14 DAY TRIAL // Need a robot to test drive Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008 R2? Need actual drivers necessary to run a physical CoroBot robot? Want to contribute to developing an open-source robotics project? Then CoroWare CoroBot Robotics Developer Studio Project is the answer to all your questions. CoroWare has released CoroBot as an open-source project and is providing a number of downloads via SourceForge. The best thing, since it’s open source, the CoroWare CoroBot Robotics Developer Studio Project is also available completely for free.
Robotics developers will be able to download the actual services and drivers that will allow them to run a CoroBot unit. In addition, CoroWare has also thrown in the Operator Control Unit that will allow users to operate the robot remotely. Furthermore, CoroWare CoroBot Robotics Developer Studio Project also brings to the table a simulated version of the robot designed to be leveraged into the Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio physics based simulator.
“You do not need a physical CoroBot robot to use the code. The simulated CoroBot is a standalone robot for the RDS simulator. It is a mobile 4-wheel skid steering robot, with a 3 degree-of-freedom arm, gripper, infrared distance sensors, and webcam,” said Trevor Taylor, program manager, Microsoft Applied Robotics Solutions. “The code is licensed under LGPL. Contributions are invited from the RDS Community.”
In order to test the CoroWare CoroBot Robotics Developer Studio Project developers will need at least Windows XP .NET libraries 2.0 or greater, Visual Studio 2005 or greater, Phidgets drivers, CoroWare CoroBot (optional) and Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio version 1.5 or 2008, but they can also use the R2 version of the MRDS. The Redmond company released Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008 R2 in June 2009.
Both the physic and the simulated CoroBot offer: “4 wheel skid steering platform; 3 degree of freedom arm with gripper; infrared distance sensors in front and back of robot and a webcam, but only the first also comes with gripper pressure sensor.”
Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008 R2 Standard Edition and Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008 R2 Express Edition are available for download here.