Extreme Podcasting: Podcasting With Robots

Podbot is built around a tablet pc with WiFi connectivity, allowing it to be remote-controlled wirelessly. Podbot runs a piece of software called Podcast Wizard. The software, combined with the custom hardware, makes it possible to remotely control and record podcasts, save them to Podbot's hard drive, and upload them to a web server.

"It has been a real hit at the conference, lots of people coming up to see what it does," adds Male. "It worked really well at the Seattle Public Library last night (for the conference networking event) and we posted four or five recordings on the podcast."

Male explains the bizarre origin of Podbot: "I suggested having a motorized garbage can that had a microphone so it could podcast, and the idea was born! We thought that it would be neat to take to Gnomedex (which we had recently registered for), so we set the conference as our deadline."

More information on Podbot is available at the Podcast Wizard site.

Specifications

Length: 21 inches
Width: 12 inches
Height: 14 inches

Maximum Speed: A little slower than walking speed...
Torque: Enough to carry around 15 lbs of weight!

Battery Life (motors): An extremely long time...
Battery Life (tablet): Around 4 hours

Frame

The frame of the Podbot is made of wood and sheet metal. The base of the robot is 3/4" plywood, cut to our size specifications. The side and rear panels are made of sheet metal. The front panel is made of wood and plexiglass, cut to the size of the screen.

Movement

The Podbot is powered by two servo motors, one for each of the rear wheels. The front wheel is an unpowered caster wheel. The two servo motors had to be modified to give us 360 degree rotation.

Brains

A Toshiba Portege M200 Tablet PC provides the brains behind the Podbot. The tablet interfaces with a custom-built micro-controller for communicating with the two servo motors to control movement.

Resources

• Podbot Podcast Details
• Podbot Home
• Podbot at Make
• MasterMaq's Blog (Mack Male)