Using Microsoft Robotics Studio to Program Parallax's Boe-Bot
With the newly released Microsoft Robotics Studio and Parallax's Boe-Bot Robot Kit, which uses Bluetooth technology, robotic programming has become accessible to anyone with .NET programming skills.
by Sara Morgan Rea
November 29, 2006
f you have ever wanted to experiment with robots but thought they were too expensive or complicated, think again. Earlier this year, Microsoft released a Community Technical Preview (CTP) of a new product named Microsoft Robotics Studio. The free software allows you to build applications that control robots using ASP.NET. That was timely, because Parallax, a California-based electronics company, has introduced a robot kit that supports Bluetooth technology and works directly with Microsoft Robotics Studio. And the best part is that the kit costs less than $200. This article will walk you through the steps for assembling the Boe-Bot and then using Robotics Studio to control its movements.
What You Need
Visual Studio .NET 2005
Microsoft Robotics SDK (November 2006 CTP release)
Parallax's Boe-Bot Kit for Microsoft Robotics Studio
BASIC Stamp Windows Editor, version 2.2.6
USB Adapter for your computer if the computer is not Bluetooth enabled
Parallax's Boe-Bot for Microsoft Robotics Studio
Parallax is an electronics company that designs and manufactures several robots for engineers, educators and hobbyists. The Boe-Bot is a small autonomous wheeled robot that's easy to assemble and requires no soldering—you need only a small screwdriver and a couple of free hours to assemble the robot.
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f you have ever wanted to experiment with robots but thought they were too expensive or complicated, think again. Earlier this year, Microsoft released a Community Technical Preview (CTP) of a new product named Microsoft Robotics Studio. The free software allows you to build applications that control robots using ASP.NET. That was timely, because Parallax, a California-based electronics company, has introduced a robot kit that supports Bluetooth technology and works directly with Microsoft Robotics Studio. And the best part is that the kit costs less than $200. This article will walk you through the steps for assembling the Boe-Bot and then using Robotics Studio to control its movements.
