Build On This ~ iRobot Create

As if vacuum cleaning and floor-washing robots weren't enough, in 2007 iRobot branched out into a number of other home robot niches -- some of them related to its original Roomba mission, others anything but. We've already mentioned the Create, which is iRobot's development platform that lets anyone create their own robot. The iRobot Create is ideal for both developers who want an inexpensive way to tinker with the basic design of the Roomba platform (like the Zoomba enthusiasts we mentioned above) and educators interesting in teaching robotics, computer science, and engineering.

Whether you're a student or a serious developer, you can use the Create to, well, create the robot of your dreams -- or you can just plug it into your computer, fool around with it, and see what happens. It comes ready to go right out of the box, with 10 demos, 32 built-in sensors, an empty cargo bay, and a 25-pin expansion port. Currently the iRobot Create is supported under Windows XP, the oddly stable operating system used by Windows-based PCs until Vista debuted in 2007. There's no word yet on Create's compatibility with Vista, but you can be sure they're working on it.

If you spring for the iRobot Command Module, you can add a variety of your own electronics: sensors, actuators, cameras, you name it. Your imagination's the limit. Oh, and if you're feeling unusually creative, keep an eye out for a new iRobot Create Challenge, like the one the company offered in 2007. The winner, who got a cool $5,000, created an R2D2-like li'l robo-buddy that can dance (kinda), water plants, water the dog, control the VCR and TV (very important), play music, turn appliances and the lights off and on, and probably do a lot of other things no one has thought of yet.

November 2008: Latest updates are in green.

On to part ten:

• A New Definition Of Tough
  • Back to Roomba Guide Index