►
From YouTube: Wes Turner - Collaboration on Robotic Tractors
Description
Discussing collaboration between OSE and RCOS - Rensselaer Center for Open Source. Wes Turner is the coordinator of RCOS, and is running a summer course where he may involve his students on collaborating on a remote control or autonomous tractor. Since we are building a tractor during the Summer of Extreme Design build, this could be a fruitful collaboration. We are releasing the MicroTrac as a product this summer, so we can sell kits for anyone to build their own! Imagine build a tractor that you actually own, unlike the John Deere controversy! See Month 2 of https://www.opensourceecology.org/summer-x-2020/
See notes from the conversation at https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Wes_Turner
-----------------
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B
A
B
Yeah
so
we're
a
little
bit
of
a
strange
beast:
it's
an
open
source,
Club
yeah,
it's
an
open
source
Club,
but
it's
also
an
academic
center.
So
we
that's.
Why
I'm?
You
know
from
that
standpoint,
I'm
on
the
my
positions,
my
actual
titles
director,
but
I'm,
both
the
faculty
adviser
for
the
graduates
for
the
undergraduates
and
I'm,
also
the
person
who
assigns
grades
and
keeps
and
emic
side
working.
So
you
know
it's
a
bit
of
I.
Guess
that's
a
bit
of
a
weird
thing:
Club
room
runs
your
every
semester.
B
We
essentially
offer
it
as
a
independent
study
and
participate
in
open
source
research
and
development
and
get
a
free
elective
credit
for
it
so
yeah.
So
you
know
they
do
that.
We
have
a
lot
of
students
that
that
participate.
Even
when
they're
not
getting
credit,
we
do
offer
some
eight
positions
every
year
and
we
have
projects
most
of
our
projects
are
homegrown
and
that
their
interests
of
the
student
body
so
you'll
see
a
lot
of
things.
B
B
We
have
a
couple
working
with
IBM
this
semester.
We
have
some
working
with
open.
Why
Jim,
which
is
a
it's,
a
initiative
to
Train
competitive
neural
nets?
Or
no,
you
know,
you
know
a
competitive,
a
eyes
out
to
to
specific
tasks.
So
you
know
that's
kind
of
what
our
Charter
is.
Basically,
we
allow
students
to
pick
projects
either
Hector
found
projects.
B
That's
kind
of
our
in
broad
strokes.
What
we,
what
we
actually
do,
we
run
it
as
a
as
a
seminar,
slash
group
meeting
course
so,
once
or
twice
a
month,
we'll
have
people
come
in
and
talk
to
us
get
together
in
a
large
group
in
a
lecture
hall
setting
other
than
that
were
broken
up
into
small
groups
of
three
to
four
projects.
Each
and
the
student
kind
of
are
forced
to
collaborate
for
a
couple
hours
the
week
before
they
go
off
and
do
their
open
source
stuff
on
their
own
yeah.
B
So
I
think
we
have
a
hundred
and
eighty
enrolled,
so
180
students
taking
it
for
credit
this
semester
and
that's
fairly
typical.
We
probably
have
another
twenty
who
will
or
we
call
for
fun,
but
just
you
know,
maintaining
their
projects
and
working
with
us
without
without
getting
a
grade
without
getting
paid.
So
pretty
close
did
you
partner?
It
is
the
standard
semester
and.
B
Parents,
yeah
yeah,
so
most
of
them
are
working
on
on
projects
specific
to
themselves.
We
have
a
couple
of
big
ones.
We
have
something
called
the
shuttle
tracker
which
actually
has
hardware
embedded
on
the
on
the
campus
shuttle
Network
that
can
show
you.
You
know
where
the
shuttle
currently
is
estimated
time
to
work.
B
It's
a
homework
server,
maybe
I'll
I'll
pop
my
camera
off
and
see
if
we
can
get
a
better
throughput.
But
you
know
it's
basically
a
homework
submission
server,
/,
grader,
/,
public
forum
kind
of
application.
We
have
our
our
own
website
is
run
by
a
Sofia
on
our
post
project
called
Observatory.
We
have
something
called
the
axe.
Our
sis
systems
did
an
information
system
on
campus
is
an
old
old
technology.
B
It
doesn't
really
it
allows
students
to
sign
up,
for
course,
but
it
doesn't
allow
them
to
do
a
good
job
planning,
their
their
semester
or
their
multiple
semesters
here.
So
we
have
a
tool
called
the
axe
that,
as
a
visual
representation
of
their
schedule,
that's
very
popular
with
the
students.
Almost
every
student
uses
it
to
form
their
schedule
before
they
go
in
and
actually
edit.
