About this project
With the Kinect hacked and Roombas readily available, robotics should be cheaper to get into than ever before!
The only problem is, most people who want robots don't know where to start, or what to get. Bilibot (from the German word 'bilig', or cheap) aims to address this problem. Using all open source software, Bilibot will consist of:
* the cheapest, most powerful computer we can put together
* a robotic base, like a Roomba, or the iRobot create
* a Kinect sensor
* mounting hardware to put it all together
* the ROS Robotic Operating system, with research contributions from roboticists all over the world!
All of this will be bundled together so people can get a robot that does cool stuff right out of the box. The price tag we are aiming for is $400. We're not charging for anything more than parts and the time it took us to assemble it.
If you still want to build your own, no problem: all the plans and software used will be made available.
We hope that Bilibot can become the Arduino of robotics and allow anyone with a small amount of programming experience to take advantage of the cutting edge technology in the field of robotics. We will further maintain a site at Bilibot.com where developers can share code and discuss hacks.
So what is the money for? Well, we have the know-how, we just need to get a stable prototype working - find out what computers work well, what base is the best, and try things out. Also, some things are much cheaper in bulk. if we can order 50 bases to cut the price in half, that will allow us to sell them to people at that much cheaper.
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on January 19, 2011.
Pledge $5 or more Pledge $5 or more
Every bit helps! We'll send you a cool Bilibot sticker, and add you to the contributors list.
Pledge $25 or more Pledge $25 or more
We'll send you an cool Bilibot T-shirt, featuring the Bilibot, and making you the envy of your friends.
Pledge $35 or more Pledge $35 or more
If you live near Boston, I will personally give you a tour of the MIT robotics labs. Subject to my availability. You would need to take the tour within 6 months.
Pledge $50 or more Pledge $50 or more
Drive a remote control robot! We will setup a web interface that allows you to test drive the bilibot over the web. For every $50 you spend you get a 15 minute block of live robot time.
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
Robot Jousting! We will setup a web interface that allows you to drive the bilibot over the web. For $100 you can choose to control two robots - you and a friend can have an ultimate robot showdown! We'll even attach jousting rods. For every $100 you spend you get a 15 minute block of live robot time.
Pledge $650 or more Pledge $650 or more
We will send you a bilibot, along with a manual and a "I got the Bilibot before it was cool" tshirt.
Project By
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I am a robotics engineer at MIT. I got a masters degree in in robotics from Carnegie Mellon, and have been programming and building robots for years. I have been using ROS for three years now (basically since it began) and am an avid supporter of open source software.
I am also a Make enthusiast, and love hearing about DIY projects that ordinary people can do.
