ActivMedia Robotics
performance 20 MHz Siemens 88C166-based microcontroller, with independent motor/ power and sonar-controller boards for a versatile operating environment. The controller had two RS232-standard communications ports and an expansion bus to support the many accessories available for your ActivMedia robot, as well as your own custom attachments.
Sporting a more holonomic body, larger wheels and stronger motors for better indoor performance, Pioneer 2-DX, -DXe, -DXf, and -CE models, like Pioneer 1, are two-wheel,
differential-drive mobile robots.
The four-wheel drive Pioneer 2-AT has independent motor drivers. Unlike its Pioneer AT predecessor, the Pioneer 2-AT comes with a stall-detection system and inflatable pneumatic tires with metal wheels for much more robust operation in rough terrain, as well as the ability to carry nearly 30 kilograms (66 lbs) of payload and climb a 60-percent grade. The newest version of the 2-AT, introduced in mid-2001, includes an integrated joystick port for manual operation and a hinged top-plate for easy access to the internal systems.
Other Pioneer 2-like robots include the Performance PeopleBot robots, which were introduced in 2000. They are architecturally
Pioneer 2 robots, but with stronger motors and integrated human-interaction features, including a pedestal extension, integrated voice and sound synthesis and recognition— ideal for human-interaction studies as well as for commercial and consumer mobile- robotics applications.
New Pioneer 3 and Recent Pioneer 2-DX8, -AT8, and Plus Mobile Robots
Two new models of Pioneer 2 appeared in the Summer of 2002, two more at the beginning of 2003, and the Pioneer 3 debuted in the Summer of 2003. They are the topics of this manual: the Pioneer 3-DX and –AT, and Pioneer 2-DX8/DX8 Plus and – AT8/AT8 Plus mobile robots. All sport a microcontroller based on the Hitachi H8S microprocessor, with new control systems and I/O expansion capabilities. The Pioneer 3 and 2-Plusrobots also have new, more powerful motor/power systems for better navigational control and payload.5
Software-wise, Pioneers all are compatible with all other ActivMedia robots, including Pioneer 1. The new ActivMedia Robotics Operating System (AROS) software extends— but does not replace—the original PSOS and P2OS. This means that even programs that interface at the lowest communication levels will work with all Pioneer 1, 2, and 3 platforms. This also means that the higher level clients and applications, including Saphira, ARIA, and others including your own software, will work with AROS and any host ActivMedia robot just as they had worked with PSOS or P2OS.6 Of course, you will have to extend your client software, as we have done with Saphira, ARIA, and others, in order to take full advantage of AROS.
To the relief of those who have invested years in developing software for Pioneer 1 and 2, Pioneer 3 truly does combine the best of the new mobile robot technologies with ActivMedia’s tried-and-true robot architecture.
5The interim Pioneer 2-DXf had the same, more-powerful motors as the DX8s and AT8 Plus.
6The two-time gold medal winners of the International RoboCup robot soccer competition used Pioneer 1s one year and quickly converted to Pioneer 2s in the next year.
