Robot freaks in Japan are very fortunate these days because they can find quite a few robot kits, bipedal walking ones mostly, readily in Akihabara speciality shops. They don't need to design a complicated limb mechanism from scratch anymore. Simply buy a skeleton kit, and concentrate in writing movement software. Things are getting easier if you are not striving to be leading-edge.

RB2000, fully assembled. Battery (NiMH) included.

One of the newest and most affordable kits comes from Japan Remote Control Co. of Higashi Osaka, a remote control specialist, and Vstone Co., a robotics venture. Its joint product, the RB2000 robot kit, carries a very reasonable price of 79,800 yen (US$678), and will come to your neighborhood robot shop around November/December.

The RB2000 kit is equiped with 13 controllable axes, designed and developed by Viston Co. Viston is one of the active participants of Team Osaka whose biped won the three successive championship (2004/5/6) in the Robo-Cup World competition, humanoid class. Therefore, RB2000 can't be called a simple toy robot, but belongs to a sort of thoroughbred line.

RB2000's heart (or brain?), CPU board, can be connected to a PC through a USB cable. Actual programming is done on the PC. The RB2000 is quite flexible. It can be modified and expanded with extra sensors, joints and servo motors. For example, a gyro/acceleration sensor subboard (three axes), digital I/O extension (16 channels), analog input sub-board (eight channels), and LED controller (16 channels) are available along with optional joint assemblies.

Also, the RB2000 is quite agile and gymnastic. Front/backward/side somersault, giant swing on a horizontal bar are in its repertoire. Negotiation of steps (upwards/downwards) is within its capabilities, too.

Some would complain the RB2000 is too complicated to assemble and too expensive. In that case, how about the RB300 kit (29,400 yen, US$258)? The RB300 is a skeleton of the RB200 kit, having only three controllable axes. Vstone claims that even primary school kids can assemble this kit easily, though it has the same CPU board as the larger brother's.

RB300. It can grow into full adult stage in time.

After the novice robotic learner has become familiarized with the software/hardware technics, then comes the expansion. Joints and servo motors can be added step by step, and eventually, the RB300 can grow into adult shape, namely to RB2000. This gradual learning/building process would be rather fun.

 

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