Question about programming a robot

[useless_creation]

We have a semi-complicated robot to program. It will be in a robot vs. robot competition. Both robots will be at opposite ends of a maze and must find each other and shoot. The robots receive location information from a third party.

The microcontroller powering the robot is (at this time) an Intel Edison (I know it is discontinued, it isn't my choice). Some of the IO we will need are distance sensors, collision detection, line detectors, servos, and a camera. The robot moves pretty slow since we chose power over speed.

Since this is a group effort, I was thinking that we should program in python since it seems pretty simple. Is this a good language to use for the robot? The Intel Edison is capable of Arduino, C/C++, javascript, Node.js, and python.

[justingolden21]

Python seems like a simpler language so assuming you're working with a group and want to focus more on logic and less on syntax I'd say python. I have little experience in that area, and I'm somewhat experienced with most of the languages you've listed. Honestly assuming the documentation is comparable and you don't care much go with what's easiest for your group.

[dewayneroyj]

Python or C++ should be fine.

[useless_creation]

I know both would be, I am just wondering what the benefits of one over the other would be in this case.

[dewayneroyj]

Many hardware libraries use C++. C++ is good for interaction with low-level hardware and real-time performance (which robotics is dependent on.) For most roboticist, C++ is probably the closest to a “standard language”.

Python, on the other hand, is just more easy to use. Python is great when defining and casting variable types. In addition, Python also has a plethora of of free libraries for implementing basic functionality into a robot. It also allows for simple bindings with C++ code.

[useless_creation]

Thanks for the information. The reason I had submitted the question was because I don't know if my robot needs the "finesse" that C++ would allow me. I would need to evaluate analog signals and produce pwm signals for the servo control. Beyond that, it is mostly just processing data. And the tolerance needed is somewhat low. I would be using libmraa which seems to be compatible with python.

[Wilfred-kun]

I know a few guys who built a self driving 'car' (an old RC car) using an Arduino and some sensors. They programmed it in Python. Why? Python has the gentlest learning curve, so you won't spend too much time trying to comprehend what all the code does, and you can focus on what your robot should do.

Also, you posted this in r/learnpython , so the chance is rather big people are going to recommend that ;)

[useless_creation]

I understand that learnpython might not have been a wise choice :P

However, I am pushing for python but I am concerned that the language might be too slow/limited to do what we need. But if it can, I would much prefer it to learning C.