The World of Robotics: Affordable Options for Geeks and Hobbyists

We're limited by expense, and we had this conversation with the guy who designed and created R2-D2 just a few weeks ago. I don't know if you guys had caught that interview; we uploaded a series of questions and answers to our YouTube channel, and I'm assuming that since you subscribe, you saw them. It's not so much a technical hurdle as it is a cost hurdle. So, when we crafted this article on locker.com today, uh, and it was skillfully written by Matt Ryan, a geek to end all Geeks, I think I'd say he's pretty geeky. He does role-playing games and has multi-sided dice; I thought I was a geeky person too, but he's got me beat.

But seriously, there are robots available today that can be owned and enjoyed by anyone, regardless of budget or expertise. The Baseline is $8,000, which is relatively affordable compared to the cost of robotic research, which can sometimes be quite high. Having a good starting point can make all the difference in developing robots, and with these options, you don't need to break the bank to get started.

If you're looking for something more affordable, there's always Lego. Yes, you read that right – Lego. The Mindstorms kit, specifically the NXT 2.0, is a great starting point for building your own robot. With some creativity and software programming skills, you can create a robot that can solve problems or perform tasks on its own. Someone out there has already shown that it's possible; I shared an animated gif on Google+ of someone who took a Mindstorms kit and set it up with an Android phone to solve Rubik's Cubes – it's insane!

Of course, there are also more complex robots available, like the MakerBot Thingamajig, which Matic is a great example. A couple of years ago, we had Brie Pettis on our YouTube channel, discussing his expertise in robotics and 3D printing. He's another geek to end all Geeks; he's geekier in a completely different way, and he's also a nice guy.

Now, whether it's one of these robots or something you construct out of Lego, the possibilities are endless. You can use them for research, entertainment, or just because you want to mess around with technology. The point is that robotics has become more accessible than ever, and with a little creativity and budget, you can be a part of this exciting world.

