On July 25, 2019, the learning drawing robot “Nano Rover” will be released! Vstone Co., Ltd.

Vstone Co., Ltd., which develops, manufactures, and sells robot-related products, announced that it will sell the learning drawing robot “Nano Rover” from July 25, 2019.

Stable drawing in a small housing

Nano Rover is a drawing robot equipped with a pen up / down function. It not only learns programming, but also has a function that allows you to draw on paper as a graph just by entering a mathematical formula, which is common. It can be used as a tool for learning subjects efficiently and enjoyably.
Although it is a small housing, it has a built-in geared motor with a high-precision encoder, and stable drawing is realized by motor control that utilizes the feedback of the encoder.

Below is a quote from the press release

Vstone Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Representative Director: Nobuo Yamato), which develops, manufactures, and sells robot-related products, will sell the learning drawing robot “Nano Rover” from July 25, 2019. ..

Upper size plotter robot

Desktop size plotter robot
Nano Rover is a drawing robot with a pen up / down function. As a teaching material, it can be used not only for the purpose of learning programming, but also as a tool for learning general subjects such as mathematics more efficiently, enjoyably, and with a sense of reality. By introducing this product to educational settings, it can be used both for the purpose of learning programming and as a tool for better learning general subjects such as mathematics. Especially in mathematics, the understanding of robotics as an application destination of mathematics and the understanding of mathematics as essential knowledge that supports robotics deepen in both directions, which is effective for acquiring knowledge and techniques that are truly useful in the real world. Can be expected to contribute to the future.

■ Comment from Professor Emeritus Tomomasa Sato of the University of Tokyo
Mathematics is the basis of engineering and industry. The “Nano Rover” released this time has the following effects in the education of “Robot Mathematics” developed by the Hama Gakuen Group. First of all, 1) it enables “understanding of mathematical concepts”, which is fundamentally important for mathematics but also difficult, at a deep level with a concrete example of robot movement. Next, 2) I am interested in solving the exercises that are indispensable for cultivating applied skills, because I can immediately and visually judge the correct or incorrect answer, such as having the robot draw a picture. As a result, you will be able to solve many problems and develop true application skills. Finally, 3) many examples of industrial applications of robots will be introduced during the class, so you can feel that the mathematics and mathematical concepts you have learned are useful to us in the real world, and further motivate you to learn mathematics. I will.

【Product Features】

-You can draw on paper as a graph just by entering a mathematical formula. In order to realize the ease of use required as a teaching material, we have newly developed a dedicated software “nanoRoverMath” that allows you to directly enter mathematical formulas. .. No programming is required, and the formulas entered in the software are drawn as graphs on paper. You can also specify the speed, acceleration, moving distance, etc. on the software and operate it by pressing the “Go button”. The dedicated software nanoRoverMath is also compatible with our already released Academic Color Robot, and it is also possible to move the arm along the trajectory specified by the mathematical formula.

nanoRoverMath main screen

-Equipped with a high-precision encoder and pen up / down mechanism
Although the Nano Rover is a small housing, it has a built-in geared motor with a high-precision encoder. Stable drawing is realized by precise motor control that makes use of encoder feedback and a precise body structure.

The part that holds the drawing pen also has a mechanism to raise and lower the pen. If you do not need to draw a line, you can draw a graph or figure correctly by raising the pen.

Stable drawing in a small housing

-Equipped with a full-color LED that indicates the operating status A full-color LED that
can grasp the operating status of the robot is installed on the front part of the housing. It is also possible to control the light emission state during program development, and it can also be used to produce robot motion using LEDs.

Equipped with full color LED

-Supports various programs and control methods NanoRover comes with dedicated software nanoRoverMath that does not require programming, but in addition to that, it supports program development using the Arduino IDE and control as a ROS device. I will. As for the communication method, it supports wired connection with USB cable, wireless connection with Wi-Fi, and wireless connection with Bluetooth®.

● nanoRoverMath included The
dedicated software nanoRoverMath only supports wired connection of USB cables.

● Arduino IDE compatible For
programming with Arduino IDE, functions related to left and right wheel control, encoder value acquisition, LED control, etc. are provided. When developing with Arduino IDE, it is necessary to connect this product to a PC etc. with a USB cable. Also, depending on the content of the developed program, communication via USB serial, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth® is possible.

● ROS compatible
Arduino IDE can be used to draw a special sketch attached to this product to operate Nano Rover as a device compatible with ROS message communication. For ROS control, it supports wired connection with a USB cable and wireless connection with Wi-Fi.

● Includes sample source for radio control
This product comes with a sample source for controlling from a PC via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. By compiling in a development environment such as Visual Studio, it can be used as a sample program for radio control.

Arduino IDE development screen

【Product Summary】
Product name: Nano Rover
Model number: 4571398313233
Price: 40,000 yen (excluding tax)
Size: 66 (W) x 69 (D) x 95 (H) [mm]
Weight: Approximately 169 g (with batteries)
Drive motor: Wheels x 2, Pen up / down mechanism
Interface: USB connector, full-color LED x 9
Included software: Dedicated software “nanoRoverMath”
Power supply: AA alkaline batteries x 2 (sold separately) or AA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries x 2 (sold separately)
Contents: Main unit, sign pen , MicroUSB cable

[Required environment]
nanoRoverMath: Windows® 7/8 / 8.1 / 10 (.Net Framework® 4.5.2 or higher)
Arduino IDE: Confirmed operation with 1.8.9
ROS: Operating environment confirmed with Ubuntu 18.04, version confirmed with ROS melodic
Others: Communication with the outside The sample program for Windows® is compatible with Visual Studio® 2015 or later.

Product site: https://www.vstone.co.jp/products/nano_rover/
Sales site: https://www.vstone.co.jp/robotshop/
Vstone Co., Ltd.