B
So
those
are,
you
know
some
of
the
bigger
ones
we
have
one
called
seesaw.
That's
actually
a
project
working
with
a
professor
here
on
campus
to
monitor
water
levels,
automatically
modern,
modern,
monitor
water
levels
in
South
Africa
by
using
computer
vision,
research
and
in
crowdsourcing,
so
yeah,
so
that
you
know
we
have
a
bunch
of
projects
going
on
I
think
we
have
post
30
projects
this
semester,
most
of
them,
you
know
I'd,
say
probably
25
22
somewhere
in
that
range,
our
local
initiatives,
and
then
we
have
another.
A
B
B
Sounds
really
while
I'm
surprised
about
the
44,
that's
more
than
I
I
have
to
take
a
look
at
that,
that's
more
than
I
expected,
but
it's
quite
awful.
We
have
a
number
of
two
and
three
person
projects
and
I'm
really
trying
to
get
them
at
four
to
six,
but
we
have
a
number
of
our
two
and
three
two-person
projects,
this
semester
and
that's
probably
with
all
the
big
numbers
coming
from.
Yes,.
B
A
B
A
Absolutely
yeah
we're
also
OSI
and
Oshawa
open
source
hardware,
Association
compliant
ourselves,
yeah
yep,
yeah,
that's
excellent,
so
yeah
yeah
I
mean
I
was
gonna.
Ask
you
how
how
you
see
collaboration
happening
if
we
work
on
different
open
hardware
projects
now,
of
course,
there's
plenty
of
open
software
in
our
work
as
well,
but
some
of
the
things
we
can
offer,
as
first
of
all,
I
can
come
in.
You
guys
want
to
invite
me
for
for
a
presentation.
A
We
can
start
I
mean,
ideally,
what
we're
trying
to
go
off
go
after
is
somewhat
of
an
open
classroom
initiative
where
it's
about
collaboration
on
larger
problems
by
getting
a
number
a
large
number
of
chapters
involved,
so
that
we
all
collaborate
actually
not
on
individual
projects
but
on
the
same
project,
so
that
what
we
tackle
can
be
something
greater.
In
fact,
audacious
project
look
kind
of
like
what
we
do
it
open
source
ecology.
B
So
let
me
yeah
Joe
second
I
mean
you
know,
part
of
what
I'm
interested.
We
do
have
some
hardware
projects,
they're,
not
a
large-scale,
build,
a
tractor
type
of
project
yeah
they
are,
they
are
small-scale
projects,
you
know
and
we're
also
working.
You
know
what
you're
talking
about
is
something
we're
aspiring
to.
With
regard
to
getting
multiple
universities,
we
part
of
a
group
called
while
teaching
open-source
includes
a
number
of
like
Nassau
College
Dickenson.
B
A
B
Well,
that's
the
seesaw
project
is
certainly
something
that
could
become
larger.
We
have
a
project
called
GAX,
which
we've
actually
almost
gotten
into
NYU
NYU
is
one
of
the
places
NYU
and
hundred
college
are
over.
We
have
associates
there,
you
know
we've
tried
to
get
both
of
those
projects
into
and
why
we
try
to
get
yax
into
NYU.
The
problem
is
with
the
semester,
boundaries.
We
lose.
We
lose
momentum
every
time
we
change
in
semesters.
B
A
Yeah
excellent
and
for
us
I
mean
we're
just
trying
to
get
this
started
like
we
don't
have
any
universe
of
formal
University
chapters.
We
have
a
collaboration
with
the
London
International
Academy,
which
is
a
high
school,
but
the
the
global
classroom
initiative
is
something
new
that
we're
talking
about
and
and
putting
that
together.
Basically,
once
we
have
enough,
you
know
groups,
we
can
actually
say:
okay,
now,
let's
tackle
a
bigger
project.
So
it's
thinking
of
getting
about
12
different
universities,
aligned
which
we're
working
on
right
now
and
then
we
can
say
okay.
A
So
that's
that's
what
we
do
and
we
can
act
we're
the
way
we
operate
is
we
call
it
distributive
enterprise,
but
what
we
do
is
we.
We
can
train
individuals
to
actually
run
the
workshops
like,
for
example,
if
a
chapter
wants
to
run
workshops
for
the
outside
public
or
produce
3d
printers,
we
we
share
all
our
economic
blueprints
as
well,
so
we
both
develop
products
and
develop
the
enterprise
around
them.
So
a
specific
enterprises
that
we
have
right
now
is
production
of
3d
printers
or
the
production
of
the
immersion
steam
camps.
A
B
Know
so
you
know
one
thing
that
I
want
to
throw
out.
