[FTC]: New Android Control System

[DavisDad]

We're excited about next year's new control system. I'm starting this thread to assemble information about the "Qualcomm® Snapdragon" based smartphone platform. We were a rookie team in the 2014/2015 season and had just begun learning the NXT/RobotC/Textrix systems.

I personally, am not at all disappointed to put NXT behind us. My role as FTC mentor has been mainly mechanical engineering and fabrication support, but I have worked with the NXT controls and programming enough to understand the limitations. I'm excited about First's decision to move to a more sophisticated platform where we won't be tied to RobotC, Tetrix and Matrix proprietary systems. I'm hoping FTC goes to a fully open system where we can use available evolving robotics technologies independent of HiTech, Lego, RobotC sellers.

So... here's information I've assembled so far:

http://simhardware.org//img/FTC 2015...cr 22mar15.pdf

While waiting for further details of the hardware/software specs later this month, I'd like to look into "Qualcomm® Snapdragon" hardware and the programming platforms. If anyone would like to post here (or link to) their work, it would be much appreciated.

[DavisDad]

The following is a screenshot of the "TecTalk" video posted on YouTube.com:

FTC Tech Talk: Platform Presentation



I've seen very little posted on the internet about the "Modern Robotics Inc" modules. So... I'll focus on the Android phone capabilities until more info is available. I've looked at "MIT App Inventor" and "Android Studio" programming platforms. App Inventor is a graphical programming language and Android Studio is a big programming language based on "Java". I played with App Inventor, but I'm old school and came up through Fortran77, Basic... C++ text based systems and will spend my time with the Android Studio application.

After taking a peek at the programming stuff, I'd like to "look under the hood" of the ""Qualcomm® Snapdragon" Android device. The CPU (chipset) looks like a full blown computer ; cool!


I'm off into computer hardware morass of techie gobbley-gook. Any help from the pros would be much appreciated...

[DavisDad]

I've set up an "Qualcomm Developer Network" account where they have a robot design using their system:

"Robots powered by Snapdragon processors leverage technologies working together to make robots smarter and more efficient. The Snapdragon Micro Rover is a simple design that garners lots of power and intelligence. It’s powered by a smartphone with a Snapdragon processor, is easily printed on a 3D printer and has a forklift that allows the robot to manipulate its world."

After setting up an account, I was able to download files, one of which is a PDF detailing how to build the Micro Rover. It's mostly 3D printer stuff, but has info on I/O as well.

[DavisDad]

Poking around the "Qualcomm Developer Network" website, I found DragonBoard 410c page:

"Coming Summer 2015

The DragonBoard™ 410c will be the first development board based on a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 400 series processor. It features advanced processing power, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connectivity, and GPS, all packed into a board the size of a credit card. Based on the 64-bit capable Snapdragon 410 processor, the DragonBoard 410c is designed to support rapid software development, education and prototyping, and is compliant with the 96Boards Consumer Edition specification. All this makes it ideal for enabling embedded computing and Internet of Everything (IoE) products, including the next generation of robotics, cameras, medical devices, vending machines, smart buildings, digital signage, casino gaming consoles, and much more."

The link in the text above has a specification document Low Cost Hardware Platform Specification with details of platform functionality.

NOTE: I don't know what Snapdragon series FTC will use, I just picked 400 series for research

[DavisDad]

Jumping around here...

Found what looks like a good tutorial on intro to Java:

Hello, World!

[DavisDad]

Maybe we'll be able to do this:

"Snapdragon Cargo"

[DavisDad]

Found this:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 Processors Power Student Robotics Competition

[astroman31]

I am confused at what Android devices we will need to purchase. The videos show a simple cell phone. Is there something specific they want us to use? It would be handy to have something small and compact for the robot side, with a larger controller device for the driver station.

Is there a specific product FIRST has in mind for these?

