[oopic] Getting started - is OOPic right for me?

I have a robotics project that I want to build as my first project. I've
looked at lots of control boards (Basic, Handystamp, etc), and want to use
OOPic because I am already a Java OO programmer, so working with objects
rather than things like poke(0xf3) (which is a foreign language to me) just
feels right. And, obviously, I feel like it would be much faster to
prototype this way.

But - I need help - is OOPic right for this project? (I'm still going to
get an OOPic to play around with either way). My project is something very
similar to a Roomba. I want to be able to set my bot down on a table of any
size / shape, and I want it to drive around until it has covered the entire
table however many times I told it to. I plan on using IR distance sensors
pointing down, mounted on the edge of the bot to determine when the edge is
hanging over the table (distance suddenly jumps above several inches), and
sense that as a boundary.

I guess I can either:
1 - have it set in a corner, facing the initial direction, and drive until
it founds a boundary, turn around 180 degrees (moving over X inches in the
turn), and go the other way.... repeat....
2 - find an algorithm on the net to assist with the area coverage
calculations.

My concern is that option one is too simplistic - will it work on rounded
tables, u-shaped tables, etc?, and that two is too much for an OOPic to do.
Can the OOPic and the associated language handle that kind of geometry
calculation? I'm also concerned with the extremely low memory available on
OOPic to implement such an algorithm.

Any feedback you can give on my idea, whether I can do it with OOPic, and
how to get started will be very greatly appreciated. I want to order all
the parts early this week.

Also - what base kits does everyone here like? I was looking at an Octabot
(http://www.budgetrobotics.com/shop/?shop=1&cat=58&cart=530520) or Tankbot
Servo (http://www.budgetrobotics.com/shop/?shop=1&cat=51&cart=530520) kit
from Budget Robotics. I'm concerned about payload capacity, though, because
I would need to carry about five to ten pounds of tooling for the task I
want the robot to accomplish. I have no idea how to calculate the carrying
capacity of these kits. I'm assuming that the problem would lie in whether
the torque of the servos would handle moving the weight. Are servos or DC
motors / wheels better for my locomotion?

Sorry for so many questions. Thanks!

Jeremy

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