OpenServo.com

[stefanengelke]

Hello everyone,

I think the OpenServo is a great Project with a lot of potential for further extentions and applications. I had the idea to build a own servo-controler a few months ago, when I saw that the normal pwm control of a servo is not suitable for complex movements of a robot. I was thinking about, what a single servo-controler must support to implement a full motion control of a mechanical construction with some of these servos. When I hit on the UltraServo-Project I was very surprised that such a solution will even fit into the case of the servo itself. Furthermore I like the way how Mike is managing the project and I'm very impressed about the fast progress.

I'm a student of Engineering Cybernetics at the University of Stuttgart, Germany. I have already finished all my exams and at the moment I am at the University of Sevilla, Spain to write my final thesis. Every time someone askes me what I am studying I always know the second question: ""What the hell is Cybernetics?"" So I try to explain what I first realy understood after the 4. semester of studying it Cybernetic is just a systematic view of dynamic processes (something wich change over time in any quantitative matter, this could be the position of a satellite, the concentrations of different substances in a chemical reactor, the amount of enzymes in a human body but as well the lenght of queues of waiting cars in a complex trafficsystem, or even parameters in a economic or sozial system). If you describe the dynamical behavior of the system as a mathematical model you can use the same tools for analysing and control of these systems independent of the underlying different mechanisms of the processes. Ok, I know, this sounds very abstract and it is. But well, I think one of the most powerfull application is the modern automatic-control-theory.

My final thesis here in Sevilla is about a autonomous rc-helicopter. It is part of a big project with different autonomous air and ground vehicles communicating with each other to fulfill komplex tasks like fire-fighting against a big forest fire. My part of the work is the mathematical modelling and identification of the helicopter and if there is enough time a controler to start and land from/on a moving plattform.

But now I don't want to bother you anymore with my project and spend more time participating in the OpenServo (after 2 weeks of absence while renovating the flat of my girlfriend in Germany).

Stefan

[mpthompson]

Hi Stefan,

I'm glad you made it to the OpenServo forum. I look forward to your help in making OpenServo a reality.

-Mike