🚀 go-pugleaf

In "FORTH for BERT?", reynolds@pilot.dmg.ml.com (Brian Reynolds) says:
> Is the BERT kit still available?  Was this project ever finished?  Has
> anyone done similar work on a small mobile robots using FORTH?
 
A simple robot implementation in Forth exists, and is demonstrated 
regularly by the Boston-area Forth Interest Group as an attention-getting 
and useful introduction to Forth programming.  Two papers on this project 
have been presented at past Forth Conferences at the University of 
Rochester:
 
1. THE LEAST COMMON ROBOT PROJECT, by Donald E. Meyers and A. Richard 
   Miller, June 13, 1987.  Abstract: This paper describes the first stages of 
   a Forth User Group project to develop a Least Common Robot, a simple and 
   affordable design easily interfaced with common microcomputers.  Design 
   trade-offs are aimed at providing easy availability of such robots for 
   school and hobby use, for easy programming in standard Forth.
 
2. THE LEAST COMMON ROBOT PROJECT - 2nd Annual Report, by Donald E. Meyers 
   and A. Richard Miller, June 16th, 1988.  Abstract: The Least Common Robot 
   Project is a simple and inexpensive design for locally-constructed, general 
   educational use under Forth control.  The $40 Radio Shack Mobile Armatron 
   is the main component, and the materials cost to convert it to computer 
   control is estimated at $20 to $60 additional.  Forth User Group volunteers 
   have significantly improved the original electronic design, and continue to 
   investigate other areas.
 
These papers,including an interface schematic but not the source code, 
appear in the 1987 and 1988 Forth Conference Proceedings (published by the 
Institute of Applied Forth Research, 70 Elmwood Ave., Rochester, NY 14611; 
716/235-0168; fax 716/328-6426).
 
Miller Microcomputer Services can mail you a personal copy of both papers, 
plus a MMSFORTH version of the source code, for $5.00 (plus $1.00 beyond 
North America); if you are buying an MMSFORTH System, we will add the Robot 
source code to that diskette at no additional charge.
 
The next opportunity to see and experiment with the Least Common Robot will 
be at BUSCON/92-EAST, Sept. 15-17th in Boston, Massachusetts, at the Forth 
User Groups exhibit booth (#911).  I hope some of you can attend.  (If 
you're from FIG, ask me how to be a volunteer at the booth!)
 
--Dick Miller
 
A. Richard & Jill A. Miller            | Miller Microcomputer Services |
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