Recently, I have had the privilege to speak at the East Tennessee .Net Users Group as well as Codestock concerning Microsoft Robotics. I have to say that this topic has been a very exciting one for me and I am amazed at the level of interest that people of all ages have concerning this topic. The purpose of this post is to highlight my lessons learned concerning Microsoft Robotics and to provide links and information for those who want to check it out for themselves.
A Few Notes About Robotics
There are several misconceptions that I found when I began working with and presenting on robotics.
- The cost of getting into robotics is too high; I can’t afford the hardware! – This is both true and false. Microsoft Robotics Studio comes pre-packaged with a Simulation Environment that allows you to use your robots in a virtual world. You can start writing code to control your robot long before you invest any money in hardware! It even comes pre-packaged with several template robots to help you start writing code the first day!
- Robotics Studio is expensive - Actually, there are several ways to get Robotics Studio FOR FREE. First off, there is an express edition of Robotics studio. It is fully functional and only lacks the ability to compile your VPL diagrams into C# projects. Also, you can get you hands on the professional editions for free using the awesome Dreamspark and Bizspark programs
- Robotics is too complicated – To be totally honest, using the VPL makes robotics very easy to program. A mildly savvy computer user should not have any troubles starting in Robotics. Once the environment is set up, children could very easily write robotic code using the VPL (some guidance would be required).
My Presentation on Robotics (Mindstorming 101)
If you are interested in checking out my presentation on robotics, please feel free to check out the following links.
- Slidedeck (Coming Soon)
- Video (Coming Soon)
- Code Samples (Coming Soon)
Also, I am always open to hear about other people’s projects and would be more than happy to field whatever questions / concerns you run into while building your first robot. I am, by no means, an expert but I am more than willing to give it my best.
Finally, if you would like for me to present about robotics for a local group, I would be more than happy to do so. Its a great topic! Please give me a shout! (My email addy is nblevins at this-domain.com)
Getting Started
Unfortunately, even though there are quite a few different links and instructional sources for Microsoft Robotics, there are several ‘gaps’ which can be very frustrating for any beginner. Below is a categorized list of links that worked very well for me while I was beginning my journey.
Microsoft Robotics General
- MSDN
- Other Sources
- Lego Mindstorms
Using the Wii Control Set with Robotics
Book Sources
- Programming Microsoft Robotics Studio by Sara Morgan – This is not quite a beginner’s book. It does have some pretty interesting parts, but I found it much more useful after I went through the above MSDN links for a while.
- There are a few other books on Amazon, but I have yet to check them out.
Happy Programming!