Web site: PyroRobotics.org/?page=PyroLiveCD (not active)
Origin: unknown
Category: Specialist
Desktop environment: KDE
Architecture: x86
Based on: KNOPPIX
Wikipedia:
Media: Live CD
The last version | Released: 5.0.0 | March 24, 2007
PyRobot Linux – a live, Knoppix-based Linux specialist distribution which features Myro and Pyro preinstalled as default.
Pyro is written in Python. Python is an interpreted language, which means that you can experiment interactively with your robot programs. In addition to being an environment, Pyro is also a collection of object classes in Python. Because Pyro abstracts all of the underlying hardware details, it can be used for experimenting with several different types of mobile robots and robot simulators. Until now, it has been necessary to learn very different and specific control languages for different mobile robots, particularly those manufactured by different companies. Now, a single language can be used to program many different robots, allowing code to be shared across platforms as well as allowing students to experiment with different robots while learning a single language and environment.
Pyro has the ability to define different styles of controllers, which are called the robot’s brain. For example, the control system could be a neural network, behavior based, or a symbolic planner. One unique characteristic of Pyro is the ability to write controllers using robot abstractions that enable the same controller to operate robots with vastly different morphologies. That is, a controller program written for a Khepera robot (hocky puck-sized, with infrared sensors) could work equally well for a Pioneer robot (medium suitcase-sized, with sonar sensors).
Robots: Currently, the robots supported include the Pioneer family (Pioneer, Pioneer2, PeopleBot robots) and the Khepera family (Khepera and Khepera 2 robots).
Simulators: There are two simulators available that simulate the Pioneer family of robots: Saphira and SRIsim. The latter is the latest simulator for the Pioneer family and is the recommended simulator for use. There is also a simulator available for the Khepera robot.
The Myro/Pyro Live CD project was made possible by many people. See:
– knoppix.net – Knoppix, Live CDROM Linux distribution
– RobotEducation.org – Institute for Personal Robots in Education, for Myro
– PyroRobotics.org – Python Robotics and Bryn Mawr College, for Pyro