Is
you
know
we
are
a
university
still
we're.
You
know
we,
we
don't
have
a
lot
of
funds
that
you
know
to
go
out
and
pursue
to
pay
other
people
that
do
things
so
that
you
know
so
that
thing
we
have
to
be
careful
of.
So
we
collaboration
is
great
and
I'm,
really
hoping
that
we
can
get
something
we
do
have
actually
a
makerspace
here
with
just
no
3d
printers
and
it
may
be.
B
Came
to
them
as
well,
you
know
if
we
can
kind
of
build
up
a
collaboration
between
ourselves.
You
know
we
do
other.
We
do
have
things
like
3d
printers
here
we
do
have
a
maker
spaces,
so
you
know.
All
of
that
is
something
that
we
can,
that
we
can
kind
of
approach.
You
know,
I'm,
not
exactly
sure
what
a
collaboration
would
look
like.
We
are
trying.
You
know
we
have
a
really
good
in
penetration
in
the
cs
department.
We
have
200
students,
a
semester.
B
We
have
I
think
I'm
the
order
of
12
to
14
hundred
students
total
in
the
CS
program,
so
over
the
course
of
their
four
years.
Here
you
know
we
get
a
large
number
of
CS
students
coming
through
the
program
and
we'll
do
accident
we're
trying
very
hard
to
become
less
a
software
place
and
more
of
a
bringing
more
and
more
diverse.
B
They
are
actually
interested
in
reaching
out
to
our
EC
SCS,
more
we're
seeing
that
now
we
have,
you
know
four
or
five
BCS
these
in
the
class
this
semester,
you
know
we
try
to
reach
out
to
some
of
our
more
RPI.
You
has
a
very
tech,
oriented
company
or
gob,
sorry
college
university,
but
we
do
have
some
humanities
and
some
software
sciences,
so
we're
trying
to
reach
out
to
those
people
as
well.
B
So
yeah
we're
not
having
any
as
far
as
I
know
we're
not
allowing
any
external
speakers
and
in
fact,
I'm
going
to
be
delivering
lectures
remotely
for
the
next,
at
least
to
the
end
of
March.
So
you
know
I,
you
know
one
thing
I
would
love
to
do
is
have
you
come
in
and
talk
to
us?
You
know
your
your
TED
talk
was
really
nice.
It
was
well
done.
B
A
A
B
You
know
so
you
know,
I,
think
that
that
would
be
a
great
way
to
kind
of
start
is
to
have
you.
You
know,
come
on
campus
and
talk
to
the
students
and-
and
you
know,
meet
with
meet
with
me:
I
get
an
introduce
you
to
the
people
at
the
forge
and
our
manufacturing,
that's
that's
the
makerspace,
and
then
we
could
kind
of
talk
about
how
how
we
can
go
out.
Certainly
a
student
group.
B
If
we
can
get
sufficient
student
interest,
you
know
a
student
group
would
certainly
be
a
be
a
possibility
and
I
can
see
how
we
could
actually
work
with
that
as
part
of
as
part
of
our
coast
as
well.
So
you
know,
there's
there's
I.
Think
I
would
like
to
think
that
this
is
the
first
conversation
out
now.
Yeah
never
had
a
last
one,
but
I
I'm.
You
know
I'm,
not
exactly
sure.
I
wanted
to
talk
to
you
and
see
what
your
thoughts
were
and.
A
No,
that's
so
that's
the
right
direction.
The
thing
is
what
I
connect
to
is
the
idea
of
getting
all
the
other
other
departments
involved
for
us.
That
means
everything
else,
including
business
art
I
mean
there's
marketing,
there's,
there's
architecture,
there's
engineering,
there's
computer
science,
but
what
we
talk
about
is,
if
we're
talking
about
solving
various
pressing
world
issues.
Technology
is
only
a
part
of
that
and
then
getting
that
out
too
public
for
a
consumption
or
mainstreaming
that
that's
the
fix.
A
Karen
takes
a
much
bigger
process,
so
what
we'd
like
to
do
is
set
up
a
club
which
is
explicitly
this
is
not
a
technology
club.
This
is
an
open
source,
ecology,
club.
It
includes
everything,
because
society
is
made
up
of
a
lot
of
different
sectors.
That
part
of
our
work
is
okay.
How
do
we
have
people
talk
together
beyond
the
disciplines
to
make
better
solutions?
So
definitely
we
want
to
reach
out
and
do
something
that
invites
everybody.
A
If
you're
interest
and
open
to
like
yeah
I
mean
I
could
see
one
direction
where
we
have
say
I
would
get
invited
to
come
over.
