Magnetic Encoder Actuator Series For decades, our talented team of engineers has been defining and developing advancements in actuator technology. The Magnetic Encoder Series, for instance, boasts industrial-strength gears with heavy-duty, long-life motors and PWM, TTL standard or optional RS-485 protocol capabilities. Available in a wide range of sizes with high- resolution, 32-bit programmable digital circuits, Hitec Commercial Solutions actuators meet the most rigorous demands for a plethora of commercial applications. Inquire about our customization and modification options, tailor-made for your specific projects. • Magnetic Encoder Position Sensors • Sizes Ranging From 13mm ~ 33mm • Wide Voltage Operation • Precise Repeatability • High-Resolution Programmability • Customization Options Available Servo Actuator Engineering Reimagined Hitec Commercial Solutions, Inc. | 12115 Paine St., Poway, CA 92064 | (858) 748-6948 | www.hitecnology.com Full Page.indd 2 12/4/2017 8:26:19 PM SERVO MAGAZINE ... Paving the way for the next generation of Robotics Experimenters! SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SERVO MAGAZINE SV Sub Ad.indd 3 12/4/2017 9:09:22 PM TOC - Jan 18_TOC SV Mar 15.qxd 12/5/2017 6:10 AM Page 4 01.2018 VOL. 16 NO. 01 Subscription Information SERVO Magazine — PO Box 15277 North Hollywood, CA 91615-9218 Call 877-525-2539 or go to www.servomagazine.com Subscribe • Gift • Renewal • Change of Info For more details on subscribing, see our ad on Page 3. PAGE 08 PAGE 60 The Combat Zone 20 GlitterBomb: The Greatest Robot We’ve Never Fought 23 Auckland University Robotics Association Holds Inaugural Competition 24 More than Fun and Games: Serious Lessons from a Work Party 26 Boomzilla Departments 16 06 Mind/Iron 32 Showcase Bots in Brief Robot Lies 50 SERVO Webstore • Pick-and-Place for Groceries 07 Events Calendar 65 RoboLinks • Atlas has Flipped 18 New Products 66 Advertiser’s Index • Going Soft is Stronger • Baby Bot? SERVO Magazine (ISSN 1546-0592/CDN Pub Agree#40702530) is published monthly for $26.95 per year by T & L Publications, Inc., 430 Princeland Court, Corona, CA 92879. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT CORONA, CA AND AT ADDITIONAL ENTRY MAILING OFFICES. POST MASTER: Send address changes to SERVO Magazine, P.O. Box 15277, North Hollywood, CA 91615 or Station A, P.O. Box 54, Windsor ON N9A 6J5; [email protected] 4 SERVO 01.2018 TOC - Jan 18_TOC SV Mar 15.qxd 12/5/2017 6:10 AM Page 5 In This Issue ... 08 Robytes 52 Helping Educators Teach Stimulating Robot Tidbits by Jeff and Jenn Eckert Robotics • Things Looking Up for Assemblers by Ken Gracey • Man vs. Moto Appetizer: Guest-hosted column with different • Robot Drive Innovation perspectives and opinions on all things robotic. • Win Big Bucks! Celebrating their 20th year in education, Parallax is making • Say “Cheese” a much deeper commitment in 2018 with free Professional Development courses for up to 500 educators in 12 11 Drone Delivery — Part 2 locations across the US. The Multi-Rotor Hobbyist by John Leeman 54 New Kids on the ServoBlock Last month, we gave our drone hands with a servo Twin Tweaks: Twin brothers hack whatever’s put in controller gripper. We could fly around and drop off front of them, then tell you about it. packages on command, but I’m a big fan of automation. It by Bryce and Evan Woolley was hard to judge when I was in the vicinity where I See how to supercharge your standard servos so they can wanted to open the gripper. This month, we’ll experiment better handle significant lateral loads. with adding GPS into the system to automatically open the gripper when we are within range of our target. 60 Robots that Cook and 28 A Time to Plow Handle Food by Elyse Colihan Then & Now: Advances in robotics from the past up For the past seven years, robotics teams from all over the through today. United States and Canada have been travelling to Saint by Tom Carroll Paul, MN during the brutal Minnesota winter to showcase One task that seems to take a lot of time is cooking and their creation of autonomous vehicles able to plow snow handling foods. Automation and the application of robotic from designated paths. operations is quickly becoming a viable option for those in the food industry. 34 Make a Splash with an Underwater Quadcopter ROV by Theron Wierenga We’ll continue and complete this fun robotic underwater remotely operated vehicle with a description of the PCB. We’ll also tidy up the circuit and minimize the length of the signal lines. 