Rock 'em Socket.IO Bots

How I used Socket.IO, TBone.js, a Raspberry Pi, and an RC car to build a telepresence robot.

Transcript

1. Ari Rizzitano // @arizzitano // AppNeta Rock ‘em Socket.IO Bots
2. Our Team
3. Telepresence Robots $2500 $6000 $15K $70K
4. + +
5. PETBOT • iPad on lightweight chassis on RC car • Raspberry Pi powers car’s radio transmitter • Battery pack or wall wart for Pi • Web UI & remote Socket.IO server control Pi
6. PETBOT
7. The “Brain” • Two node servers, one remote & one local • Remote: serves UI, receives & sends commands • Local: relays commands as electronic signals
8. Control Flow
9. TBone.js • Reactive, data-flow-oriented programming • Models, views, live templates • tbonejs.org • github.com/appneta/tbone
10. TBone.js • T(‘model.propName’, ‘value’): set a value • T(‘model.propName’): lookup • T(function () { console.log(T(‘model.propName’)); }); • ^Executes when internal T-references change
11. Remote Client • Control with arrow keys • T(‘drive’): state of keys pressed • T(‘keepDriving’): heartbeat to continue signaling
12. Remote Server • T(‘drive’): current drive state • T(‘bots’): clients listening for commands • T(‘browsers’): clients controlling the bot(s) • T(‘botOnline’): whether a bot is connected
13. Sync (the old way)
14. Sync (TBone style)
15. Sync (TBone style)
16. Local Server • Connects to remote server as a client • Receive synced events and data • Send bot state back to remote server
17. Working with Pi • 256MB RAM, runs Raspbian (Wheezy) • Build and install NPM from source • Power management can be an issue • autorun.sh for syncing changes
18. GPIO • NPM: gpio or pi-gpio • github.com/quick2wire/quick2wire-gpio-admin
19. raspi.js • Extends LocalServer • Open and close gpio pins • Write to pins on drive event start and end • Other board modules can work the same way
20. TODO • Move off Heroku (and use real websockets) • Build and test modules for other boards • Write tests and benchmark latency • Simulation, mapping, position tracking
21. Future Projects • Differential drive/hardware upgrades • WebRTC/Android tablet • LCD and webcam powered by Pi • Unified rechargeable power source • Generic components and 3D printable parts
22. Demo time!
23. Check it out! • github.com/arizzitano/petbot • github.com/appneta/tbone • arizzitano@gmail.com, @arizzitano