Cytron's Rero Reconfigurable Robot

The ReRo Robot is a robot construction kit that features easy to use hardware design and programming tool. ReRo stands for reconfigurable robot and it's designed to target younger generations and people with lesser technical skills. Eliminating the tiny screws and nuts was Cyton's main task to make the reconfigurable robot a reality, they succeeded this by making a straightforward sliding method between connectors and joints. Everything is clip on, clip off and quite sturdy also. Anyone who wants to learn robotics and programming should start with this product, it could also be great in robotic initiation classes. It requires no programming skills to have the robot do what you desire since the programming software is intuitive and easy to use. It can be programmed right from the ReRo controller or it can be programmed using the Rero Animator and Planner PC software, the programs can be imported into the robot via a micro USB port. Here is a look at what is inside the box.   We will go trough parts breakdown and functionality. The ReRo controller is the most important part of the kit, it is where all sensors and servos are connected to be programmed. The battery is installed inside the controller using the thumb screw to open it up. Once the battery is installed no need to take it out each time it needs charging since it is possible to plug a cable to charge it from the front panel. The head module is equipped with RGB LED that can be programmed in six different colors. It is also equipped with a sound detector and a IR sensor. It is a stand alone infra red sensor. The ultrasonic detector can be used to detect objects or for distance reference. There are 8 servos included, beside from the rotating part of the cube all other sides can be clipped to various parts of the kit. There are many various hardware parts to joint the sensors and servos to the controller, giving a lot of liberty. Since all parts use clip joints it can be assembled and modified really fast. It is not possible to say that the configuration makes it endless but your imagination can take you far, it should really be more focused on educational purposes because ReRo is an excellent product for learning about robotic basics. Here are a few examples of what can be done with the ReRo kit.     Programming can be a hard and complex task, mostly if you do not have any knowledge of any programming language. But, with the ReRo software on the controller it is really simple. Once construction of the robot you want is done and the wires are all connected, you set the servos path limits. Then you can use the teach mode from the controller, you teach the motions then you play the motions. With the ReRo Animator and Planner software it is even easier to program your robot. Lets have a look at them. The Animator software is a like the software integrated in the controller, it lets you see the servos movements in real time, set paths and upload or download the programs. The ReRo Planner software is where it gets more interesting, it adds the intelligence to your robot using the sensors to react to the environment. It is similar to GRAFCET programming where you have an action then a transition. This is great to learn logical sequences. There is also the wireless functionality where the robot can be paired with a smart phone and can be used as a remote for the robot. The ReRo Robot Kit can be a great addon to an initiation to robotics classroom. The parts are very stiff and not easily breakable, if you have a part that breaks it is possible to purchase them from the manufacturer's website, if you are a 3D printer owner on the manufacturer support page you will find all the files to print the hardware parts. It can also make a great gift for the young ones who wish to learn about robotics.