Robotic Camea Dolly
Posted by Rob on Mar 16 2010 17:16 UTC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFXwjHqp-zs
Introducing NINJA CAT!
If you are interested in robotics, lets start chatting here about it and see what develops. The applications for this to us is quite large I think.
Rob
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Robotic Camea Dolly
Posted by Rob on Mar 24 2010 11:41 UTC
Business Plan Notes
For
NinjaCat Series of Robotic Dollys
Overview:
Stage One:
Creation of plan and working prototype.
Creation of basic kit.
Begin design of next vehicles.
Stage Two:
Redesign the vehicle using chain drive and making the unit capable of supporting 25lbs or more at the end of an arm that can rise to 16 feet above the ground.
Specifically designed for making immediate money through rentals to the movie making industry.
Stage Three:
Split the unit design into three basic formats or teams: movie making dolly, security and surveillance and gaming.
Details:
Stage One:
Finish Prototype use to make Fundamentals of Freedom videos, raise awareness and prove concept.
Create an awesome business plan and presentation suitable for raising enough capital to begin Stage Two.
Assemble the Team.
Stage Two:
- Creation of a basic vehicle and articulating arm suitable for the film and movie industry.
- This will require a slightly larger base unit with recessed wheels, and using a very silent drive system.
- The arm will have to be much more sturdy and be positioned with stepper motors allowing for quieter and more precise control. This will be our second prototype.
At this stage we also take the existing prototype and refine it so it is suitable to offer as a kit, made from a cardboard frame covered in fiberglass. This will also enable us to mass produce and assemble hundreds of the units to be used in later stages.
Define the game and establish needed software parameters.
Stage Three:
Create and market kit for home assembly.
Use those kits to manufacture hundreds of inexpensive units and use those to begin the Game.
Streams of Revenue:
Movie Dollys will rent out at up to $500/hour
Security Cats can be leased for $1500 month
Kits can be sold and generate $500 each
Units for the game can generate $25/hour/per unit BASE and run 12 hour per day, 50 units generating $30K per day to start.
The Game
This unit was originally conceived by myself for the purpose of a paintball type war game, where tele-robotically operated vehicles would be used in simulated combat to earn real money and have awesome fun. It would also teach about the ludicrousness of war, and hopefully inoculate against the desire to see it for real.
The basic difference between these models and the ones we sell as kits is that these have sensors giving information concerning whether they are being tracked by a laser, if so from what direction, and by whom, and if they are hit where were they hit. They also have a 3-axis sensor providing telemetry on their angle, momentum and acceleration. This is easily accomplished using LED sensors for the lasers and Piezo crystals for the impacts of the rounds and R/C 3-axis sensors.
Each unit is remotely operated by two players, who pay a base fee of $25/hour combined to play.
Each round is extra, as is extra power in their rounds, armor on their vehicle, or tracking ability.
Players can operate from their desk, or special trailers or gaming stations where they sit on top of a platform that mirrors the position, angle and actions of the vehicle being operated.
The goal is to earn GC�s, or �Game Credits�.
These are earned by successfully bidding on a contract to pick up and deliver a DP or �Data Packet� and then doing so.
This Auction ensures that there will be some who in order to earn credits, will have no choice but to attack others. There will be less DP�s then there are teams, and some DP�s will be worth far more.
While carrying the DP they are open to attack and their cargo can be stolen by successfully disabling their vehicle with cannon fire, or by putting them in a position where they agree to surrender said packet. However there is still no value associated with it, as you still have to deliver the DP to earn the GC.
Once delivered, GC are transfered to the delivery vehicle and they can now be attacked for those credits, until they deposit them in one of the available banks.
GC�s are held in said banks and are available to be stolen even when the player or team is not on the field.
Banks have various levels of protection, with some being next to impossible to successfully attack, but requiring extra investment or storage costs.
In this manner teams rack up GC�s and this is important because now it gets interesting.
To score a hit, gunner must paint the other vehicle for a particular amount of time, determined by software and based on on how much �Tracking Ability� was purchased for that round.
A vehicle being painted will know they are being targeted. The laser targeting carries a code specific to the vehicle and in that fashion game software can assign hits to the proper vehicles.
Once sufficiently tracked, the gunner is free to fire, and if he hits the other vehicle, it is damaged based on the amount of power the projectile represents, and how much armor the target had invested in.
They both pay us for this ability.
If damaged, the vehicle control system is rendered inoperative where hit for a period of time, again a function of the repair ability that was invested in at the beginning of the campaign.
EVERY TIME ANYONE FIRES, SOMEONE IS PAYING A DIME. If the attacker hits his target, the target pays. If he misses, he pays. Of that dime, half goes into the kitty, and half to us.
When the kitty reaches $100K those teams with the greatest number of GC�s are invited to play for the kitty. This would likely happen monthly.
WINNING TEAM TAKES ALL.
Vehicles Available:
We could easily design different vehicles, some very quick suitable only for observation and reconnaissance work, some for resupply, other for defense.
The Basic Battle Tank however would be the same, and it may be wise to limit team size.
