HERO (robot)
{{Short description|Series of domestic robots from the 1980s}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| manufacturer = Heathkit
| type = robot
| name = HERO
| releasedate = {{start date|1982}}
| discontinued = {{end date|2012}}
}}
HERO (from Heathkit Educational Robot) is a series of several educational robots sold by Heathkit during the 1980s.
The Heath Company began the HERO 1 project in October 1979, with the first release in 1982.[http://electronicdesign.com/analog/whatever-happened-heathkit Whatever Happened To Heathkit?], By Lou Frenzel, Electronic Design, Feb 18, 2009 Models include the HERO 1, HERO Jr., and HERO 2000. Heathkit supported the HERO robot line until 1995. The units were either sold as assembly kits or prebuilt by Heathkit for an additional fee. The 1980s models are considered collectors items, due to their rarity.[https://books.google.com/books?id=kLIIBgAAQBAJ&dq=heathkit+sales+hero+robots&pg=PA12 Classic Heathkit Electronic Test Equipment], By Jeff Tranter, 2013, Page 12. {{ISBN|0992138205}}
For the most part, they cannot perform practical tasks, but are more geared toward entertainment and education above all.
HERO 1 (ET-18)
HERO 1 is a self-contained mobile robot controlled by an onboard computer with a Motorola 6808 CPU and 4 kB of RAM. The robot features light, sound, and motion detectors as well as a sonar ranging sensor. An optional arm mechanism and speech synthesizer was produced for the kit form and included in the assembled form.Mark J. Robillard: HERO 1 - Advanced Programming and Interfacing, H.W. Sams 1983. {{ISBN|0-672-22165-9}}Howard Boyet: Hero 1 - Advanced Programming Experiments, Heathkit/Zenith 1984. {{ISBN|0-87119-036-2}}
To make this power available in a simple way, high-level programming languages were created. For example, the ANDROTEXT language is a HERO 1 editor and compiler developed in 1982 for the IBM PC.{{cite journal | last=ACM | year=1982 | title=ANDROTEXT for HERO 1 Editor and Compiler IBM PC | journal= Online Historical Encyclopaedia of Programming Languages, ACM History of Programming Language Conference (HOPL) | url= http://hopl.info/showlanguage2.prx?exp=8316}}{{cite journal | last=Solem | first=J. C. | date=May 1984 | title=ANDROTEXT-A high-level language for personal robots | journal=Robotics Age Magazine | volume=6 | issue=5 | pages=16 | url= https://archive.org/details/RoboticsAge198405}}{{cite book | last=Fuller | first=James | year=1988 | title= ROBOTICS: Introduction, Programming, and Projects | publisher= Prentice-Hall}}{{cite journal | last1=Gupta | first1=A. K. | last2=Arora | first2=S. K. | year=2009 | title=Industrial Automation and Robotics | journal=(Laxmi Publications) | pages=379 | isbn=9788131805923 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Y7rgCP7iC18C&pg=PA379 }}
HERO 1 is featured on a few episodes of the children's television program Mr. Wizard's World.[https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/03/science/building-a-robot-the-crash-course.html Building A Robot: The Crash Course], By William J. Broad, Published: May 3, 1983, The New York Times[http://electronicdesign.com/blog/robots-best-educational-platform-ever Robots: Best Educational Platform Ever], Apr 25, 2013 by Lou Frenzel, Communiqué Byte magazine called HERO 1 "a product of extraordinary flexibility and function ... If you are interested in robotics, Heath will show you the way".{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1983-01/1983_01_BYTE_08-01_Looking_Ahead#page/n87/mode/2up | title=Heath's HERO-1 Robot | work=BYTE | accessdate=19 October 2013 | author=Leininger, Steve | pages=86}} volume 8 number, 1 January 1983
| class="wikitable"
! Release date | {{start date|1982}} |
| Price
| Kit US$1500 {{nowrap|({{Inflation|US|1500|1982|r=2|fmt=eq}})}}, |
|---|
| Discontinued
| {{end date|1995}} |
| Units sold
| 14,000 (across 8 years) |
| Media
| Assembly manual, user's manual, technical manual, and speech dictionary |
| Power
| Batteries: four 6-volt gel cell |
| CPU |
| Memory
| RAM: 4 kB |
| Storage |
| Display
| six 7-segment LEDs |
| Sound
| Votrax SC-01 speech synthesizer{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FzAEAAAAMBAJ&dq=HEath+educational+robot&pg=PA1 | title=InfoWorld | date=27 December 1982 }}[http://hero.dsavage.net/robots/Hero_FAQ.html Hero Robot Frequently Asked Questions], Donnie V. Savage Site (Included with Assembled version and $149.95 option for kit) |
| Input
| Hex keypad with 17 keys |
| Dimensions
| 20 inches high x 18 inches wide (50 cm x 45 cm) |
| Weight
| {{convert|39|lb|kg}} |
HERO Jr. (RT-1)
File:Hero Jr. (1982) (469403066).jpg
A smaller version called HERO Jr. was released later. Heathkit intended it for the home market, and therefore made it less complex, and more self-contained. Like HERO 1, HERO Jr. has a 6808 processor, but only 2 kB of RAM. It has onboard speech synthesis, a Polaroid sonar range sensor, a light sensor, a sound sensor, and an optional infrared sensor. Other optional components include a pair of extra batteries to double the operational time between charges, from an estimated 4 hours to 8 hours. A remote control accessory allows users to drive the robot around. It includes a motion sensor that causes the robot to croak "SOM-THING-MOVE" when it detects a source of motion.
