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<!--[if lte IE 7]><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/mainIE.css" /><![endif]-->                <title>Introduction | ColonyScout.com</title>
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                <a href="index.php"><img src="/images/scout_logo.gif"></a>
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                        <a title="Introduction to the Scout robot" href="/intro.php">Introduction</a>
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                        <a title="Mechanics of the Colony Scout" href="/mechanics.php">Mechanics</a>
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                        <a title="Sensors and Communications" href="/sensors.php">Sensors &amp; Communication</a>
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                        <a title="Platform: Software and Hardware" href="/platform.php">Platform</a>
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                        <a title="Applications for the Colony Scout" href="/applications.php">Applications</a>
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                        <a title="Video of the Scout in Action" href="/gallery.php">Video</a>
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                        <a title="Meet the Scout Team" href="/contact.php">Contact</a>
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                                                <h1>What is the Colony Scout?</h1>
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                                                <p><b>Swarm intelligence</b><i>\'sw&ograve;rm in-'te-l&#x0259;-j&#x0259;n(t)s\</i> describes the collective behavior of decentralized, 
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                                                self-organized systems, natural or artificial.</p>
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                                                <img src="images/intro_colony3.jpg" alt="Colony 3"/>
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                                                <p>The Colony project of the <a href="http://www.roboclub.org" target="about:blank">Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Club</a>
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                                                demonstrates the capabilities of a colony of 
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                                                simple low-cost robots that are able to localize relative to each other using <em>"swarm intelligence".</em> Each device 
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                                                gathers information about its environment via simple one-dimensional sensors, such as IR beacons, and shares data 
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                                                via an ad hoc wireless network.</p>
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                                                <img src="images/intro_scout.jpg" alt="Colony Scout Accessories"/>
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                                                <p>The Scout is designed as an evolution of the current platform employed by the Carnegie Mellon project. It builds on the 
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                                                technology of the Colony III robots (top picture) and offers new functionality to each individual robot. In this way each robot 
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                                                can offer more intelligence to the swarm, operate over more extreme terrain, and cover larger distances more quickly. Scout takes 
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                                                the lessons gleaned from several years of research and aims to provide a simple interface into a powerful set of reliable 
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                                                technologies.</p>
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                                                <h1>Project Goals</h1>
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                                                <p>At the outset of the Scout project in April of 2009, several goals were defined. The new robot should have:</p>
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                                                        <ul>
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                                                                <li>enhancements over the current sensor array</li>
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                                                                <li>a more robust localization scheme</li>
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                                                                <li>be physically capable of traversing complex terrain (indoor, possibly outdoor)</li>
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                                                                <li>an adaptable design that can be modified for different purposes</li>
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                                                                <li>be capable of object/environment manipulation</li>
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                                                                <li>similar form factor and power requirements</li>
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                                                                <li>Must be low-cost (sub $500 in qty)</li>
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                                                        </ul>
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                                                <p>The cost restriction has been a major driving factor for most design decisions and even the motivation for the project. There are 
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                                                many commerical solutions that offer compact and capable robots, but at a price point unsuitable for undergraduate studies and 
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                                                invididual research.</p>
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                                                <p>We aimed to develop a platform enticing to individuals, companies, and research institutions, but at a price point that doesn't 
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                                                hinder innonvative research.</p>
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                                        </div>                        
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                                        <div class="side-box gray">
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                                        <img src="images/intro_kiva.jpg" alt="Kiva storage rack handling robots"/>
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                                        <p><small><i>Kiva's robots carrying package racks (Credit: Forbes.com)</i></small></p>
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                                        <p>Colonies of robots have many applications. They can solve larger problems than individual 
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                                        robots. The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory has developed a colony of robots that seeks out 
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                                        liquid spills. They surround the spill by having each robot locate part of the edge of the spill. Kiva's orange package carrying 
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                                        robots perform orchestrated dances in warehouses across the United States, enhancing productivity of the entire delivery system.</p>
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                                                <h1>Feature Comparison</h1>
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                                                <table> 
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                                                        <tr><th><strong>Tech</strong></th><th><strong>Colony III</strong></th><th><strong>Scout</strong></th></tr> 
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                                                        <tr><td>Processor</td><td>8MHz 8-bit AVR</td><td>600MHz 32-bit ARM9 + 16MHz 8-bit AVR</td></tr> 
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                                                        <tr><td>Rangefinders</td><td>5 Position (1.5-12in) IR</td><td>48 Position, 360-degree coverage (0-20ft) Sonar</td></tr> 
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                                                        <tr><td>Battery</td><td>6.0VDC 2.6Ah NiMH</td><td>7.4VDC 4.0Ah Lion</td> </tr> 
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                                                        <tr><td>Locomotion</td><td>2 Wheel Differential Drive</td><td>4WD Skid Steer</td> </tr> 
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                                                        <tr><td>Ground Clearance</td><td>None</td><td>1.34" Clearance with Rocker Pivot to conform to terrain</td> </tr> 
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                                                        <tr><td>Cliff Detection</td><td>None</td><td>3 Side Drop-off Detection</td> </tr> 
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                                                        <tr><td>BOM</td><td>16 Point IR</td><td>4 Point IR with modulation</td> </tr> 
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                                                        <tr><td>Wireless</td><td>Zigbee, 300 ft range</td><td>IPv6, 1 mile range</td> </tr> 
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                                                        <tr><td>Charging</td><td> Removable</td><td>Integrated homing and charging contacts</td> </tr> 
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                                                        <tr><td>Extension</td><td>None</td><td> Accessory/Expansion hardpoints and power/data connection</td> </tr> 
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                                                        <tr><td>Production</td><td>Botrics</td><td>In-house design and manufacturing for full control over device lifetime</td> 
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                                                        </tr> 
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                                                </table>
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                                                <p><h2>Eager to learn more? Explore the rest of ColonyScout.com.</h2></p>
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