If, like me, you think both Macs and robotics are cool, then nothing
could be cooler than using your Mac to work on robotics.
Unfortunately, it hasn't always been easy to combine the two. In the
old days you were forced to use Windows or try to get Virtual PC
working in order to run the Windows-only software. Those days are
slowly going away, and Macs are now an option for one very popular
solution.
The heart of most hobby robotics starts with the microcontroller.
This is like a regular computer chip with the built-in ability to read
sensors and send out commands. You hook in light sensors, motion
detectors, switches, etc., so it can sense what is happening. Then you
program commands to turn on lights, motors, switches, etc.
All of this is made possible with a combination of hardware and
software. The hardware has come a long way. You can buy circuit boards
with everything you need already wired and ready to go. You just plug
them into your microcontroller board, and everything is ready for the
software.
The software is critical for sending instructions to your robot. But
for a long time, this software required Windows. This may be due to a
biased idea that Macs are for creative types, while Windows is better
for the technical and business types.
One specific example is Parallax and its hobby microcontroller
board called the BASIC Stamp. This
uses the BASIC programming language, called PBasic, to program the
microcontroller. It is a nice development tool for the beginner,
because BASIC is an easy language to learn, but it was only written for
Windows. Limited support for the Mac OS X is offered by an outside third
party. Parallax doesn't offer any support for this software, and
they don't even host the software from their website.
Coming to our rescue is the open source
movement. First were the programming tools, and then a new open source
controller sprung up in the last few years, Arduino (left). This small development
board (about the size of a deck of cards) has gain a following quickly.
Not only did they open source the design for the hardware so that
anyone can develop new boards, they also made the software available
for Windows, Macs, and Linux. That really opened to doors to anyone
interested.
Their goal was to provide a solution made for the creative types who
wanted to add electronics to their projects. Because it is open source,
you can add or change anything about the design. This has opened the
doors for dozens of add-on boards, called shields, and specialty code
that is free to use that works with the shields.
The popularity has gone mainstream. You can buy the Arduino and
shields at your local Radio Shack store. Then you log in to the Arduino
website for tutorials, sample code, project ideas, etc. I did a web
search and found a local club that offers a place for people to get
together and get help for their project.
Some of these people are using Ubuntu Linux for development, and
others are on Windows, yet there aren't the traditional barriers for
them to help you with your project. The programming software doesn't
have special features that are only available to Windows or Linux
users. The code you write can be sent to them without any special
changes. It is great to work in an environment where what computer you
have isn't an issue.
If you are interested and want to try designing something on you
Mac, there are lots of resources. Here's a few online stores were you
can buy parts or kits and usually get help building your project. There
are many other options from Amazon to eBay for getting parts:
If you want to get into more involved in the circuitry, here are a
couple of websites that offer Mac versions of the circuitry design
software.
- CadSoft, home of Eagle PCB
design software
- Fritzing is an open source
design software version
Finally, if it is the software side of design that you like the
most, here are the sites that inspired the software for the
Arduino:
- Processing, a programming
language for visual artists that was started in 2001.
- Wiring was inspired by
Processing.
Phillip Torrone has some
good thing to say about the Arduino over at the Make website. One
of the key points is how it just works. That is another feature that
the Arduino shares with Macs - the technology is wrapped up in an easy
to use layer. It is so easy that I'm using it to teach my kids about
both electronics and programming.
Good luck - and maybe you'll be the next person to invent a robot
that will change the world. The best part is it will have all been
designed to work on a Mac - or any other computer you choose.
