Cyrus the Tux Droid and his friend, Fux

Posted 31 Mar 2007 at 23:27 UTC (updated 31 Mar 2007 at 23:37 UTC) by steve

According to a LinuxDevices story, the latest robot to come out of Europe is the Belgian Tux Droid, named Cyrus. Despite the name, the Tux droid doesn't run Linux. Inside is an Atmel AVR microcontroller. The robot does include a Python based API called tuxdaemon that allows it to be controlled from a Linux box using a fishy USB dongle called "Fux". The Tux droid communicates with Fux using a 2.4GHz full-duplex RF link. So what's the robot actually do? It can move its beak and LED eyes. It can flap its wings, and spin. The wings and head have pressure sensors that can trigger behaviors. It also has a speaker and microphone, allowing it to reproduce sounds or even act as VOIP phone. Suggested uses include dancing when you receive an email or acting as an alarm clock. Among the other features, it includes an IrDA transceiver and an I2C bus connector that might allow some interesting new sensors or actuators. Find out more on the Tux Droid community portal.