ActivMedia Produces Mobile Robots Using VersaLogic SBC

The VersaLogic VSBC-6 is now in migration phase. VersaLogic's Python and Sidewinder are recommended replacement products due to their the high processing power, fanless operation, RoHS-compliant EBX form factor. Imagine a futuristic military reconnaissance mission. A lone gunman takes a hostage in a complex building. He may have a weapons stash, but the location of the gunman, the hostage, and the stash are all unknown. Time is of the essence, but the risk of injury is high. Instead of risking the soldiers’ and hostage’s lives, a group of robots is sent into the building. They split up and use their laser, vision, heat-sensing and mapping technology to create a composite map and send it instantly back to headquarters. This map gives the soldiers the ability to pinpoint the gunman and create a detailed plan for releasing the hostage and apprehending the gunman with minimal risk. The scenario is not quite as futuristic as it may sound. ActivMedia Robotics designs robots used to prototype just such scenarios. They are also used for artificial intelligence research by universities, defense department grantees, and corporate R&D labs. The robots have amazing capabilities, including mapping their location in space using lasers which sweep in 180° arcs. A combination of laser guidance and wheel motor-encoder readings allow it to travel for weeks at a time without getting lost or running into anything. ActivMedia Robotics embeds VersaLogic’s VBSC-6 EBX single board computer into a number of their mobile robot designs. For example, the robots can determine how to move an object that is too heavy for any one individual robot to move by itself. ActivMedia’s PeopleBot, a recently released tall robot, is the first integrated robot that can be turned on and set to work right out of the box. Some models come complete with speech system, processor, image processing, tabletop gripper and navigation systems. Starting at $5,995, the PeopleBot is priced at a fraction of other less complete robots. "VersaLogic's VSBC-6 is proving excellent for the application," says Jeanne Dietsch, Vice President of Business Development at ActivMedia. "The low power consumption and small (5.75 x 8") board size was chosen by our designers because we must use as few heavy batteries as possible. The board's integration of the PC/104 standard allows customers to choose from dozens of add-on boards for increased I/O, frame grabbers, sound, and more. We switched to VersaLogic because our customers demand the latest high-speed chips and our other vendor was not keeping up. We hope to improve our reliability of supply and vendor responsiveness; so far, it appears we have. We also require the ability to interface with both Linux and Windows operating systems. And we require a good tech support team to help us integrate framegrabbers and other items into the product." The robots themselves have been quite popular. One customer said that he couldn't do in six months with a competitor's robot what ActivMedia robots do right out of the box. Various robots have been used successfully in mobile robotics competitions, tradeshows, educational programs, and OEM prototype systems for delivery, collection, tracking and inspection. With the combination of speech recognition, voice, navigation, vision, color distinguishing ability, and gripping appendage, the potential applications for such robots are endless. About VersaLogic Corporation A leading supplier of industrial computers since 1976, VersaLogic focuses on high-quality board-level products for embedded OEM applications. Its five year product availability guarantee and outstanding warranties demonstrate a commitment to service. Product platforms include EBX, PC/104, PC/104-Plus, EPIC and SPX™. For five years running, VersaLogic has received the coveted "Platinum" level vendor rating based on independent user surveys by technology research firm VDC Research Group. For more information, visit www.VersaLogic.com.