Page 59 - Hacking Roomba
P. 59
40 Part I — Interfacing
If this looks a little bit like the computer language Logo, this is on purpose. Logo was a great
idea, a computer language targeted at kids. It was graphical and based around an on-screen
turtle that could be told to go “forward 100” and “right 45.” Look familiar? With Roomba and
the RoombaComm API, one can re-create Logo in real life.
Java was chosen so that a single library could be used on Mac OS X, Windows, or Linux. The
RoombaComm library and programs have been tested on all these platforms.
Summary
The Roomba ROI protocol is a pretty complete interface for controlling Roomba. You can see
how to start implementing algorithms to make Roomba do new things and respond differently
to its environment. If you’ve played with serial protocols before, now you know how to com-
mand the robot, you just need an adapter to make it happen. If you’re still unsure how to start
controlling Roomba, you now know that the RoombaComm API library will help conceal the
low-level details and provide a scaffold upon which to build a richer environment for Roomba
programming.
