Making an interactive robot. Finally within everybody's reach!
Are you interested in robotics? Then you've surely dreamed of making a robot companion using your own hands... not just a toy that honks and beeps, but a real robot, capable of voice recognition, following a ball or a face. But for most of us, realizing how complex such a project can be is the end of the dream. So.. why not make it easier to achieve?
Starting with this idea, multi-talented Canadian robiticist DJ Sures launched his EZ-Robots project. Today, for those brave enough to try it, there are a number of solutions to initiate you into the joys of robotics. They range from the POB-Technology kit for starters to the truly crazy LEGO Mindstorms... And the more experienced, who already know how to program, can turn to the excellent Arduino. But the pure beginner who wants to personalize his project by adding some advanced capabilities (like following a face) will, in spite of everything, have to know a lot. To address this difficulty, DJ Sures designed a microcontroller card that's easy to use: the EZ-B Robot Controller V3, along with its EZ-Builder software. With this, there's no need for special knowledge, and all the programming is done using a graphical interface. (The design and control of your creations are easy: you just have to connect to the card and pour some enthusiasm into your project.)
Don't throw out your robot toys: recycle them!
To show off the possibilities of his card, DJ Sures has installed it into simple toys and made some truly advanced robots out of them. His most impressive demonstration is still without question his version of Pixar's Wall-E robot, which made a real buzz on the net. Unfortunately he can't compact household trash but, thanks to his voice recognition, he can perform simple actions like moving around, dancing, and following a ball. "Ready for RoboCup, Wall-E?" His little robot also has a 2.4 GHz camera, allowing it to differentiate between colours, or to visually follow a ball or the face of his creator in two dimensions. When you think that this is all done with a simple toy purchased at Planet Fun Toys and tinkered with in an afternoon, that really makes you want to give it a try. But above all, it says a lot about the possibilities we have... DJ Sures isn't just experimenting, he's an accomplished toy hacker. With one look at his web site you'll see what he's done with a robot Dalek and the K-9 dog from the TV show Doctor Who. Or with the Tomy Omnibot, which dates from the 1980s, which he bought on eBay. He's given it speech synthesis and voice recognition; it can move around on its own and recognize faces. (In all, there's a dozen recycled toys that you can discover on his web site, with video tutorials and a list of necessary components to create them, to
inspire your future creations!)
Programming becomes childs-play
EZ-Builder lets "non-programmers" to easily accomplish their projects using the advanced functionality of the EZ-B Robot Controller. It consists of a Windows application that controls the robot from a distance. The card uses a Bluetooth connection, and you can use scripts to control hardware that you've attached to the robot right from your PC. Using the "add control" tab, you can add the necessary control modules to the configuration of your robot. There are plenty to choose from: speakers, Sharp IR Distance, H-Bridge, servomotors, camera, voice recognition, joysticks, and more. To help you use a control, you can access an online tutorial by clicking the question mark at the top of the window. Now you can no longer say that you don't understand anything about robotics!
What's more, all the information will let you keep moving forward regardless what stage you're at as you advance in your projects. For amateurs, there's even a simple scripting language that lets you create short animations, interactions, or initialization routines for the robot. And for programmers and those who wish to take the next step, there's an SDK that you can download. Using Visual Studio and .NET 3.5 to compile, you can modify, adapt, and create your own controls.
To go farther...
If you're a tinkerer and you'd like to work on a personal project (and especially if you already have a good background in computers), DJ Sures advises you to buy a Mini ITX motherboard. Its dimensions, 17x17 cm, allow it to fit well in the design of a robot. It's possible to connect a 12 V power supply using a picoPSU connector and a rechargeable battery. Alternatively you can use a SD SDHC MMC to SATA adapter, which lets you use a memory card (preferably Class 10) like it was a hard drive. That way you can have a real, autonomous robot, powered with its own internal PC...
(photo caption on page 1: DJ Sures with the numerous robots he's modified)
(photo caption on page 2: with the EZ-Builder software, giving life to your project becomes trivially easy)
- Translated by our friend Dave Coombs
Wow I hope there will be more and more of this. EZ board would be used for everything if everybody would know it.
And surely our brains would be full of bluettoth waves ^^
This is awesome DJ....and i have to ask if you got to meet the cover girl! LOL
v/r
Kevin
Thank you everyone
@kkeast I wish i did!
Wow, EZ-Robot has come so far in the time I have been gone. And so many new people
@creativita, we missed you! Where have you been bro? A few of us were sitting around the other night and Jeremy (skaterdude) (from solarbotics) mentioned that you hadn't been around.
Nice to know that someone noticed I was gone. I've just been busy with new hobbies, writing and some other stuff. I also went to America for four weeks.
It's awesome how much you've done. I swear that at least ten more people have joined whilst I've been gone. You've got so much publicity as well. I remember when we only had a handful of people.