42 RobotBASIC Robots for Beginners by John Blankenship Readers that have never built a robot often find the low- level programming needed to control motors and interrogate sensors to be intimidating. This final article in a two-part series shows how easy it is to add sensors to the inexpensive motorized platforms developed last month. 46 Neato + ROS = Robot Navigation by Camp Peavy As difficult as robot navigation can be, it has never been easier to give your automaton the ability to know where it is. PAGE 11 SERVO 01.2018 5 Bergeron - Mind-Iron - Jan 18_Mind-Iron - Feb15.qxd 12/6/2017 10:13 AM Page 6 FOR THE ROBOT Mind / Iron INNOVATOR ERVO Published Monthly By by Bryan Bergeron, Editor ª T & L Publications, Inc. 430 Princeland Ct., Corona, CA 92879-1300 (951) 371-8497 Robot Lies FAX (951) 371-3052 Webstore Only 1-800-783-4624 oftware chatbots and more Law. Finally, a chatbot that lies may www.servomagazine.com recently real robots can be violate the Third Law, depending on S Subscriptions programmed and even self-evolve to the nature of the lie. A white lie, for Toll Free 1-877-525-2539 lie. As such, just as with human- example, would likely not violate the Outside US 1-818-487-4545 human conversations, human- law. P.O. Box 15277, N. Hollywood, CA 91615 machine interactions aren’t Science fiction aside, there are PUBLISHER necessarily informative, helpful, or myriad moral, ethical, and — most Larry Lemieux [email protected] even fact-based. That said, sometimes importantly — legal issues surrounding ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ lying is necessary. chatbots and robots that lie. What ADVERTISING SALES Imagine the difficulty you’d have should be the consequences, for Robin Lemieux if your chatbot assistant is incapable example, when an Alexa-like chatbot [email protected] of saying you’re away from your desk announces “Your order is shipping EDITOR when you simply don’t want to be now,” when — in reality — the Bryan Bergeron [email protected] disturbed. product you ordered online is Or, when the AI assistant in an backordered a few days? CONTRIBUTING EDITORS intelligent tutoring program says that True, the chatbot is responding Tom Carroll Kevin Berry R. Steven Rainwater John Leeman you’re “doing great” when, in fact, faithfully to orders from the other John Blankenship Theron Wierenga you are bombing a course. online vendor, but in so doing, is lying Bryce Woolley Evan Woolley Jeff Eckert Jenn Eckert Or, when a medical robot about to the customer. Ken Gracey Camp Peavy to give an injection with a long large- What if this behavior isn’t Elyse Colihan April Baker bore needle announces “Now, this programmed by the vendor, but self- James Baker Max Gruebner Don Miles Aaron Nielsen won’t hurt a bit.” evolves through machine learning? Is Chris Seyfert As a point of reference — even if the creator of the algorithm legally at only in science fiction — where does fault? CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT lying (or not) fit in with Asimov’s Humans lie to save face, to [email protected] three laws? If you recall: smooth negotiations, and even to WEBSTORE MARKETING COVER GRAPHICS provide better outcomes for all Brian Kirkpatrick I. A robot may not injure a parties. For example, regardless of [email protected] human being or, through inaction, how terrible the surgery is going, WEBSTORE MANAGER/ allow a human being to come to when physicians around the operating PRODUCTION harm. table repeatedly congratulate each Sean Lemieux [email protected] II. A robot must obey orders other on the success of their surgery, ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF given it by human beings except the patient does better. Re Gandara where such orders would conflict Apparently, the subconscious of Copyright 2018 by with the First Law. the anesthetized patient responds T & L Publications, Inc. III. A robot must protect its own positively to the good news. All Rights Reserved All advertising is subject to publisher’s approval. existence, as long as such protection I suspect that the same positive We are not responsible for mistakes, misprints, does not conflict with the First or banter would be helpful during or typographical errors. SERVO Magazine assumes Second Law. robotic surgery, even if between two no responsibility for the availability or condition of advertised items or for the honesty of the surgical robots, or a surgical robot advertiser. The publisher makes no claims for the Clearly, a chatbot that lies may and a support robot. legality of any item advertised in SERVO. This is the cause injury to a human, thereby To my knowledge, this hasn’t sole responsibility of the advertiser. Advertisers and their agencies agree to indemnify and protect the violating the First Law.