Webcast Workshop
August, 2006

Return to Projects

Robots that greet visitors
This project was developed in two homes, one in Belleview, WA and one in Brookline, MA.  Liu Huan, a freshman at MIT, and John Galinato, from Build-It-Yourself, conducted six 1-hour live Webcasts to guide the inventors.

The Problem:
There are good people and mean people in the world.
Our Mission:
When someone comes to our door, we want to keep the mean people out and invite the nice people in.

We must figure out how to determine friend or foe.  Then we must build systems to welcome friends and tell the unfriendlies to scram.

Lyrics by Lennon, McCartney & Heckerman
I say goodbye and i say hello
Hello hello
You'd better hide if I say bye, i say hello
Hello hello
You'll get a show if I say yo, i say hello.

The Hello-motron 6000 Solution:
When you open the door, the Hello-morton 6000 greets you and asks you who you would like to talk to. You use the wheel to select a person's name. If the name matches someone in the home, it sounds a summoning message and puts on a little dance show while you are waiting for the person to arrive. If the name doesn't match, it asks you to leave and sounds an alarm if you don't.

Video
Program Code
Promotion Materials
David's, Robert's and Jonathan's Lab Book

Noah's Doorman
When you come into my room, Noah's Doorman asks you to insert your ID card. An ID card has a special color on the edge that reads between 40 and 45 on a light sensor. After Noah's Doorman greets you, you have 20 seconds to insert your ID card. If no card is inserted or a counterfeit card is inserted, Noah's Doorman will throw water at you and ask you leave. If a proper ID card is inserted, Noah's Doorman will throw you some candy, dance and tell a joke.

Video coming
Program Code
Noah's Lab Book

Ian's Doorman
Made from high quality cardboard and premium quality junk. The arms are controlled by strings. One string controls a cup full of candy if you are friendly. The other string controls a cup full of water if you are unfriendly.

Video
Ian's Lab Book

The Team:

Jonathan
School: Open Window, Belleview, WA
Favorite course: Science
Least favorite course: Handwriting
Favorite hobbies: Building Legos
Skills wanted: Programming
Favorite heroes: Taka Nuva
Favorite quote: “Rrrrrrgh!”
Noah
School: Park School, Brookline, MA
Favorite course: Art
Least favorite course: Math
Favorite hobbies: building robots, studying computers
Skills wanted: computer language
Favorite hero: Beast Boy
Favorite quote: Any thing is possible
Robert
School: Open Window, Belleview, WA
Favorite course: Science
Least favorite course: Handwriting
Favorite hobbies: Soccer, building Legos
Skills wanted: I wish I knew
Favorite heroes: Kopaka Nuva
Favorite quote: “Yo!”

David
Parent who never stopped being a kid
Favorite course: Quantum mechanics
Least favorite: Quantum mechanics
Favorite hobbies: Having fun with my kids and playing music
Thrills: Helping develop a vaccine for AIDS
Heroes: Aristotle, Copernicus, Einstein
Favorite quote: "When in doubt, tell the truth." (Benjamin Franklin)
heckerma@microsoft.com

Ian
Favorite course:
Least favorite:
Favorite hobbies:
Thrills:
Heroes:
Favorite quote:

Return to Build-It-Yourself