42 replies to this topic

[dargueta]

Um...A little ambitious there. I've been programming for seven or eight years now, and I still don't know everything. You can't just rush into all this. I suggest you sit down with a good book (Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days comes to mind) and start from there.

And not to rain on your parade...as far as a programmable robot that can be connected to a computer, you're going to need to know:
- Device drivers and how to write them for the operating system you choose. Note: You might be able to get away with this using Java, but it'll be hard no matter what language you choose.
- Machine learning algorithms. Requires good grasp of:
--> pattern recognition algorithms
--> Possibly multivariable calculus, and/or linear algebra, depending on the class of algorithm you choose
--> Statistics
--> Probability theory
--> Searching & sorting algorithms
- Drivers for the appendages or whatever that you're going to use. Should you want to include vision, you're going to make life hell for yourself, as that'd take much more complicated algorithms that even PhDs spend their lives figuring out.
- Enough electrical engineering--BSEE-grade at least--to figure out how to design the thing
- Enough CS to figure out how to program the thing and cram all the code into as small a space as possible
- Assembly language for writing the basic programs for the robot's internal control. Probably ARM, but it depends on your design choices.
- MONEY

I'll be happy to help. Just calm down, okay? :) Start with a high-level language like Java, then work your way down to C/C++, and then get to assembly language. If you jump straight into assembly language your head'll explode.

Edited by Roger, 11 August 2010 - 03:49 PM.

[WingedPanther]

As a side note, I haven't gotten around to learning assembly (though I can usually read it) simply because I want to get things done. I'm not saying Assembly isn't a good language to know, just that I can get programs doing what I want much faster without it.

[dargueta]

I largely agree with you, WP. It helps a lot though when doing really low-level stuff like setting up protected mode and interrupt vectors for operating systems, or programming with tight restrictions on space and/or performance.

[dargueta]

I'm being realistic, x42. Building a robot yourself will take all the stuff I mentioned above. Using a commercially available robot with established drivers and APIs is entirely different (i.e. easier). Neither is trivial. Which one are you going for?

[Alexander]

I agree with dargueta on the matter. If you were proficient in robotic electronics and what they use as interprogrammable PIC microcontrollers it would be varients of BASIC that were preferred by manufacterers and learning facility-based robotic control implementations, not LM86 assembly. If you wish to learn DOS specific assembly on an 8086 (which you're asking us for help on resources for) then you may go ahead, but it will not serve you at all on "programming" another completely obstense chipset.

That is all we are saying. Not to mean in an offensive way, that is not what I intended but you are just going down a long path of something that won't serve purpose of what you're wishing to do.

[artificial]

As you already mentioned, it is better to learn a high-level programming language first. Assembly is actually not a difficult language, but it is kind of strange.
I suggest that you learn C/C++. Once you've done that, you have to read as many books and tutorials on assembly as possible (that's the way I learned it).
There are several good tutorials on the Internet (for example in this community).

Greets,
artificial

[dargueta]

You need drivers to make it able to communicate with the computer. I thought that was part of what you wanted.