Hi All
Introducing the AIMEC:EZ1
We are in discussions with DJ to produce a special version of our AIMEC (Artificially Intelligent Mechanical Electronic Companion) robot for the EZ-B, this will be a very advanced robot that will be made available in kit form, which will probably be by the end of this year.
Some history, the first AMI (Applied Machine Intelligence) robot was the AIMEC:3 which is a "hyper-tech" toy and we were very close to licensing this design to a large US toy manufacturer, but the deal fell through. Our most advanced robot is the AIMEC:4 which is still in development, this robot has advanced voice recognition (Dragon 11), face recognition and eye tracking and object recognition the robot has an advanced Ai core and is capable of self learning. When we came across the fantastic EZ-B system that the genius DJ Sures produced we immediately thought that it would be really cool to make a EZ-B version and this is what we are currently developing the AIMEC:EZ1. This robot is the development platform for a ground breaking robotics kit that we plan to sell to the general public, for the first time a highly advanced robot will be available (in various versions) at a price that hobbyists would be able to afford.
I have been building robots for over 30 years and some of my designs are recorded on Cybernetic Zoo
http://cyberneticzoo.com/?p=2280
http://cyberneticzoo.com/?p=3984
On our team we have the brilliant model maker (and engineer) Steve Cole (Articole Studios) http://www.articolestudios.co.uk/ who is also a member of this forum @ukrobotman, with Alex Cole on 3D design and (the incredibly talented) Mike Hodgson on software development. I am doing mechanical, electronics and sensor designs and firmware development for support PIC microcontrollers that enhance the EZ-B boards operation over the I2C bus.
We are all looking forward to working closely with DJ and his team in the new future!
Tony
-- Conceptioneering Ltd - Inventors of the Award Winning Cube World To see Product Innovation - visit our website at www.conceptioneering.co.uk To see Robotic Innovation - visit our website at www.appliedmachineintelligence.co.uk
@robotmaker You cannot compare the EZ:2 robot to QBO as the EZ:2 is nearly 4 foot high and approx 4 times the amount of body material, coupled to this its greater weight means that locomotion has to be scaled up with much larger motors and drives. Also QBO does not have 5 DOF arms.
I think the point is being missed here, the EZ:2 offers tech that you cannot get anywhere else, who else is offering face recognition and eye tracking for ARC? With object recognition in the pipeline. Also an Ai core that has so far taken over 12 man years to develop, how do you put a price on that? Hardware like custom microcontrollers that take the heat off the EZ-B and expand its operation.
At the end of the day if anyone thinks the EZ:2 is too expensive then don't buy it, The people that do will have one of the most advanced personal robots in the World. If people are ok with hacking toys like the Omnibot 2000 when thats great, but some people want a "real" (life size) robot that does not take a lifetime to make and that is what we are striving to achieve with the EZ:2 robot.
I am submitting my preorder notice to you now
I'll take the one with the EZ-B in it please.
@toymaker I am not comparing the 2 and i didnt know about the AI software ,only looking at the cost has to be low enough for average robot builder,myself i dont have a problem buying it
What are the full specs on it.
Count me in
I guess so far thats 5 guys including me and RICH who wants one.
@Toymaker, that's a great response, if people don't want to pay for it they don't need to. I guess you could compare it to cars. If you don't want to pay the £30,000-£40,000 for that BMW you can pick up a Fiesta for under £10,000.
Thanks for all of the info and updates on it, keep them coming as and when you are able to release information, I'm sure I'm not the only one who loves to see it.
Thanks Rich! You are spot on with the car analogy, the Fiesta is a hacked toy robot (nothing wrong with that), but the EZ:2 is a professionally made Personal Robot that does a lot of the things that the Willow Garage PR2 does and the last time I looked that robot cost $400,000. We are trying to configure the EZ:2 so there are many cost entry levels that the hobbyist can afford, like we are looking to have 3 arms available the most expensive being 5 DOF, mid range (cost) one having 3 DOF and a low cost arm with no servos that can be locked into any position manually, so it could say hold a serving tray to serve drinks. The EZ:2 is a very cool looking robot (very different from the EZ:1 shown in this thread), a lot of people may just buy the neat body shell and head and add there own mechanics and electronics, others will want the whole kit.
I am with Rich on this one, if you don't like it, simply keep your opinion to yourself. This is a very positive forum that support modern day ingenuity along with creativity. Being able to tap into the EZ-B, and unlock all those luxury features is remarkable. As much as I like tinkering, I personally would prefer a complete kit.
@toymaker please keep the update coming. You can count a solid 3 kit out of me.