I have long been interested in robots but never really made the opportunity to pursue this interest. Perhaps it is time to change this. I have been investigating ways to tailor the open source software paradigm to engineering projects that might be useful in advancing technologies useful to future space settlements. A robot would certainly provide some hands on excitement and serve as a testbed for some engineering projects when I get an open engineering site up.

I have access to all the software tools I need and some obsolete 486s and even 586s available. I also spotted an open engineering site that may provide some software components that would be useful .... let me go get the link in case anybody is interested ...... opencontrol.org I would think the command processor and related realtime control functions for a spacecraft would be directly to applicable to a robot. Note this stuff is open source so if you have the proper language tools to compile it then it should be pretty inexpensive.

Anyway I have several slimline 486s that might make good chassis. I shall have to look around for servo motors ... my brother has been talking about a robotic lawnmower ... LOL perhaps I can get him interested in some prototyping?