RoadNarrows R&D

The RoadNarrows Research and Development team develops open-interface hardware and software robotic solutions. These solutions consist of accessories systems for existing 3rd party robot platforms as well as original robotic platfroms. RoadNarrows' products are designed as fully-featured platforms that are open for further development to meet the needs of end-user applications.

Check out our R&D gallerywhere you can find images relating to our projects!

Projects

Intelligent Robotic Manipulators
"Hekateros" - www.roadnarrows.com/r-and-d/Hekateros

SYNOPSIS:	The Hekateros family of robotic manipulators are intelligent robotic arms that will operate in arbitrary and variable environments through an integrated perception/actuation control system. The Hekateros initial products will, excluding the end-effector, be a 4 DOF arm mounted on a fixed base and a 5 DOF arm including a rotating base. All Hekateros arms will have a well-defined, standardized, open-source end-effector interface located at the end of the continuously rotatable wrist. Various in-house end-effectors will be supported. However, with the end-effector open architecture, third-party innovators may readily develop job specific end-effectors. The ultimate goals are to provide competitive, commercially available family of affordable, high quality robotic arms. To achieve this goal, the current R&D effort is focusing simultaneously on two interdependent conceptual areas: 1) Design and build several prototype test article versions of the robotic arm proving the concept of providing a robust and capable platform while keeping the potential manufacturing costs low. 2) Research and prototype a software architecture given the current developed state of robot operating systems, intelligent and adaptable robotic kinematic behaviors with sensor (vision, haptic, etc.) integration, and cooperating systems situated in a sensor/effector network.
DETAILS:	Click to visit the Hekateros main page or visit the RoadNarrows Store to buy a Hekateros arm.

SYNOPSIS:

The Hekateros family of robotic manipulators are intelligent robotic arms that will operate in arbitrary and variable environments through an integrated perception/actuation control system. The Hekateros initial products will, excluding the end-effector, be a 4 DOF arm mounted on a fixed base and a 5 DOF arm including a rotating base. All Hekateros arms will have a well-defined, standardized, open-source end-effector interface located at the end of the continuously rotatable wrist. Various in-house end-effectors will be supported. However, with the end-effector open architecture, third-party innovators may readily develop job specific end-effectors. The ultimate goals are to provide competitive, commercially available family of affordable, high quality robotic arms. To achieve this goal, the current R&D effort is focusing simultaneously on two interdependent conceptual areas:

1) Design and build several prototype test article versions of the robotic arm proving the concept of providing a robust and capable platform while keeping the potential manufacturing costs low.
2) Research and prototype a software architecture given the current developed state of robot operating systems, intelligent and adaptable robotic kinematic behaviors with sensor (vision, haptic, etc.) integration, and cooperating systems situated in a sensor/effector network.

DETAILS:

Click to visit the Hekateros main page or visit the RoadNarrows Store to buy a Hekateros arm.

Intelligent Mobile Payload Integration
"Kuon" - www.roadnarrows.com/r-and-d/Kuon

SYNOPSIS:	Kuon is a large-scale, wheeled robot which is ideal for academic research and mobile, payload-bearing robotics. Kuon is rugged and versatile by design, yet powerfully elegant in its control and maneuverability.
DETAILS:	Click to visit the Kuon main page or visit the RoadNarrows Store to buy a Kuon.

3D Vision
"Eudoxus" - www.roadnarrows.com/r-and-d/Eudoxus

SYNOPSIS:	Eudoxus is a stand-alone 3D mobile vision sensor for mapping and 3D object recognition applications. Eudoxus integrates the ASUS® Xtion PRO LIVE RGB and Depth Sensor with a Gumstix® COM embedded Linux Operating System for 3D vision development.
DETAILS:	Click to visit the Eudoxus main page or visit the RoadNarrows Store to buy a Eudoxus.

Educational Robotics
"Skewl Zone"

SYNOPSIS:	The SkewlZone™ project scope aims to develop a generalized processing and sensor pack complete with open-source software and curricula for using legged robots as a platform in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses. The end goal is to commercialize the middleware SkewlZone™ Brain and Sensor Pack. The Brain Pack consists of processing boards, plug-in sensors, wireless communication, and mechanical hardware for attachment to commercially available legged robots. It serves as a value-adding layer between the low-level operations of a robot platform and the high-level software. Educators, researchers, and customers will be able to migrate their Brain Pack from one robot to another, allowing the re-use of software, curriculum, and hardware. The Brain Pack provides sufficient sensory feedback to close the loop on the mechanical control of the legged platform. Provided sensors, such as foot and hand haptics and an inertial measurement unit, are critically important for legged robots. In a similar philosophy, open-source robotics software, such as Pyro and Tekkotsu, abstract the details of the robot's hardware. Higher-level cognitive algorithms, such as path-planning, vision, and behavior based systems, can be readily developed or reused.
DETAILS:	Visit the RoadNarrows Store for more information.

SYNOPSIS:

The SkewlZone™ project scope aims to develop a generalized processing and sensor pack complete with open-source software and curricula for using legged robots as a platform in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses. The end goal is to commercialize the middleware SkewlZone™ Brain and Sensor Pack. The Brain Pack consists of processing boards, plug-in sensors, wireless communication, and mechanical hardware for attachment to commercially available legged robots. It serves as a value-adding layer between the low-level operations of a robot platform and the high-level software. Educators, researchers, and customers will be able to migrate their Brain Pack from one robot to another, allowing the re-use of software, curriculum, and hardware. The Brain Pack provides sufficient sensory feedback to close the loop on the mechanical control of the legged platform. Provided sensors, such as foot and hand haptics and an inertial measurement unit, are critically important for legged robots. In a similar philosophy, open-source robotics software, such as Pyro and Tekkotsu, abstract the details of the robot's hardware. Higher-level cognitive algorithms, such as path-planning, vision, and behavior based systems, can be readily developed or reused.

DETAILS:

Visit the RoadNarrows Store for more information.

Pattern Recognition
"CogniBoost"

SYNOPSIS:	CogniBoost™ by RoadNarrows offers an affordable, but powerful pattern recognition system, ideal for robotic platforms and small embedded applications. Powered by the CogniMem CM-1K neural network chip.
DETAILS:	Contact us for more details on the SkewlZone project!

WHO WE ARE
The dedicated roboteers that make RoadNarrows tick.

WHAT WE DO
Robots, robots, and more robots. Intelligent systems too!

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RoadNarrows LLC.
125 East 5th Street
Loveland, CO 80537 USA

Tel: +1.800.275.9568
Fax: +1.800.275.9534
info@roadnarrows.com