HOW WE MAKE MONEY:
We make a nickel for every shot fired.
We make money by varying software parameters.
We make money by renting the vehicles.
We make money by renting advertising space in the arena itself.
- Each vehicle has a target cost of $2500 and will rent out at $25/hr base.
- Each vehicle should be good for 2000 hours before requiring major mechanical work, although batteries will be changed every 500 charges.
- Software upgrades to increase shot power, tracking ability, armor and will generate an estimated $10/vehicle on average and up to $20 for the tournaments. This generates $500 per hour merely to change the parameters of some software.
Each Vehicle is equipped with 55 rounds to start with reloading available at specific points for $2. These 55 rounds generate $2.75 for the kitty and for ourselves. With 50 vehicles and ten teams, all reloading once, $375 + is generated per hour of play for ourselves, and the kitty grows by $275 per campaign.
Three hundred and sixty three hours of play is required to grow the kitty to $100K and be suitable for a tournament.
That is about 15 days.
I foresee this growing into something very large and generating huge amounts of revenue. People will become professionals and form teams as this game requires much strategy, team work and co-ordination, and yet the prize is sufficient to make daily play cost effective. If the fun level is high enough, and the cost to play reasonable, the prize becomes secondary. But with that prize, an large incentive to play is also created.
Since the GC�s are available for poaching even when a team is not playing, it may be in their interest to always have a vehicle in the arena, ready to defend their bank. Additionally, it is likely that people would become interested in what happened while they slept, what banks were attacked, what teams defeated and the interest would grow.
Stationary guns could be placed, allowing for Enemy Non-combatants or gremlins to get online, and paying through PayPal, buy 20 shots for $1, and mischievously, or even strategically, remotely control a cannon and fire on the vehicles from above as they play and disable them. These people may be members of a team who is not at play, or merely somebody on the net who wants to randomly throw a wrench into the game.
The arenas could be unused warehouses and even office buildings, and equipped with a complete in house WiFi allowing for the simultaneous control of 50 to 100 vehicles. By proper creation of the fighting ground, the fired balls could be automatically gravity collected, cleaned and fed to the reloading stations. These arena obstacles consists of ramps, flat-top pyramids, astroturf over sculpted sand, oil drums, raised platforms, covered and uncovered mazes, open ground, shipping containers, empty offices, bales of hay, piles of stone of suitable size contained within a low wooden enclosure, and the like. The interior design could be very cheap to make with the largest costs being the plywood, though we can easily use much scrap for that. Consideration must be given to ensuring the vehicles cannot be purposely damaged, rode over edges or banged to hard into each other.
Arena Design
Arena will have to be fairly large, and preferably completely enclosed. The model is based upon a 400� x 400� area with 30 ft ceilings.
Obstacles are mostly very cheap or free, consisting of various areas.
Shipping containers will be utilized and when raised up will allow for hiding underneath, inside and even on top.
A gravel pit will be created.
A sand pile will be sculpted and covered with astroturf.
Old Office dividers will be secured and used to make a changeable maze.
Oil Drums will be used to form a central stonehenge type area.
Flat top pyramids will be made from plywood, creating a very unique and challenging environment.
Raised levels will allow for battlefield high ground, and can be a challenge to achieve in itself, with different platforms accessible only through certain points.
Data Packet Auction
Data Packets are merely a bunch of code, but are sponsored by businesses. Those who successfully deliver the packet earn a gift certificate from the sponsor.
These Real World Prizes or RWP,s can be from many different businesses, and the value and willingness of the parties to bid upon them a function of their worth. Large corporations and unique products could be fought for.
Men who pay $50 to play can earn a gift certificate worth half that to bring home to their women. This may be in the form of gift certificates for anything from spa time, cosmetics, food products, or just about anything.
Sponsors of DP�s can have their logos displayed on the sides of the shipping containers and hung as banners. When this gets big, that advertising revenue will generate huge capital, and those sponsors will be motivated to bring BIG RWP to the game. This in turn will attract the players and the audience.
The Black Market
-Here players can buy maps and information concerning the location of the DP�s pick up and delivery locations, information about their opponents armor capabilities, and other information.
Why this is so cool
This is not some software based video game, though it will be offering and attracting primarily the elite from that crowd. Watching an actual video game with CGI compared to controlling a real vehicle and watching the video in real time is drastically different.
A higher level of strategy will be required, as you have limited ammunition, power, and means of reloading. Playing this may cost you and your team of nine others, if you play thrice weekly for one two-week campaign, roughly $50/play with upgrades and ammo costs or $150 per week for two weeks. Or $300. If they win the tournament, they each take home $10K. Some would decide to play daily, and the mathematical break even point would be about four hours a day, if you could afford it.
If every two weeks we have a tournament with $100K on the table, they will come and play their little hearts out.
If that tournament requires them to play in our shifting moving platforms, and to play for 24 hours straight, we will attract athletes and warriors and of course TV stations. And advertisers.
This game will also give us an unprecedented chance to share certain ideologies with a target demographic as well as generate a great deal of capital for the WFS.
