RobotShop Launches MyRobots, Cloud Robotics for All
December 20, 2011
RobotShop.com, the world’s most visited e-commerce site specializing in service robotics, announces today the launch of a new cloud computing service specifically designed for robots as well as all “smart objects.”
MyRobots is a portal where robot owners and builders can connect their robots, monitor their status, and control them. All Internet-enabled robots can be readily connected to MyRobots, thanks to the open API in place. Robots which cannot access the Internet directly can use the “MyRobots Connect,” a physical device which allows any robot capable of serial communication to be easily connected to MyRobots. The new portal will soon offer downloadable and cloud-based robotic applications and the roboticist community will have the opportunity to participate in developing their own. Developers can then sell their applications in the "Robot App Store" soon to be launched. Furthermore, all information about compatible hardware and the communication API are available on the site to allow robot owners and builders to develop applications freely. In addition, manufacturers and OEMs can use the MyRobots platform to improve the capabilities of their robotic products and provide better service to their customers. It is important to note that for an undetermined period of time, all data plans on MyRobots will be offered free of charge…
"Soon, I will be able connect to the robots in my home, and MyRobots will provide me with their current status such as if all is well, they have a problem or even if they require maintenance. MyRobots will inform me in real-time of any action I need to take, thus facilitating the coexistence and communication between mankind and these increasingly intelligent machines," says Mario Tremblay, RobotShop CEO. "MyRobots addresses the increasing need to have a central intelligence for monitoring, managing and controlling robots and smart objects. In doing so, MyRobots opens the door to a new era by promoting the development and experimentation of a variety of applications for domestic, professional, hobby, educational, and toy robots. The potential for innovation resulting from this platform is unbounded and our goal at RobotShop is to involve the entire robotics community, our customers, and our manufacturers in this innovative process.”
After rigorous market research, RobotShop chose ThingSpeak, the open-source data engine created by ioBridge as the basis of its cloud robotics platform. ThingSpeak already has a large community of innovators which includes users of the popular Arduino microcontroller. ThingSpeak provides basic functionality to MyRobots such as the transmission, storage and graphical visualization of data as well as sending messages to communicate with smart objects. RobotShop will soon develop cloud-robotics applications focused on service robots.
“We are excited that RobotShop selected ThingSpeak as the platform on which to build their innovative MyRobots portal. ThingSpeak is ioBridge’s open source Internet of Things cloud service. It makes it easy and cost-effective to Internet-enable robots. This partnership goes hand-in-hand with ioBridge’s vision of helping people benefit from being able to interact with a community of smart things,” says Dr. Robert Mawrey, ioBridge CEO.