April 1994 issue of The DPRG Newsletter

Vol. 2, No. 4

Members Enjoy Robotfest 5

by Dilip Garapaty, "Botman"

Austin RoboFest 5 After a 4-hour drive from Dallas to Austin through the heart of Wild-Wild Texas, we arrived at Austin on the morning of Sunday, March 27th in time for the 2nd and final day of the 5th Annual RoboFest. After a quick peek at a city map in the local grocery store and several "WRONG WAY" and "ONE WAY" street signs later, we were at the gates of the City Coliseum, the venue for this Grand Festival of Robots.

Once inside, I watched in awe at what looked like a space city of sorts. Two mobile platforms with onboard cameras were on the prowl near the entrance to the dome. Nearby monitors displayed information gathered by the restless mobile patrol. A human in a MIDI body suit with sensors that use body motion to control synthesizers was making body music. A couple of Blimps or "cybernetic airships" with onboard cameras were patrolling the airways while trying to avoid the "blimp people" (an inflatable chorus-line of mylar bodysuits with radio controlled cars for feet!) The mechanical pit-bull, a fierce pneumatic monster, was not to be messed with!

In another part of the dome, the Austin Chapter of the EEF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) was giving free tours on the Internet, and other enthusiasts were experimenting with "Telepresence" by controlling a Robot at someone's house in Canada with nothing but feedback from the Robot's eyes as seen down on the monitors in Austin.

We met with members of several Robot Groups and discussed plans about standardized 'bot parts and the list of fantastic automatons goes on and on. I think the event was a grand success and as we left the coliseum, I was rejuvenated in my determination to complete my own Robot. On the way back, we discussed the possibility of such a Robot Festival in the Dallas area sometime soon.

Information Superhighway

by Dilip Garapaty, "Botman"
At the risk of succumbing to the trend towards overworked buzzwords, I thought some of you non-netters might like to know what's been going on in the ether. Dilip Garapaty, an active member of our group has been talking about the DPRG throughout the world via the Internet and Usenet. He's been getting quite a bit of response from folks from all around the globe, as you can see from his report:

As most of us know, the Internet is a fantastic source of info and there are several newsgroups out there that deal in Robots and AI and other related stuff. The Internet is very accessible through various Internet Providers and is relatively inexpensive for a basic connection. My favorite newsgroup is "comp.robotics" available on most UNIX systems via the "rn" command. It is also an ideal forum to put forth your ideas and queriese. DPRG members in Dallas can easily access the newsgroup through the Interociter BBS (214-258-1832), but for those of you who do not wish to make long distance, long during calls, the Internet is a cheaper alternative. I had an overwhelming response to one of my postings on the net about the DPRG and its newsletter. So, I think it is a good idea to have a copy of the newsletter posted on the net each month. For this, I volunteer and then literally millions (20 million at last count) of computer users will have access to our informative newsletter.

Robofest 5 a Success!

Come see all the pictures and hear all the stories at our April meeting. Also we've got several Robot protocols and plans for a Robot Group network to discuss. COME ONE, COME ALL! SEE YOU THERE!!!