engineering

MyRobots

MyRobots 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 MyRobots rather than just read about it. In short: MyRobots is an online social network for robots and smart objects. The site claims robots can benefit from being connected to other robots in the same way humans use social networks to interact and collaborate with other humans.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

MyRobots is an online social network for robots and smart objects. The site claims robots can benefit from being connected to other robots in the same way humans use social networks to interact and collaborate with other humans. The robots reportedly share their sensor information, giving insight on their perspective of their current state.

History MyRobots has been launched by RobotShop in December 2011. MyRobots is one of the first Cloud Robotics initiative. Cloud robotics happens when robots are connected to the Internet. Then, by doing so, robots become augmented with more capacity and intelligence. The cloud lets them communicate with other machines and serve their human operators better. Connected robots equal augmented robots. By collaborating with other machines and humans, robots transcend their physical limitations and become more useful and capable, since they can delegate parts of their tasks to more suitable parties.

MyRobots API MyRobots provides a Restful API. All internet enabled devices and robots can connect via the API. Most important keywords used in the MyRobots API: Channel or Robot - The name for where data can be inserted or retrieved within the MyRobots API, identified by a numerical Channel ID. Field - One of eight specific locations for data inside of a channel, identified by a number between 1 and 8. It can store numeric data from sensors or alphanumeric strings from serial devices or RFID readers. Status - A short status message to augment the data stored in a channel. Location - The latitude, longitude, and elevation of where data is being sent from. Feed - The collective name for the data stored inside a channel, which may be any combination of field data, status updates, and location info. Write API Key – A 16 digit code that allows an application to write data to a channel. Read API Key – A 16 digit code that allows an application to read the data stored in a channel. Alerts - Robots can react to certain conditions by using alerts.

MyRobots Connect The MyRobots Connect is a Serial-to-Ethernet gateway that connects directly to MyRobots Data Engine. It's an Open-source Hardware (OSHW) module that uses a Microchip PIC18F67J60 to run a TCP-IP stack. It relays the serial commands received by an included XBee module using an Open Serial Protocol. The MyRobots Connect receives serial data and messages using the wireless XBee module and sends them to the MyRobot servers using a standard internet connection. The MyRobots Connect uses DHCP so connecting it to a router is a simple matter of plugging a network cable; no configuration required.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MyRobots

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MyRobots 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 MyRobots 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 MyRobots 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 MyRobots

In research: MyRobots 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 MyRobots 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: MyRobots is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cloud robotics, French social networking websites, Robotics projects, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MyRobots 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 MyRobots in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MyRobots 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 MyRobots out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MyRobots in simple terms?

Why does MyRobots 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 MyRobots?

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 MyRobots.