Page 206 - Hacking Roomba

Chapter 9 — Creating Art with Roomba 187

FIGURE 9-18: Another piece by the robo-artist

Drawing Other Types of Figures

Like SpiroExplorer, RoombaSpiro can use any parametric equation. In practice, the sudden
turns caused by some equations (like most interesting Lissajous equations) make the Roomba
jump around too much to make a consistent line. These jumps can be ameliorated somewhat
by moving the Roomba at a very slow speed and by making the pen mount extremely secure.
The smoothly changing hypotrochoid spirals are more forgiving of a loose pen.

Summary

The beginning of the chapter posed the question of whether robots can create art. In the case
of physically making marks on paper, it turns out that your robot needs a lot of help from you
to make it happen. But along with that technical help, you also make aesthetic judgments as to
what parameters should be used by the equations used to control the Roomba. Art is a circular
venture: it’s created, observed, thought about, and created again using the ideas and opinions