Heathkit released several add-ons to increase the robot's capabilities, including a transmitter to activate a home security system in the event it senses movement while on "guard duty". Also, additional cartridges with programs and games were produced, as well as a components to allow the user to directly program the robot.
The drive mechanism is backward compared to the HERO 1, with the drive and steering wheel in the back of the robot. The head section features an indentation to allow the robot to transport up to {{convert|10|lb|kg}}. The robot can speak several phrases from various films that involve robots or computers. It is capable of remembering and repeating back its master's name, singing songs, reciting poems, acting as an alarm clock, and making its own combinations of phonemes to create a robotic gibberish.
| class="wikitable"
! Release date | {{start date|1984}} |
| Price |
|---|
| Discontinued
| Before {{end date|1987|10}} (Assembled)[https://books.google.com/books?id=oAAAAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22hero+jr%22+heath&pg=PA136 HERO Jr], DAMARK International Advert, Page 136, Popular Mechanics, Oct 1987 - Public notice: Heath no longer make factory assembled model. They decided to produce the kit version. So we brought the remaining inventory..., Manufactures recommended price US$1078.85 DAMARK PRICE: US$298 |
| Units sold
| 4000 (across 8 years) |
| Power
| Batteries:6 V 3.8 A·h x2, x4 optional |
| CPU
| Motorola 6808 1 MHz |
| Memory
| RAM: 2 kB, expandable to 24 kB |
| Display
| 9 LEDs |
| Sound
| Votrax SC-01 speech synthesizer |
| Input
| Hex keypad with 17 keys |
| Dimensions
| {{convert|19|in|cm}} high[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=btlRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TW4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4939%2C2188751 Robot helps at home], Page 25, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Oct 9, 1984 |
| Weight |
HERO 2000 (ET-19)
The much more powerful HERO 2000 includes several onboard microprocessors, onboard speech synthesis, several sensors, and the ability to add expansion cards using a passive backplane.John D. Hubbard, Lawrence P. Larsen: Hero 2000 - Programming and Interfacing, Heathkit/Zenith 1986. {{ISBN|0-87119-153-9}}
HE-RObot
file:Pc-bot.jpg version of the 914 PC-Bot (pictured) by White Box Robotics]]
The HE-RObot is the result of a strategic partnership between Heathkit and White Box Robotics, marketed to the educational market. When available, it cost up to {{US$|8000}}. Heathkit sold approximately 50 of these robots before bankruptcy in 2012.[http://www.retrothing.com/2007/12/the-heathkit-he.html HE-RObot: The Next Generation of Heathkit HERO Robots] Posted by james on December 26, 2007 at 03:16 PM in Do-It-Yourself, Robots - Retro Thing{{cite web|url=http://www.heathkit.com/herobot.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=March 6, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126033735/http://www.heathkit.com/herobot.html |archive-date=January 26, 2013 }}[http://www.914pcbots.com/community/index.php 914 PC Bots Community] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402124512/http://www.914pcbots.com/community/index.php |date=2015-04-02 }}, Forum
| class="wikitable"
! Developer | White Box Robotics[https://web.archive.org/web/20080103050600/http://www.whiteboxrobotics.com/NEWS/index.htm December 12, 2007, News & Events, White Box Robotics |
| Release date
| {{start date|2007}} |
|---|
| Price
| up to {{US$|8000}} |
| Discontinued
| {{end date|2012}} |
| Unitssold
| approximately 50 |
| OS
| Windows XP Pro |
| Power
| Batteries: 2 x 12V 9Ah Lead Acid Battery |
| CPU |
| Memory
| 1 GB DDR2 RAM |
| Storage
| 80 GB 2½ in. SATA Hard drive |
| Dimensions
| Height {{convert|21|in|cm}} |
| Weight
| {{convert|25|kg|lb|abbr=on}} |
| Website
| {{URL|http://www.heathkit.com/herobot.html}} (Historical) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.heathkit.com/herobot.html |date=* }} |
See also
- {{anl|1980s in science and technology}}
- {{anl|R.O.B.}}
- {{anl|Topo (robot)}}
References
{{refs}}
Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
- Howard Boyet: Heath's robot "HERO": 68 experiments : fundamentals and applications, Microprocessor Training 1983. {{ISBN|9994699709}}
- Mark J. Robillard: HERO 1 - Advanced Programming and Interfacing, H.W. Sams 1983. {{ISBN|0-672-22165-9}}
- Howard Boyet: Hero 1 - Advanced Programming Experiments, Heathkit/Zenith 1984. {{ISBN|0-87119-036-2}}
- John D. Hubbard, Lawrence P. Larsen: Hero 2000 - Programming and Interfacing, Heathkit/Zenith 1986. {{ISBN|0-87119-153-9}}
{{refend}}
External links
- [http://www.robotswanted.com/robotgallery/heathkit/ Heathkit Robots at Robot Gallery]
- [http://hero.dsavage.net/ The Hero Robot Web Source]
- [http://theoldrobots.com/hero.html Vintage Hero Robots Family]
- [https://archive.today/20150309144355/https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/hero_owners/info Heathkit HERO robot owners user group]
- [https://archive.org/details/Robotics1984 Video demonstration of HERO 1 (Beginning at 12:30)]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.hero-1.com/Dialup/index.htm Heathkit HERO 1 Robots - Vintage Heathkit Educational Trainer Robots (HERO 1) ET-18 ETW-18]
- [https://classic.technology/heathkit-hero-1/ Scan of the original brochure for the Hero 1]
- {{YouTube|eI3oQVK7iA|Heathkit Zenith HERO JR Robot!}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070429195231/http://hero2000robots.com/index2.html Heathkit Hero 2000 Robots]
{{Robot kits}}