Started in 1985, the HomeBrew Robotics Club (HBRC) is a spin off of Silicon Valley’s HomeBrew Computer Club, which launched Apple and a host of other personal computer companies.
Chuck McManis has headed the club since 1987, and for 15 years has seen everything a determined group of amateur hackers can build, from octopods to robot blimps. The HBRC has spawned a number of companies, and while none have become the Apple Computers of robotics, from where Chuck is sitting, it’s only a matter of time.
Make: The HomeBrew Computer Club (HBCC) Twelve-year-old Tony Pratkanis prepares his robotic blimp showed us the microcomputer revolution — what for takeoff at a HomeBrew Robotics Club meeting in does a robotics revolution look like? Silicon Valley.
Chuck McManis: In the 19th century, cars could look like anything. Before 1986, a computer didn’t and indoors, in adverse conditions, and on non-look like a computer — no one knew what a com- smooth surfaces. They’re looking for new motors, puter looked like. Now everyone knows a car or a higher payloads, longer run-times, teleoperation, computer. Robots right now can look like anything and more extensive mapping.
— probably the most successful robot out there is the bread machine. No one thinks of it as a robot, Can you explain the idea behind RoboBRiX, but it acts autonomously and reacts to its environ- the robotics platform born at HBRC? How is it ment; it does the things that robots do. unique in a world of robot kits?
Photograph by Quinn Norton
Chuck: Mindstorms gave us standard sensors and
How do you encourage people to build in HRBC? actuators; however, there was never enough techni-
Chuck: By setting small measurable goals. In our cal information about how they really worked.
Tabletop Challenge, the robots move from one end RoboBRiX was longtime HBRCer Wayne Gram-
of the table to the other without falling off. It looks lich’s answer to creating an affordable DIY modular
simple, but that’s a lot to consider. Building any robotics subsystem. He recognized the challenge of
robot gives you a sense of whole systems design, wiring up systems that delegate the things robots
and tremendous satisfaction seeing your creation need to do. Wayne has recaptured the spirit of
do the things you built it to do. the original HBCC in that his work is completely
documented on the web, the software is released
You’ve said Lego Mindstorms are a good place to as open source, and he tried to get the price down. start. What about for a more ambitious builder? They were picked up for sale by robotstore.com, and Chuck: The benefits of Mindstorms are that every- should be for sale by Jameco soon. thing works together: batteries, motors, controls.
Mindstorms, though, leave off at about 5 lbs. Quinn Norton is a freelance writer and co-blogger at Advanced builders build robots that work outdoors ambiguous.org.
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