LERN: FLOWSTONE Brat vs. Alien
Flowstone, a New Graphical Programming Language, Presages
Future of Robotics |
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The world of single-board computers and embedded microprocessors is evolving daily and it’s easy to focus on the hardware without considering the changes in the software tools available to program our creations. One hardware area that is growing right now is the use of mini single board PCs for robotics applications, some of which are now the size of cigarette packets (consider DARwIn-OP our cover story). One software tool that has emerged recently is “FlowStone” a graphical programming language for Windows from UK-based DSPRobotics. FlowStone has been specifically designed to work on PCs, Laptops and this new breed of small single board computers. The advantages of using a single board PC are that your software gets access, with little programming, to all of the standard PC peripherals, like keyboard, screen and mouse, plus networking, the sound system and video, etc. PRIMITIVES & MODULES The key to using FlowStone is the graphical nature of the development environment; on the screen you can create your program by interconnecting primitives and modules using flexible wires. Primitives are things that are at the lowest level and cannot be edited, such as mathematical functions, or a comport or a webcam, etc. Modules are collections of primitives or other modules and can be viewed at a high level or you can double click and step inside the module to edit it.
Both Primitives and Modules have inputs and outputs, which is where you connect the interconnection wires. A powerful feature is automatic conversion, so you don’t have to worry if you connect a Floating Point output to a Sting input, the conversion happens automatically. There are hundreds of pre-built modules available at this time in the DSPRobotics libraries. |
![]() This Lynxmotion BRAT has been equipped with a Webcam and the ability to engage in laser combat; stay tuned for a full report next issue! |
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Download a Free Copy of Flowstone, CLICK HERE!