Published Monthly By
T & L Publications, Inc.
430 Princeland Court
Corona, CA 92879-1300
(951) 371-8497
FAX (951) 371-3052
Webstore Only 1-800-783-4624
www.servomagazine.com
Mind / Iron
by Bryan Bergeron, Editor
Subscriptions
Toll Free 1-877-525-2539
Outside US 1-818-487-4545
P.O. Box 15277
North Hollywood, CA 91615
Tough Enough
of the environment and still be
capable of carrying out a military
mission. Fortunately, as with many
military advances in robotics,
methods of hardening have
percolated through to the consumer
market.
The iRobot Looj (torn down
in this issue) illustrates how an
inexpensive consumer robot can be
useful by virtue of its ability to
perform in a hostile environment.
The Looj features water-tight seams,
structural integrity that allows it to
survive a fall from a dozen feet onto
a grassy surface, and power that
approaches that of a battle bot. Even
so, it’s light enough to be clipped to
a utility belt.
The typical environmental
challenges faced by designers of
service robots can be just as
threatening as a rain gutter.
Prototype robots designed to rescue
soldiers from the battlefield must be
able to handle a significant,
unbalanced load while remaining
impervious to mud and debris.
Similarly, assistant robots for home
and hospital use must be able to
operate when contaminated with
body fluids and, more significantly,
withstand the rigors of
decontamination. Unlike a surgical
instrument that can be autoclaved,
nurse proxy robots must be able to
withstand frequent spray-downs with
antiseptics.
As illustrated by the prototypes
of service robots used to retrieve
wounded soldiers from the battlefield
or to help patients in and out of bed,
service robots must have sufficient
environmental resistance while posing
PUBLISHER
Larry Lemieux
publisher@servomagazine.com
Although not always labeled as
such, a lot of the articles featured in
SERVO address the issue of fragility.
For one robot to battle another
head-on, or to compete in an arena
where jarring contact is inevitable, it
must be hardened against both the
environment and attack from
opposing robots. Weapon-wielding
battle bots are the best example of
the advantage of being tougher than
the competition and, to a lesser
extent, the environment. However, if
you take a champion battle bot out
of a clean arena and run it outside in
the rain, the water will likely destroy
the electronics and mud clog the
drive mechanism long before the
opposing battle bot has a chance to
land a blow.
I’m not suggesting that the
robotics community should focus on
creating Terminator robots. However,
if we’re going to create truly useful
service robots that can cook, clean,
carry, and look after us in our old
age, then we need to move past
fragile robots to more sturdy designs.
Most of my robots — whether from
a kit or designed from scratch —
couldn’t survive a fall from a tabletop
or an accidental dowsing with a cup
of coffee. My relationship with these
robots is as their caretaker. I can’t
yet imagine being taken care of by
a robot.
Hardening a robot against the
environment and other robots or
even ill-meaning humans is no mean
task. Companies like iRobot spend
millions on R&D to harden their
robots against the heat and humidity
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/
VP OF SALES/MARKETING
Robin Lemieux
display@servomagazine.com
EDITOR
Bryan Bergeron
techedit-servo@yahoo.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Jeff Eckert Tom Carroll
Gordon McComb David Geer
Dennis Clark R. Steven Rainwater
Fred Eady Kevin Berry
Brian Benson Robert Doerr
Kate Howard Jim Stewart
Charles Guan Rob Farrow
Bryce Woolley Evan Woolley
Heather Dewey-Hagborg
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR
Tracy Kerley
subscribe@servomagazine.com
MARKETING COORDINATOR
WEBSTORE
Brian Kirkpatrick
sales@servomagazine.com
WEB CONTENT
Michael Kaudze
website@servomagazine.com
PRODUCTION/GRAPHICS
Shannon Lemieux
Joe Keungmanivong
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Debbie Stauffacher
Mind/Iron Continued
6 SERVO 05.2008
Copyright 2008 by
T & L Publications, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
All advertising is subject to publisher’s approval.
We are not responsible for mistakes, misprints,
or typographical errors. SERVO Magazine
assumes no responsibility for the availability or
condition of advertised items or for the honesty
of the advertiser. The publisher makes no claims
for the legality of any item advertised in SERVO.
This is the sole responsibility of the advertiser.
Advertisers and their agencies agree to
indemnify and protect the publisher from any
and all claims, action, or expense arising from
advertising placed in SERVO. Please send all
editorial correspondence, UPS, overnight mail,
and artwork to: 430 Princeland Court,
Corona, CA 92879.
