Robonova 1 is a fully customizable and programmable aluminum robot. Its movement is done with HiTEC muscles. These smart muscles and joints give complete control of torque, speed and position. The programming software is simple, so advanced knowledge of programming is not needed. It can walk, run, do flips, cartwheels and dance. It is available as a kit, so you can enjoy building your robot yourself, or as a pre-assembled, ready to walk. In addition to the typical robot talent for walking until it senses a wall using ultrasound, Robonova can be instructed to do cartwheels, take a bow and even do one-handed push-ups.

ROBONOVA-I robotics kit was designed for easy assembly in 6 to 8 hours using only a screwdriver. With the help of detailed step-by-step instructions you assemble the kit components to produce a working humanoid robot of the kind only usually found in universities and research institutes. The set includes all the software required to allow you to bring the robot to purposeful life – even if you are a complete beginner.

The plastic components are made of an extremely high-quality material which provides all the robustness required for daily use. The custom gold anodized metal servo brackets serve as strong and lightweight exoskeleton and the durable plastic body case components protect the control board and battery from damage.

The brain and heart of the ROBONOVA-1 is the well-known ATMEL ATMega 128 processor, its internal memory supplemented by a 64K*8 EEPROM as storage for Robo-Script and Robo-Basic programs. The robot can be fitted with an Infra-Red receiver and controlled using a standard IR remote control handset.

To asseble, program and run it you will need: PC Computer (running Windows 98 or later), philips screwdriver, tweezers, nippers, screw lock, 2 AAA Batteries (for remoto control).

The Robonova I offers educators, students and robotic hobbyists a complete robot package. The advanced and stable Robonova I can walk, run, do flips, cartwheels, dance moves and once programmed, is ready to compete in any Robo One Class “J” competition. This “ready-to-walk” version of the Robonova I is pre-built and offers instant gratification out of the box. On the other hand, if you prefer to construct your own Robonova I, check out the Robonova I Kit, which allows you to enjoy building your new friend from the ground up.

Built Tough
The custom gold anodized metal servo brackets serve as a strong and lightweight exoskeleton. Robonova I also features durable plastic body case components that protect the control board and battery from damage.

Servo Motors
This fully articulating, 12-inch high, mechanical humanoid is controlled with 16 powerful HSR-8498HB digital servos built specifically for the Robonova I by Hitec. These custom servos feature “set pin” locking of the servo arms for easy assembly, over-voltage current protection, super strong Karbonite gear trains, and “feedback” technology for simple programming.

Micom Control Board with Flexible Interface
The control board is the heart of the Robonova I. Secured to the back of the robot under a strong plastic case, the control board can operate up to 24 servos and 16 accessory modules. Optional devices will eventually include gyros, acceleration sensors, speech synthesis modules and operational devices such as Bluetooth controllers and R/C transmitters and receivers. This flexible and sophisticated interface allows you to customize Robonova I into the robot of your dreams.

ROBONOVA-I robotics kit was designed for easy assembly in 6 to 8 hours using only a screwdriver. With the help of detailed step-by-step instructions you assemble the kit components to produce a working humanoid robot of the kind only usually found in universities and research institutes. The set includes all the software required to allow you to bring the robot to purposeful life – even if you are a complete beginner. The plastic components are made of an extremely high-quality material which provides all the robustness required for daily use. The custom gold anodized metal servo brackets serve as strong and lightweight exoskeleton and the durable plastic body case components protect the control board and battery from damage.

The brain and heart of the ROBONOVA-1 is the well-known ATMEL ATMega 128 processor, its internal memory supplemented by a 64K*8 EEPROM as storage for Robo-Script and Robo-Basic programs. The robot can be fitted with an Infra-Red receiver and controlled using a standard IR remote control handset. To asseble, program and run it you will need: PC Computer (running Windows 98 or later), philips screwdriver, tweezers, nippers, screw lock, 2 AAA Batteries (for remoto control).