We
can
talk
about
if
there
is
real
interest
in
having
a
couple
of
permanent
faculty
people
that
would
be
as
the
mentors
for
the
club
and
then
see
if
there's
interested
students.
So
ideally,
we
would
have
some
students,
stakeholder
and
definitely
the
staff
stakeholder
like
yourself,
would
be
a
you
know.
That's
a
perfect
thing,
you're
expressing
initial
interest.
B
Know
that
your
this
is
duh
like
I,
said
I'm
using
this
as
a
jumping-off
point
to
kind
of
think
of
where
what
we
want
to
store,
I
I'm
potentially
interested
in
being
the
advisor.
It
would
matter,
you
know
part
of
it
would
be
what
would
matter
just
aa
I'm,
not
a
course
load
right
now.
I've
got
a
fairly
substantial
course
load
and
it
would
matter
a
little
bit
how
much
we
can
kind
of
leverage
our
coasts.
B
A
B
A
A
A
B
B
Somebody
has
run
for
six
I,
think
you
know
so
so
once
we
get
a
project
started
where
we
have
issues
is
in
getting
things
started
up
to
begin
with
or
getting
that
initial
student
interest,
but
we
are,
we
are.
We
are
interested
in
exploring
ways
of
of
making
that
work.
It's
something
that
I've
been
on
my
mind.
It
just
hasn't.
You
know
it's
different
than
what
we're
doing
it
now,
but
it's
not
so
far
out
there
that
we
couldn't
that
we
couldn't
make
some
effort
well.
A
I
mean
software
is
an
inherent
part
to
a
lot
of
our
stuff.
I
could
think
immediately
of
say,
autonomous
tractors
where
we
have
tractors.
We
need
automation
on
them,
automatic
control.
So
there's
and
there's,
of
course,
Ross
you've
heard
of
Ross,
robotic
operating
system.
Have
you
have
you
heard
of
that.
B
B
A
Yeah
so
I
mean
Amelia,
I
can
see
okay.
So
if
you
have
a
project,
you've
got
hardware,
you
got
software,
you
got
enterprise,
you
got
marketing
and
all
of
that
stuff.
That's
because
we
talk
about
technology
for
good,
but
also
people
making
it
a
livelihood.
So
creating
a
pattern
working
all
together,
develop
a
collaborative
way
as
opposed
to
a
proprietary
way
of
developing
products
in
general,
which
has
happened
in
software,
but
not
for
hardware.
So
yeah.
B
B
A
Yeah
and
then
there's
writing,
there's
communications,
all
that,
but
I
mean
I'm
sure
we
can
come
up
with
something
interesting.
That
would
be
compelling
to
a
lot
of
stakeholders
and
that's
the
thing
like
we
want
to
select
a
project
that
is
comprehensive
and
then
we
can
divvy
it
up
according
to
a
collaboration
architecture
across
many
universities
to
make
it
happen,
and
that
could
be
really
compelling
because
you're
also
teaching
about
the
the
collaborative
aspects
of
working
on
a
much
larger
vision.
B
B
B
B
B
A
B
Right
now
we
would
normally
we
would
normally
you
know,
let
them
do
the
same
selection
process.
What
I'm
at
what
I'm
thinking
is
if
there
is
something
that
would
be,
that
would
tie
in
with
some
of
your
work
that
might
yeah
yeah
candidate
for,
for
you
know,
starting
an
initial
collaboration.
There'll.
A
Be
great,
oh,
so
how
does
that
work?
So
would
you
want
me
to
to
write
a
project
proposal?
Ok,
this
is
this
is
what
we
need,
because
actually
there's
a
very
clear
tie
in
this
summer,
we're
doing
a
summer
of
extreme
design-build,
which
is
three
months
of
immersion
hands
on
builds
and
Enterprise
training.
B
B
B
B
B
A
A
B
B
Yeah,
but
maybe
about
8,
okay,
depending
how
many
students
we
have,
we
generally
have
a
you
know:
I
try
to
get
four
to
six
students
per
project.
You
find
that
works
pretty
good,
but
there's
always
a
couple
that
want
to
go
one
or
two.
So
you
know
so
we'll
probably
have
about
eight
projects.
This
semester
this
summer,
eight.
B
B
A
A
B
Very
interesting,
it
actually
hits
something
that
I
was
that
I've
been
trying
to
kind
of
push
for,
which
is
you
know,
I've
done.
Medical
image,
exploitation
and
robotics
have
been
kind
of
two
of
my
areas
of
research
and
or
activity
and
and
I'm.
Looking
for
projects
that
kind
of
hit
that
mark
as
well
so
I
thought.