VIA shows off EPIA Pico-ITX-based robots
By Donald Melanson 
posted Aug 22nd 2008 12:51PM
posted Aug 22nd 2008 12:51PM
VIA may be ditching its traditional motherboard business, but it looks like its not wasting any time in stepping up its efforts to get its more specialized boards and chipsets into as many devices as possible, and it's now taken advantage of the Taipei International Robot Show to show off their potential for robotics. Leading the way is Lynxmotion's Johnny 5 robot above (yes, that's actually its name), which has been outfitted with VIA's new EPIA P700 board and VX800 unified chipset just for the show. That, VIA says, offers a whole host of advantages over other systems, including "far easier" software development. Of course, VIA also sees plenty of potential beyond hobby kits, with it also showing off an EPIA Mini-ITX-based version of the Vecna Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot (or BEAR), and it touting the benefits of its Pico-ITX platform for all sorts of "extremely space constrained robotics designs."
[Via Far East Gizmos]
[Via Far East Gizmos]
Jonny 5 is alive...
Me wanty.
here comes the madcaps and high jinks!
You can buy the Johnny 5 kit now. It's been available for a while, but with other electronics (not the VIA set-up as in the article). I have one of their Hexapods and it always gets lots of attention at robot demonstrations.
Johnny5: http://www.lynxmotion.com/Category.aspx?CategoryID=103
It would be a lot more beneficial to our society if robots were fueled on Coca-Cola, and not on the blood of the innocents.
gotta love this phantom comment system. at least there's a nifty new login though.
If anyone makes a robotic overlord joke I, Stiv the Pantomime Horse, will come to your home or office and poo on your chair!
You are not a real horse. You are two men dressed in a costume.
So does that mean I get two human poos?
I am a real horsie! I am, I am I am!
"I hope they don't shoot the canon into my bum and make poo poo go all over the place!"
-Tom Green
My bum is on the dog,
My bum is on the cat,
My bum is on the phone,
My bum is all alone.
-also Tom Green.
I'm cueing up my Bonnie Tyler tape for the impending boat chase.
"Johnny 5 robot above (yes, that's actually its name)"
Judging by that remark, I take it you haven't seen Short Circuit?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091949/
It doesn't deserve to be called Johnny 5 until it has a laser and makes quips like "Yo laser lips! Yer mudda was a snow-blower!"
Or he could be just making sure we didn't think he was just making a joke referring to the film.
No disassemble johnny 5 !
Now where is the shoulder mounted laser, er... Toolbox?
Johnny 5 kit is actually on sale by Lynxmotion quite a while ago. VIA just slapped on a pico-ITX as its central control unit...
No Disassemble, Stephanie!!!
@Chris
Your quotation was like "The Notebook" (2004 film) for my childhood. For a moment, I felt like I was 8 years old again. Thank you for that.
All I have to say, Who's Johnny?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jaWPQ3Z7FE
Johnny Roll
That VIA robot won't sell. it doesn't have big sad eyes like Wall-E
Hey it's Wall-E!!! Oh, wait...
NO DISASSEMBLE!
JOHNNY 5 !!!!!!!! i think somebody already said it but what the hell "JOHNNY 5"
Well that figures. The same year gay marriage passes in California, Wall E and Johnny Five get together...
(Shudder)
Hit it with lightning so it can become self aware!