[Sugar-devel] Interesting USB-pluggable robots, controller boards, and sensors

[forster at ozonline.com.au]

Hi
An exciting new robotics idea from Guzman Trinidad.

Turtle Art is programmed to produce two different frequencies. The headphone output of the XO is connected to a pair of LM567 integrated circuit tone decoders, each of which lights a LED when its input signal frequency is present. With this principle we could control any device.

 *http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVzVlAZsz1w*

To be widely adopted, robotics kits need to be low cost and be "low entry high ceiling". Guzman's idea has the potential to lower the cost.

My estimates:

Lego NXT $500
Lego Wedo $170
Scratch sensor board $45
Arduino $40
PICAXE $15 (http://littlebirdelectronics.com/products/picaxe14m-starter-pack)
LM567 decoder board $?

I am unaware if anybody has looked at the PICAXE and the XO, could be worth looking at.

I am assuming that the cost of many of these kits is too high for the markets into which the XO is shipping.

Tony