[Dprglist] Robotics "Capability Maturity Model" - Thoughts?

[Jim Merkle]

If any of you subscribe to Reddit - Arduino group, you'll see generic 
questions all the time, many of which are from "tire kickers", folks 
just thinking about purchasing something but haven't committed to 
anything yet.  I don't bother getting involved unless the user indicates 
they have actual hardware they are working with.

Since Kumar had already purchased an STM32 NUCLEO board, (I love the 
STM32 NUCLEO boards in general), I had to get involved.

"Which development environment" is the 2nd most asked question when it 
comes to STM32 boards.  The most asked is "which STM32 board?".  
Unfortunately, many folks begin STM32 exploration with a "Blue Pill".  I 
HATE that platform!!!  Although it's cheap, they often have clone chips 
and require plenty of additional hardware already provided with a NUCLEO 
board.

Much of the capability model involves the individual and their talent 
set...

What DPRG provides is mentorship...  Folks that are willing and able to 
help others get from one _Level_ to the next.  Thanks GUYS !

The "Build More Robots" is an excellent tool / program to help bring 
people (and their robots) from "Level 0.0.0" to "Level 5.0" (or so).

https://www.dprg.org/build-more-robots-series/

I truly appreciate DPRG !

---
Jim Merkle
Carrollton, TX 75007
jim at merkles.com

On 2021-10-27 10:03, Chris N via DPRGlist wrote:

> So in part because of questions along the line of "where do I get 
> started" from Kumar, and others before him, that we occasionally get, I 
> thought it might help to have some sort of capability model in mind 
> that can be referenced.
> 
> That way one can ask "OK - what level are you at currently?  What level 
> are you trying to reach in the near term?"
> 
> Below is what I mean.  For now this is focused on software and 
> locomotion (but starting with Level 8,  perception comes into the 
> picture)
> 
> I have more explanation to go along with each item but wanted to keep 
> it brief in this e-mail.
> 
> The idea is not to explain how to do these things.  This just 
> represents milestones along the journey.  This is really more about 
> having an agreed upon vocabulary.
> 
> Thoughts?   Is something like this helpful to have written down?  Is it 
> already written down somewhere ? (I am sure that in some ways, this is 
> captured in some of the material that David Anderson has published over 
> the years)
> 
> Level 0: I have an API through which I can control the speed and 
> direction of the individual wheels. My robot can move!
> 
> Level 1: I have an API through which I can reliably get the incremental 
> encoder counts for each wheel.  When motors are commanded with a 
> certain duty cycle, I can measure what that translates to in terms of 
> encoder counts per time unit.
> 
> Level 2: I am keeping track of my Robot's X, Y and Theta via 
> dead-reckoning / odometry
> 
> Level 3: I have taken at least basic steps to calibrate my robot's 
> odometry calculations.
> 
> Level 4: I can command the robot to move, but using more abstract units 
> such as "meters/second" or at least "encoder ticks per time unit"
> 
> Level 5: My robot actually moves at the linear and angular velocity I 
> tell it to, even when battery voltage is lower or surface friction is 
> higher.  And because I have completed Level 3, it can go in a somewhat 
> straight line when I ask it to.
> 
> Level 6: My robot moves in a fairly smooth fashion, i.e. it changes 
> speed and direction somewhat gradually. Movement is not "robotic"
> 
> Level 7:  I can command my robot to go to a certain X,Y coordinate aka 
> waypoint relative to its current location,  and the robot more or less 
> reaches that location provided nothing is in the way
> 
> Level 8:  My robot can reach the target location, even if there are 
> obstacles in the way.
> 
> Level 9:  My robot can come back after reaching its destination.
> 
> Level 10: My robot can do all this, even if the obstacles are moving 
> around quite a bit or if there are other sources of possible confusion
> 
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