Show HN: RiQ – An Arduino based robot with a tablet based programming interface (opens in new tab)

It looks like a good choice for equipping your own child with an engaging platform for physical computing and robotics, but at in its price range of "hundreds of dollars" there are many good choices. It is at the "nice present for a privileged child" price point. We could really use more choices that are at the $20 - $30 level where it becomes an easier decision to equip whole classrooms with one for every student in the class.

Hi all,

Thanks for looking at the RiQ and for the great comments. I'd like to point out three things since people are looking at it:

1) Regarding the price, as the CEO of PCS Edventures, I'd love to be able to offer it for much less - we do a lot of work in developing countries and we're working on versions that would be less expensive. Unfortunately, this little guy has high quality fischertechnik components, rechargeable lipo, built in shields for 2AMP DC motors, servos, etc. as well as custom designed injection molded parts such as the case, swivels, and system adapters. In addition to just the "stuff" the creation of something like this involves a hardware engineering team, a software company specializing in Unity game development, and an education team that works on the builds and projects and curriculum. Sheesh that's a lot of expensive stuff and people!

2)The Open physical platform approach of RiQ is something we are very excited about. The specialized case has the ability to connect to fischertechnik, LEGO, K'Nex, and other systems. There is even an R/C adapter that allows you bolt it onto your favorite RC vehicle. We wanted to create something that educators or home users could integrate with just about anything.

3) Same philosophy with the Arduino compatible nature of the board - you can program it with the UI we have developed or with the Arduino IDE - that's the path we want students to take so they can learn quickly with our system but move on to more advanced work.

Hope you don't mind the sales pitch, I am familiar with all the items listed in the last post - lots of choices out there. We want ours to stand out so let me know what else you think it needs. We're adding on new sensor packs and capabilities as quickly as possible.

Best wishes,

Robert Grover CEO PCS Edventures, Inc.

Would somebody please develop a modern sonar system for low-end robotics? Those guys are using sonar sensors from the 1980s. They give you the range to the nearest thing in a cone about 90 degrees wide. They're from an obsolete generation of self-focusing cameras. There's been some progress since then.

Robot sonars should have capabilities comparable to bats by now. You've probably got at least an ARM processor available. There's a startup trying to do this (http://www.chirpmicro.com/) for mobile gesture recognition.