.

This item has been discontinued. Please visit the Robot Kits page.

Rug Warrior Pro: The Brawn

The Brawn Kit includes motors, wheels, chassis, and transparent skirt -- all the components needed for building a versatile mobility platform. The Brawn Kit is compatible with other popular robot circuit boards and single-board computers.

The Brawn kit includes:

Two 6 Volt Gear Motors
Two 2 1/2" Wheels
Custom Delrin Caster Wheel
Custom Chassis Plate
Clear Plastic Body
Battery Box
Mounting Hardware
Interactive C Manual
The Mobile Robot Assembly Guide
Rug Warrior Experts Group member list for online help

The Brains kit includes software and documentation. The Brawn kit includes documentation but not software.

This item has been discontinued. Please visit the Robot Kits page.

Rug Warrior Pro: The Complete Kit

Rug Warrior Pro is the perfect small autonomous robot, whether your interests include learning robotics, performing cooperative agent research, or experimenting with cutting-edge technology. The Rug Warrior Pro kit contains the complete processing, memory, and sensor circuitry (Brains), as well as the motors, wheels, chassis and custom body parts (Brawn). Rug Warrior Pro also offers a powerful and easy-to-learn programming system, Interactive C.

The Rug Warrior Pro Complete Kit includes:

Motorola MC68HC11 microcontroller
LCD screen; two lines, 16 characters per line
32 K of battery backed static RAM
RS-232 serial port
Full coverage collision detector
Dual photoresistor light sensors
Infrared obstacle emitters and detector
Microphone
Dual shaft encoders
L293 two channel motor driver chip
Piezoelectric buzzer
Four user-controllable LEDs
Battery holder for logic supply
Floppy Disk with "Interactive C"
Interactive C Manual
Library function to control all sensors and actuators
Self test program
Robot demonstration program
Two 6 Volt Gear Motors
Two 2 1/2" Wheels
Custom Delrin Caster Wheel
Custom Chassis Plate
Clear Plastic Body
Battery Box
Mounting Hardware
The Mobile Robot Assembly Guide
Rug Warrior Experts Group member list for online help

The Rug Warrior Pro Complete Kit is a combination of the Brains kit and the Brawn kit. It has everything you need to construct a fully functioning autonomous mobile robot.

This item has been discontinued. Please visit the Robot Kits page.

RugEx: Experimenter Board

RugEx provides a 1.7 by 3 inch prototyping area with 466 plated through-holes for designing and building your own electronic system. Standard stackable connectors are included in addition to a full description of the expansion standard. Use these stackable expansion modules to add your own electronics to the Rug Warrior.

This item has been discontinued. Please visit the Robot Kits page.

RugI/O: Input Output Module

RugI/O: Input Output Module enables the easy addition of extra sensors and actuators. RugI/O simplifies the debugging and monitoring of these new devices. Each RugI/O adds eight new input lines and eight new output lines to Rug Warrior Pro. Stack as many as four RugI/O boards together.

This item has been discontinued. Please visit the Robot Kits page.

RugBat: Sonar Range Finder

The RugBat Sonar Range Finder consists of a sonar transducer and all the associated circuitry needed to perform real-time sonar ranging measurements. By providing an accurate measure of distance, sonar ranging allows a robot to avoid nearby obstacles and to find long clear paths for navigation.

This item has been discontinued. Please visit the Robot Kits page.

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