engineering

HERO (robot)

HERO (robot) is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand HERO (robot) rather than just read about it. In short: HERO (from Heathkit Educational Robot) is a series of several educational robots sold by Heathkit during the 1980s. The Heath Company began the HERO 1 project in October 1979, with the first release in 1982.

Key takeaways

HERO (robot) belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect HERO (robot) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of HERO (robot) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

HERO (from Heathkit Educational Robot) is a series of several educational robots sold by Heathkit during the 1980s. The Heath Company began the HERO 1 project in October 1979, with the first release in 1982. Models include the HERO 1, HERO Jr., and HERO 2000. Heathkit supported the HERO robot line until 1995. The units were either sold as assembly kits or prebuilt by Heathkit for an additional fee. The 1980s models are considered collector's items, due to their rarity. For the most part, they cannot perform practical tasks, but are more geared toward entertainment and education above all.

HERO 1 (ET-18)

HERO 1 is a self-contained mobile robot controlled by an onboard computer with a Motorola 6808 CPU and 4 kB of RAM. The robot features light, sound, and motion detectors as well as a sonar ranging sensor. An optional arm mechanism and speech synthesizer was produced for the kit form and included in the assembled form. To make this power available in a simple way, high-level programming languages were created. For example, the ANDROTEXT language is a HERO 1 editor and compiler developed in 1982 for the IBM PC. HERO 1 is featured on a few episodes of the children's television program Mr. Wizard's World. Byte magazine called HERO 1 "a product of extraordinary flexibility and function ... If you are interested in robotics, Heath will show you the way".

HERO Jr. (RT-1)

A smaller version called HERO Jr. was released later. Heathkit intended it for the home market, and therefore made it less complex, and more self-contained. Like HERO 1, HERO Jr. has a 6808 processor, but only 2 kB of RAM. It has onboard speech synthesis, a Polaroid sonar range sensor, a light sensor, a sound sensor, and an optional infrared sensor. Other optional components include a pair of extra batteries to double the operational time between charges, from an estimated 4 hours to 8 hours. A remote control accessory allows users to drive the robot around. It includes a motion sensor that causes the robot to croak "SOM-THING-MOVE" when it detects a source of motion. Heathkit released several add-ons to increase the robot's capabilities, including a transmitter to activate a home security system in the event it senses movement while on "guard duty". Also, additional cartridges with programs and games were produced, as well as a components to allow the user to directly program the robot. The drive mechanism is backward compared to the HERO 1, with the drive and steering wheel in the back of the robot. The head section features an indentation to allow the robot to transport up to 10 pounds (4.5 kg). The robot can speak several phrases from various films that involve robots or computers. It is capable of remembering and repeating back its master's name, singing songs, reciting poems, acting as an alarm clock, and making its own combinations of phonemes to create a robotic gibberish.

HERO 2000 (ET-19)

The much more powerful HERO 2000 includes several onboard microprocessors, onboard speech synthesis, several sensors, and the ability to add expansion cards using a passive backplane.

HE-RObot

The HE-RObot is the result of a strategic partnership between Heathkit and White Box Robotics, marketed to the educational market. When available, it cost up to US$8,000. Heathkit sold approximately 50 of these robots before bankruptcy in 2012.

See also 1980s in science and technology R.O.B. – Video game console peripheral Topo (robot)

References

Bibliography

External links Heathkit Robots at Robot Gallery The Hero Robot Web Source Vintage Hero Robots Family Heathkit HERO robot owners user group Video demonstration of HERO 1 (Beginning at 12:30) Heathkit HERO 1 Robots - Vintage Heathkit Educational Trainer Robots (HERO 1) ET-18 ETW-18 Scan of the original brochure for the Hero 1 Heathkit Zenith HERO JR Robot! on YouTube Heathkit Hero 2000 Robots

Illustrations

HERO (robot): HERO 1's control panel — HERO 1's control panel

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with HERO (robot)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what HERO (robot) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to HERO (robot) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about HERO (robot) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of HERO (robot)

In research: HERO (robot) appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses HERO (robot) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: HERO (robot) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1982 robots, Educational robots, Heathkit, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for HERO (robot) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study HERO (robot) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what HERO (robot) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain HERO (robot) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is HERO (robot) in simple terms?

Why does HERO (robot) matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study HERO (robot)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on HERO (robot).