But I have to ask: what do you think about robots? Do you want one if so, why? If not, why not? We've already got the three laws of robotics; that's not a limitation on your creativity once you have it in the budget. Robots are for Android OS, not iOS – actually, that's not true, and I proved it with another video interview with a kid at a local Gadget event who created a way to get an iPhone to react to music and pictures. It's all about pushing the boundaries of what's possible with technology.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthank you for watching liking commenting sharing and subscribing right now we are not yet at a time in human history where we could have robots roaming about our homes or the streets really because we're limited by expense and we had this conversation with the guy who designed and created R2-D2 a few weeks ago I don't know if you guys had caught that interview we'd uploaded this series of questions and answers to our YouTube channel and I'm assuming that since you subscribe you saw them and it's not so much a a technical hurdle as much as it is a a cost hurdle so when we crafted this article on locker.com today uh and it was skillfully written by Matt Ryan a geek uh to uh really uh I I would say end all Geeks I don't think it gets any geekier than Matt actually it probably does but uh he he's pretty geeky I thought I was a geeky but he's he's got me beat because he does role playing games and has multi-sided Dice and I don't uh five robots you can own you can have these robots and and you may be thinking well they're so expensive they'd be millions of dollars no not really in fact you today can buy a robot for research or maybe just because you wanted to mess around with it in conjunction with an open-source platform for I think the Baseline is $8,000 and you're freaking out $88,000 you know as far as robotics go that's kind of cheap it really is and you could even get one that will walk and will have an articulate face for just a few thousand more $15,000 I learned about this particular robot uh on uh I think it was was it some like it was a Google Plus share and I was like wow that's really affordable consider that you know robotic research can cost a lot of money sometimes you need a good starting point and if that starting point is relatively speaking not a lot of money then you're good I mean you don't need to spend as much money building that infrastructure to develop robots robots will get cheaper and cheaper and cheaper you're shocked today oh my goodness it's really not that much in the grand scheme of robot things but say you want a robot that's just a tiny bit more affordable well have you thought about going with Lego you may have seen a few uh videos that have been circulating on the internet uh and and there people who build these little uh robots out of the Mindstorms kit uh the NXT 2.0 that's the current version uh you could use uh your your skills as a builder someone who loves Lego and combine that with software that you can run to make that robot do whatever it is that you can program it to do there's someone out there and I did share this on uh I think I shared the animated gif on Google+ who had taken a Mindstorms kit and set it up in conjunction with an Android phone and has it solving Rubik's Cubes it's insane you could do that I mean theoretically could you do that uh most human beings probably not uh it takes a you know really skilled mind to do something kin to that at least with today's uh tools uh and you know technical hurdles and and robot will certainly become easier to use and and more userfriendly uh there of course is the MakerBot thing Matic you might remember a couple years ago uh we had Brie Pettis at gnome deck and did a whole uh I guess it's a video that's now on our YouTube channel if you search for Bri Pettis uh who is I guess he's another geek to end all Geeks he's geekier in a completely different way and a nice guy too uh so there's a handful of robots you can get today and you could either take these robots do more things with the robots or you can just enjoy the robots uh for what they are you whether it's something like Hansen's Robo kind which is the robot that I was referring to earlier uh or something that you construct out of Lego in conjunction with their Mindstorms kit or maybe it's something like uh the the MakerBot thinger Matic or the other robots you could have today that we outlined in the article on locker.com if you I I'd imagine you are interested in robots if you are a geek you have to love robots some people think I'm a robot because I never sleep and I do sleep but I do share information all the time on uh social media Twitter Facebook Google+ YouTube and Beyond robots is for Android OS not iOS says habit Tovar actually that's not true and I proved that with another video uh that I had interviewed a kid at a local Gadget event he had created a way for an iPhone to react to music and now pictures so it's not a limitation of a a platform really it's a limitation on potentially your creativity once you have it in the budget so uh what do you think robots yay nay you want one if so why if not why not we have the three laws of robotics already right works for methank you for watching liking commenting sharing and subscribing right now we are not yet at a time in human history where we could have robots roaming about our homes or the streets really because we're limited by expense and we had this conversation with the guy who designed and created R2-D2 a few weeks ago I don't know if you guys had caught that interview we'd uploaded this series of questions and answers to our YouTube channel and I'm assuming that since you subscribe you saw them and it's not so much a a technical hurdle as much as it is a a cost hurdle so when we crafted this article on locker.com today uh and it was skillfully written by Matt Ryan a geek uh to uh really uh I I would say end all Geeks I don't think it gets any geekier than Matt actually it probably does but uh he he's pretty geeky I thought I was a geeky but he's he's got me beat because he does role playing games and has multi-sided Dice and I don't uh five robots you can own you can have these robots and and you may be thinking well they're so expensive they'd be millions of dollars no not really in fact you today can buy a robot for research or maybe just because you wanted to mess around with it in conjunction with an open-source platform for I think the Baseline is $8,000 and you're freaking out $88,000 you know as far as robotics go that's kind of cheap it really is and you could even get one that will walk and will have an articulate face for just a few thousand more $15,000 I learned about this particular robot uh on uh I think it was was it some like it was a Google Plus share and I was like wow that's really affordable consider that you know robotic research can cost a lot of money sometimes you need a good starting point and if that starting point is relatively speaking not a lot of money then you're good I mean you don't need to spend as much money building that infrastructure to develop robots robots will get cheaper and cheaper and cheaper you're shocked today oh my goodness it's really not that much in the grand scheme of robot things but say you want a robot that's just a tiny bit more affordable well have you thought about going with Lego you may have seen a few uh videos that have been circulating on the internet uh and and there people who build these little uh robots out of the Mindstorms kit uh the NXT 2.0 that's the current version uh you could use uh your your skills as a builder someone who loves Lego and combine that with software that you can run to make that robot do whatever it is that you can program it to do there's someone out there and I did share this on uh I think I shared the animated gif on Google+ who had taken a Mindstorms kit and set it up in conjunction with an Android phone and has it solving Rubik's Cubes it's insane you could do that I mean theoretically could you do that uh most human beings probably not uh it takes a you know really skilled mind to do something kin to that at least with today's uh tools uh and you know technical hurdles and and robot will certainly become easier to use and and more userfriendly uh there of course is the MakerBot thing Matic you might remember a couple years ago uh we had Brie Pettis at gnome deck and did a whole uh I guess it's a video that's now on our YouTube channel if you search for Bri Pettis uh who is I guess he's another geek to end all Geeks he's geekier in a completely different way and a nice guy too uh so there's a handful of robots you can get today and you could either take these robots do more things with the robots or you can just enjoy the robots uh for what they are you whether it's something like Hansen's Robo kind which is the robot that I was referring to earlier uh or something that you construct out of Lego in conjunction with their Mindstorms kit or maybe it's something like uh the the MakerBot thinger Matic or the other robots you could have today that we outlined in the article on locker.com if you I I'd imagine you are interested in robots if you are a geek you have to love robots some people think I'm a robot because I never sleep and I do sleep but I do share information all the time on uh social media Twitter Facebook Google+ YouTube and Beyond robots is for Android OS not iOS says habit Tovar actually that's not true and I proved that with another video uh that I had interviewed a kid at a local Gadget event he had created a way for an iPhone to react to music and now pictures so it's not a limitation of a a platform really it's a limitation on potentially your creativity once you have it in the budget so uh what do you think robots yay nay you want one if so why if not why not we have the three laws of robotics already right works for me\n"