The Robotics Primer Workbook Developed by  USC, iRobot® and Microsoft® Robotics Studio

Glossary

Contents 1 BAM 2 Bluetooth 3 CPU 4 Gumstix 5 IR 6 iRobot Command Module 7 iRobot Create 8 iRobot Roomba 9 Linux 10 Microcontroller 11 Microsoft Robotics Studio 12 .NET 13 Player 14 Robostix 15 RooTooth 16 Sonar 17 Teleoperation 18 Wifistix 19 WinAVR

BAM

BlueTooth Adapter Module (BAM) is a BlueTooth module for the Create that allows for a serial connection between a BlueTooth host and the Create.

Bluetooth

A wireless communications protocol commonly found in mobile devices because of its low power requirements.

CPU

An acronym for Central Processing Unit which is the hardware chip (such as a Pentium processor) that performs most of a computer's computation.

Gumstix

A small computer that is about the size of a piece of chewing gum.

IR

An acronym for InfraRed. In this workbook it refers to infrared light used by some sensors to measure distance. See the textbook, The Robotics Primer, for more details about IR.

iRobot Command Module

A product made by iRobot for use with the Create. The Command Module contains a microcontroller and a set of ports for plugging in sensors and actuators. The Command Module attaches to the top of the Create, and turns the Create into an autonomous robot.

iRobot Create

This is a mobile robot produced by iRobot. It is very similar to the iRobot Roomba except it does not contain a vacuum and it has a special socket for the iRobot Command Module.

iRobot Roomba

A mobile robot vacuum cleaner produced by the iRobot corporation.

Linux

A free open-source operating system used throughout this workbook. See this Wikipedia article for a complete description.

Microcontroller

A microcontroller is a cost-effective and self-sufficient computer on a chip . See this Wikipedia article for a complete description.

Microsoft Robotics Studio

A software library developed by Microsoft for programming robots.

.NET

The Microsoft .NET framework is a managed code programming model for Windows. It enables a high level of software integration through the use of Web services—small, discrete, building-block applications that connect to each other as well as to other, larger applications over the Internet.

Player

An free open-source software library used to simplify the process of writing programs for robots.

Robostix

A small circuit board that attaches to the Gumstix computer. The Robostix contains a microntroller and many ports for plugging in sensors and actuators.

RooTooth

A Bluetooth device that plugs into into the iRobot Roomba or iRobot Create. It allows the Roomba or Create to be controlled remotely via another computer.

Sonar

A technique that uses sound waves to measure distance. See the textbook, The Robotics Primer, for more details about sonar.

Teleoperation

The act of controlling a robot or other device remotely. See the textbook, The Robotics Primer, for more details about teleoperation.

Wifistix

A small circuit board that attaches to the top of the Gumstix computer and provides 802.11g wireless communication.

WinAVR

A free software utility used to write and download programs to microncontrollers.