If you’re a luddite this Gizmo of the Day might not be for you, but if you are a true geek, you so have to get one.
This SRV-1 Mobile Surveillance Robot is a fully open source and programmable robot. You can drive the robot manually using a web browser with a live video feed. Also, built-in proximity sensors can be toggled on or off to assist when driving the robot manually. The web site allows for multiple user account to control access to the robot and video feed and you can even archive video on demand or via a schedule.
Everything is fun and games when the robot is put in roving mode which allows autonomous exploration with basic vision detection until the robot decides to hunt down your small pets.
Explore the dangerous terrain of your home or office with the SRV-1 Mobile Robot. This palm sized bot packs tank-like treads, a 32-bit ARM processor and a mini video camera. The included wireless transmitter interfaces via USB with any PC up to 300 feet away. The Java based host software supports Windows, Mac or Linux OS and features a built-in web server to monitor and control the SRV-1 Robot with a web browser anywhere in the world. Live video from the robot updates at a few frames per second and runs at resolutions of up to 320 x 240. The built in proximity sensors can be toggled on or off to assist when driving the robot manually. An autonomous roving mode allows the SRV-1 to explore independently while avoiding obstacles. Video surveillance recording can be scheduled based on time or date and saved as an AVI video file. Built in web based user-management controls who has access to pilot the robot or change settings. Multiple users can watch the live video feed from the robot without having access to control it. The included software is completely open source on both the host computer end and the robot firmware. Budding programmers can exploit some other nifty features of the robot such as visual object tracking.
Price: $374.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)