Well, the new site design for www.robotx.8m.com is up! One of my goals this summer is to completly revamp the site to include a whole lot more info... I've compiled quite a bit of cool robotics stuff from different sources and I want a decent site to showcase them at.

Once re-designed, the site will have three major sections: Inspiration, Information and Instruction. These "Three I's" represent, I think, the three major sectors of all of the robotics info out there... using this seperator should make the site easier to use than just cramming all sorts of stuff in without catagories!

Still, there are bigger and better robotics sites out there, of course, so RobotX will concentrate on showcasing my robot projects, and also be primarily for robot projects , that is, actual step-by-step documentation of somebody's own robot project and not just general information.

Sort of on the same note... I have applied to be an editor for the open web directory project DMOZ.org in the robotics catagory... we'll see if they accept my application.

In other news... I downloaded the trial version of MobotSim, which is a robot-navigation and control simulator. I didn't (yet) get into the BASIC-styled programming, but ran some included demo programs and played with the environment and the robot... Very cool! At some point, I know I'll have to write some navigation software of my own. This program gives me an idea of how my robot can and should navigate and quite aptly demonstrates robot nav rules and common problems. It's worth checking out... found it at www.mobotsim.com if you need to know. Fun tip: Stick the entire maximum of 72 sensors on the bot and see it crunch. I think I'll stick to two.....

Wow... I wrote a lot. I really hope somebody is interested in my ramblings.

Well, I've been working on updating my Robotics web site, www.robotx.8m.com adding a whole bunch of stuf I didn't get around to yet. I havn't re-uploaded it yet, but that's coming. (The entire site is available at the address, just not my newest version.)

Since we've made quite a few modifications to our mobile robot project "George", I'll have to get some newer pics of our progress. My QuickCam died; I'll have to use my dad's Snappy and hook it up to my camcorder for some images.

In case anyone is wondering about me, here's the run-down:

Age: 15

Highschool Student @ McBain Public, McBain, MI (2001-2002 State Basketball CHAMPS!)

Nearest robotics club: Traverse City ~1 1/2 hour drive

Stuff I do: Certified Lifeguard (Summer job! Whoohoo!) Robotics (duh) Amateur Film Making Autographs History/Politics/Military/Law-Enforcement buff

You wern't THAT interested, were you?

My website, www.robotx.8m.com detailing my George mobile robot project and containing other interesting info is now under "update reconstruction".

I plan on re-designing the site to make it more intuitive and easier to find information... and then cram it full of that information. I've noticed that there is a lot of interesting robotics information to be found on the Internet, but the problem IS finding it. Through my site, I hope to consolodate some of the cool robotics things I've found over the years and make them available to others. Now if only some people would discover my site!!!

As for my George mobile robotics project itself, me and my partner plan on completing the new drive train this summer (details will be posted to the new site), and also finally integrate all of our evil plans for world domination... er... gadgets... onto our platform. Armed with the money from a new summer job, we can hopefully get this thing exploring my house before too long!

---Ben DeKraker

bdekraker@hotmail.com

www.robotx.8m.com