[DavisDad]

The control system will be, at a minimum, two (2) cell phones. I'm not sure if FTC will only allow us to use one model, or if we'll be able to use other type phones, tablets and the development boards available.

I'm hoping we'll be able to use any Qualcomm® Snapdragon devices compatible w/ FTC required hardware (power mod, motor control mod, etc...)

[DavisDad]

Cool stuff:

Robot Operating System Running on Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Processor

Robot Operating System (ROS)

Web Robotics

ROS: Three Years

ROS on Android

Quadrocopter Autonomous Flight (test) - Vicon + ROS + Android Tablet

Rhoeby hexapod ROS-based Navigation

[DavisDad]

Qualcomm announces:

Student robotics competition heats up in Shanghai

[DavisDad]

YES! Off the shelf sensors.

FTC Tech Talk: Electronics Look II

[DavisDad]

OK... now for a journey into the "Quad-core ARM® Cortex™ A53" specifications for an attempt to understand our new controls environment.

What's a "Quad-core ARM® Cortex™ A53" thingy? Let's start with the "ARM" name. ARM Holdings WikipeniA: "...is a British multinational semiconductor and software design company with its head office in Cambridge, England. Its largest business is designing processors (CPU) bearing the ARM name...systems and platforms, system-on-a-chip (SoC) infrastructure and software. It is considered to be market dominant in the field of processors for mobile phones (smartphones or otherwise) and tablet computers and is arguably the best-known of the 'Silicon Fen' companies."

What's a ARM® Cortex™ A53? WikipediA: "The ARM Cortex-A is a group of 32-bit and 64-bit RISC ARM processor cores licensed by ARM Holdings... ARM Holdings does not manufacture nor sell CPU devices based on its own designs, but rather, licenses the processor architecture to interested parties."

So- ARM designs the CPU stuff, but doesn't manufacture the chips, Qualcomm is the chip manufacturer. WikipediA: "Qualcomm Incorporated is an American global semiconductor company that designs and markets wireless telecommunications products and services... San Diego, California, United States..."

The chip which uses the ARM Cortex-A architecture is the Qualcomm Snapdragon. WikipediA: "...is a family of mobile systems on a chip (SoC) by Qualcomm. Qualcomm considers Snapdragon a "platform" for use in smartphones, tablets, and smartbook devices."

Hmm... so how does this help me understand how to control a robot? I don't know yet, but will continue this research later.

[DavisDad]

I think this is the phone they showed in the TechTalk videos:

ZTE Speed

More specs

[DavisDad]

So I'm scratching my head over how to sort through all this information and figure out what we need to know for FTC...

What I know:

1. New control system based on cell phones using Qualcomm Snapdragon (410 MSM8916) processor (SoC)
2. The MSM8916 uses the Cortex A53, whis is an "ARM family of instruction set architectures".
3. The MSM8916 is used by cell phone manufacturers as the brain. The ZTE Speed has these features.
4. FTC 2015/16 will use two (2) ZTE type phones with FTC specified Modern Robotics hardware/software (H/S) to control the robot. One phone will be used for driver control and the other as the robot controller.
5. The robot controller will talk to the FTC H/S through the phone's USB port. Known H/S are: "Power Module", "Servo Motor Controller", "DC Motor Controller", "Legacy Module" & "Advanced Sensor Module" (see schematic)
6. Communications between H/S is all USB except the Legacy Module which takes USB and converts to NXT type I2C networking data.
7. The Sensor Module will allow use of "standard off the shelf sensors".

What I don't know:

1. How the Modern Robotics Inc. (MRI) components control information between the ZTE type phone and the robot's functions.
2. Will the MRI motor and servo controllers be the only allowed devices, or will we be able to use other robotics companies' products?
3. For off the shelf sensors, what are the signal inputs? They look like 3-pin analog.
4. Will we be able to use components like image processors & "sensor fusion" devices with their own pre-processing?

I guess we'll have to wait for the MRI specs for firmware to know.