Sun, 26 Apr 2009 8:07:05 EST
The actual originator of a lot of my projects in the last few years has been the old RC car I have. Its a Team Associated RC10. Ever since learning about the original DARPA urban challenge I have been interested in robotics and automated navigation.
Its my belief that an RC hobbyist platform provides a great place to start for someone interested in learning how the pros do it and so does Mr. McLurkin in his
interview at the Smithsonian Lemerson Center about robot communities.
A phenomenal resource I have found while doing research on the availability of USB control this weekend has been the
videos by the late Chris Chianelli on The Radio Control Show. They are simply amazing, have high production polish, and are entertaining. Its very tragic that Chris is no longer around. His videos are something else.
The thing thats so amazing about these hobby RC vehicles whether it be plane, boat, or car is that they are so high performance that they draw an insane amount of power that is scary if you dont respect it. That level of power provides a great learning opportunity in how to deal with such large amperages that can translate into working with electrical vehicles and components in a non-hobbyist situation.
