There’s no one to have in talks with because ros isn’t a company or an organized group. But I believe you’re asking about the ros robot skill that adds ARC as a node? I mentioned we were working on something in the hbrc presentation.

We had a few tests and had to move it to low priority after initial tests. Ros is so difficult for the majority of our customers to use. And it doesn’t really help anyone by adding ARC as a node. We’re still gonna release something eventually.

Our test users resulted in us trying to support ros rather than arc. Every question was how do I use Linux or why doesn’t the Linux computer turn on anymore or how do you use ros? LOL

it was a difficult experience because ros is merely a bunch of libraries and source code. There’s no application behind ros. There’s no interface or standard. There’s no manuals or effort in maintaining documentation. There’s no way to quickly test or whip up an experiment. You might as well just load up a c++ compiler and write your own program from scratch

adding ARC as a ros node would be like building the most beautiful and comfortable hotel resort spa ... surrounded by lava, sharks with friggin lasers on their head, and no bridge.

Can you share what your expectation is of an ros node robot skill?

Hahahaah! Good point! Wasn’t asking for any other reason than if it was in the works. I’d probably spend some time watching some ROS videos to try and grasp some parts of it...but it looks deep. Lol.

Yah ros is super deep. Ros is interesting because it started a while before ezrobot. And at the time, I knew that making things easier was the right thing to do. But since ros’ beginning, they seem to be making it harder.

Arc vs ros kind of feels like the Windows/Mac vs Unix Mainframe of the 80’s. I forsee ros being used in universities and research labs by advanced engineers. The rest of the world, unfortunately, doesn't know how to program in c++. Synthiam will continue to let the rest of the world use ARC and program robots in hours instead of months/years to experience immediate results.

Hahah so true.. I get so many people asking if it’s ROS being used on my robots on my channel. Then how long did it take me to program all that? Umm like an hour tops.. They think it’s all fake and smoke and mirrors. Impossible to code all that they say, especially in an hour! I mean come on guys how long can drag and drop take ?! I got things to do! Lol.

Hi Will, how are you?

If you want to play around with ROS on windows, I recommend https://www.theconstructsim.com/

I am a old Debian Linux guy from the past, so it is fun for me...

The Home Brew Robot club always talks about Linux, they frown at windows, however with the ARC magic, they only hope to do the things we do here: with the EZB 4, IoTiny controllers:  audio,  speaker, camera, WIFI antenna, servo movements, tracking of all sorts etc...

Arduino are ok but no match for the ezb4, IoTinys... I attended a few of the zoom meetings, they have a had time to achieve any thing we do here so easily.

My 2 cents  :-)

EzAng

Doing good! Thanks for the link. I’ll check it out.

Quote:

"sharks with friggin lasers on their head"

I think metaphorically, the dr evil laser shark is anyone who makes robots harder to use. So, not me

Ya, your correct. And you don't charge 1 Billlliooon dollars either.

I've worked on small Arduino projects, but when I wanted to tackle something bigger, I realized I needed a deeper understanding of C++ programming. I started researching DIY humanoid robots and came across one called the PIB robot, developed in Nuremberg, Germany. The hardware assembly for the robot is manageable, but its control system is based on ROS2. Since I wasn't familiar with ROS, I began looking into the software, controllers, and other components.

I quickly became overwhelmed. Installing Ubuntu 22.04 on a Raspberry Pi is one thing, but understanding the entire ROS conceptnodes, classes, etc.wasn't easy. You really need a strong grasp of Linux, C++, and Python. ROS isn’t for everyone!

Synthiam’s philosophy is much more user-friendly and accessible for most people. I really hope Synthiam continues on this path. By the way, I’m currently building a robot using the body of the PIB robot but with EZ-Robot components and skills.

So can we use ROS based frame work in ARC, I want to have DOBB.E and open embodiment X frame work, but they are design for ros. Can I get them in ARC? If yes then how? Also I need some guidance to make these framework as robot skill in arc. Lastly, do ARC offer anything similar to these frame work or they have any plan to add this to there robot skill? @dj @athena

Hello! It's great to hear about your interest in integrating ROS-based frameworks with ARC. While ARC is not natively designed to work with ROS, there are ways to bridge the two systems, allowing you to leverage the strengths of both platforms.

Using ROS Frameworks in ARC

1. ROS Node Integration:

   • You can run ROS nodes separately and communicate with ARC using network protocols like HTTP, MQTT, or WebSockets. This requires setting up a communication bridge between ARC and your ROS nodes.

2. Custom Robot Skills:

   • You can create custom robot skills in ARC to interface with ROS nodes. This involves using ARC's scripting capabilities (JavaScript or Python) to send and receive data from ROS nodes.
   • For guidance on creating a robot skill, you can refer to the Create robot skill documentation.

3. Using Existing Skills:

   • Check if there are existing robot skills in ARC that can be adapted to work with your ROS-based frameworks. ARC's flexibility allows for a wide range of integrations.

ARC's Offerings and Future Plans

• Current Offerings: ARC provides a user-friendly environment with a variety of robot skills that can be used to control and program robots without the complexity of ROS. It focuses on making robotics accessible to a broader audience.

• Future Plans: While there is no official announcement about direct ROS integration, Synthiam is always exploring new ways to enhance ARC's capabilities. Keep an eye on Synthiam's News for any updates.

Guidance for Creating Robot Skills

• Step-by-Step Instructions: Use the Create robot skill documentation to learn how to develop custom skills that can interact with your desired frameworks.
• JavaScript or Python Scripting: Utilize ARC's scripting capabilities to implement the logic needed to communicate with ROS nodes.

If you have specific questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask! I'm here to help you make the most of ARC and your robotics projects.