Development [LWN.net]

Tux Droid brings Tux the penguin alive

Tux Droid is a fun new project that combines open-source software with a hardware project to create a wireless animated version of Tux the penguin, the Linux mascot:

Tux, the official Linux mascot, is alive! There's a new little companion dedicated to the Linux community. Tux Droid is a robot wirelessly connected to a computer (running Linux!) which will add a new dimension to your applications.

The development team appears to be located in Belgium; they launched (PDF) the project in April of 2006, with hardware supplied by the company kysoh, whose name stands for Keep Your Sense Of Humor.

[Tux Droid] Tux Droid is interfaced to the host computer via a 2.4 Ghz wireless USB link. Control information and audio are routed back and forth across this link. The wireless link allows Tux Droid to be separated from the host computer, expanding the possible uses for the device. Power to the penguin comes from a set of rechargeable batteries and an AC power supply/recharger.

The Tux Droid can perform the following output functions:

Flapping of the wings.
Movement of the eyelids.
Movement of the beak.
Spinning at the base.
Light blue LEDs in the eyes.
Output of audio via a built in speaker.

Input functions include:

Sensing a tap on the head.
Sensing movement of the wings.
Input of audio via a microphone.
Reception of infrared signals from a TV-style remote control.

The Tux Droid API document is still in an early stage. The API development page describes the communication paths across the wireless USB link. The hardware architecture describes the data communication paths throughout the system. The penguin's embedded Behavioral CPU is an Atmel AVR microcontroller which is running open-source control software. The AVR connects to the mechanical interfaces and LED directly, and communicates with the wireless link and sound device through an internal I²C bus.

A wide variety of possible applications have been suggested for the Tux Droid, including flapping its wings for incoming email, dancing along with music that is playing, controlling multimedia playback functions, and more. One use that your author particularly liked was having the penguin light up its eyes, flap its wings and make noise to signal a system error. One can imagine connecting some network monitoring software up to the device for an amusing system security alarm.

A prototype of Tux Droid was recently demonstrated at the recent O'Reilly Open Source Convention in Portland, Oregon. A number of interesting animations show some potential uses for Tux Droid. This animation [Flash] presents a good representation of the penguin in motion. Hardware preorders are being accepted for early adopters of this critical technology.

Tux Droid shows how, with a little imagination, an open-source project can be innovative, useful, and plenty of fun. The only thing your author would like to suggest is the replacement of the blue LEDs with RGB clusters. There's nothing like red eyes to convey a mood.

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