[Embedlets-developer] Re: RCX & RIS, a fading glory? - Advanced alternatives: JCX, Embedlets

[Ted K. <tk...@ya...>]

Bruce,

> There is also a new 'Embedlet' SourceForge project:
> http://sourceforge.net/projects/embedlets/
> which touches on the issue of creating firmware and hardware modules which 
> could easily plug together for variety of applications including robotics. 
> It's all Java and open standards based, and there is a very active mail 
> list. And - it's Open Source. (I'm blind copying the embedlets list with 
> this message). There are some university-level educators active in this 
> project, too.
> 
> So I am very optimistic about the future of Lego robotics! By this summer 
> there should be a whole raft of interesting new technology available.

As I thought about your post it occurred to me that JCX driven lego mindstorm
mechanisms would be an excellent way to develop, test and prove the visual
component assembly aspect of Embedlets.  In fact, the Wiring Tool view of
Embedlets is similar to a very advanced and generalized version of the current
graphical RCX programming language.

The ideas are similar because Embedlets are configured and snapped together
just like the various components in the visual RCX language are.  Embedlets,
however, go on to add the capability to work with any peripheral conceivable,
run on any platform, and encapsulate a full spectrum of logic from very simple
up through as sophisticated as Java is capable of producing.

I suppose that if the graphical wiring aspect of Embedlets were done right
(which is an extremely high priority item on my personal goals list) then it is
conceivable that Embedlets might prove to be a good candidate for the next
generation of Lego Mindstorms programming technology. 

If Embedlets on muvium works out then a full spectrum of Mindstorm controllers
could be created from muvium based ones that are even cheaper than the current
RCX, through medium cost ones based on JStamp, TStik, and TStamp, up to
extremely powerful ones based on JStik.  Embedlets should run very well across
this whole spectrum of controllers and should only be constrained by the memory
and MIPS capabilities of the hardware they are running on.


Bruce, you are a genious!  I bet that the Lego Mindstorms community has more
experience than any other group on the planet with 100% graphical snap-together
programming enviornments based on software components.  These people probably
know exactly what they would like to see in an Embedlets wiring tool based on
years of experience with the RCX programming language.

Beyond this, a whole generation of software component application assemblers
has already been produced by the Mindstorms phenomenon and I bet this group
will be extremely receptive to being able to leverage this paradigm across the
whole spectrum of computing as they move into industry.

When work begins on the graphical wiring aspect of Embedlets, I wonder if a
number of people from the Lego community would be interested in helping us to
design what the wiring tool should look like and how it should operate?


Ted

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