The 12″ tall mechanical man is controlled with 16 powerful HSR-8498HB digital servos. The custom gold anodized metal servo brackets serve as a strong and lightweight exoskeleton. ROBONOVA-I also features durable plastic body case components that protect the control board and battery from damage. Powering the ROBONOVA-I is a 5-cell NiMH rechargeable battery that delivers around 1 hour of operational time. The included D/C to D/C charger features a protection circuit to help prevent battery charging mishaps.

The Robonova operated right away after assembly with out any hookup to a PC. However the zero settings all needed to be reset to allow the robot to walk without toppling. So, to get it right, a PC hookup will be required. The manual leaves a lot to be desired. It is very vague in several locations so that good judgment will be needed in several places. Areas to watch for are; the leg servo numbering has conflicting diagrams, and the controller board has a plastic covering which must be partially cut away to allow the three right arm servo connections to go to the correct sockets. The organization and the terminology of the manual could also use some work.

Since 1998, LEGO ‘s Mindstorms products have generated a veritable legion of young robot builders, and the company’s NXT is the most significant update to its unique robot-building kit to date. The kit has, in fact, been incorporated as the grade-school level component of Dean Kamen’s For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) science competition, wherein students build robots that compete in mini soccer and other mini forms of arena-based sports.

One might ask itself what is a review of a Lego set doing on an IT oriented web site. Well, this is not the Lego we remember from 15 years ago, this is a high tech robotics set based on Lego. The set contains 577 pieces, of which most are based on Lego Technic. I must admit that there are some pretty strange parts (can?t really call them bricks) for someone like me who didn?t play with Lego for years, but they all follow the same principle and it?s easy to catch on. The essence of this set are NXT parts: NXT brick, touch sensor, sound sensor, light sensor, ultrasonic sensor, servo motors and NXT software. The NXT brick is the brain of the whole set, it?s a pretty large brick that gets the input from the sensors and run the servos based on the programming. Inside it there is a 32bit ARM7 processor with 256KB of flash memory and 64KB of RAM. It connects to outer world through a USB port or a Class II 2.0 Bluetooth device. It has four input ports (for sensors) and 3 output ports (for servos) and a monochromatic 100×64 pixel LCD display and a small loudspeaker. It gets power from six AA batteries or a rechargeable battery pack that?s sold separately.

There are four buttons that help configuring the brick. The touch sensor works very simple, it can tell you when its sensing area has been pressed, released or bumped. It?s rudimentary, but with some imagination can become very useful. The sound sensor doesn?t do much but measure the level of sound, either in decibels or adjusted decibels. Again, it?s not revolutionary, but with imagination you can do wonders. For example you can program your robot to do something when you clap your hands. The light sensor has a monochromatic eye that just tells you what the light level in the area is. For example it can be used to make your robot follow a line. The last but not the least is the ultrasonic sensor. It measures the distance to the nearest object in front of it with a precision of +/- 3cm using ultrasound. It works on the same principle as a bat or radar and can make your robot detect walls or obstacles. All these sensors are useless if your robot can?t react to the information in collects and that?s where the servos come in. The three servos are pretty versatile as you can adjust the rotation speed and can rotate with a precision of 1 degree. You can also use them as rotation sensors.

Straight from Japan, this astounding ‘bot is named Plen and he can rollerskate with incredible deftness – and that’s just one of his talents. Billed as a ‘Desktop Hobby Robot’, Plen’s frame has 18 joints, and a gyroscopic sensor for balance and movement. You control him via Bluetooth. New motions for him are designed by dragging your computers mouse – Plen will do his best to copy the motions. He can then be made to carry out the stored “hobbies” at any time by Bluetoothing them to him – either straight from the computer if it’s Bluetooth-enabled, or from your phone or other device. A pair of skates is included to get him started.

To see how plen works you can visit plens site at http://www.plen.jp