So. I understand that if takes a lot to make a genuine "speech recognition" going, and I have read the nice post: https://synthiam.com/Community/Questions/8420 regarding this. My question is not so much "how do I add speech recognition", but rather "how would I make my robot respond to simple audio commands through it own microphone".
First off, I guess Im wondering if anyone has made their robot able to respond to a general "Yes" / "No" audio command (I guess if it could be taught the difference between "E" and "O" that would be sufficient), and if it would work for "most" voices (not only the programmers voice). Anyone done this or know of a good source for info on this subject?
Secondly, there is the Microphone input / hardware issue. If Im not needing my robot to understand what Im saying, but just respond to "E" or "O" (or single clapp / double clapp aso), what hardware would you recommend I try to figure out? Is there such a thing as a WiFi / BT microphone that anyone has made EZ-B connect to? Or would it be easier to upgrade EZ-B with an expansion / shield of some sort? Is there any other sensor out there that is cheap and could either be set to monitor frequenzy (audible) to at least make my robot stop if any high pitched / loud sounding noise is registered?
I want to program my robot on my desktop, but would love for it to have half an ear so that it may be controlled by simle audio inputs once out of the desk enviroment, or maybe I could make it stop whatever its doing by screaming NOOOOO to it
Thank you all in advance!
Claus
It will definitely run on pretty light weight hardware. A lot of us use the Acer w3 tablet, which is far from a powerhouse. The biggest cpu hog will be voice recognition or analog sensors with fast looping reads.
There is a thread with a bunch of sub $120 low power consumption computers. I have a Voyo that works great with ARC although seems to have some power management issues.
I would not worry about Windows stability. Although it is true that its reputation is well deserved pre Win7, after that any stability issues were typically app related, not actually Windows. If all you run is ARC and maybe a remote control app, you won't have any stability problems. (I would avoid Windows 8.x, but I have found Windows 10 to be very fast and stable).
Alan
Thank you Alan! An Iphone-ish computer would be perfect. If that might be a possible processing solution in a couple of years time, I am glad I got onboard now.
As to the powers I need and dont need. I guess for this robot, some simple compiled code would be enough. Maybe in the future Ill need larger processing capabilities, and maybe my robot will be stationairy. Had I been younger, I would probably gobble up both EZ-B and Arduino (and C++) without any issues, but I think I need a "complete" enviroment with "all the possibilities" available in a small and powerful package. Thats why Im trying out EZ-B.
I am sure EZ-B would never have been made if there werent for someones visions. Im not complaining at all. Im envisioning how stuff could be made even better. Smaller. Less power consuming and simpler (cause Im not getting smarter and younger myself : )
@ptp : I agree I will most likely learn a lot from doing the tutorials. There is just so many routes into this and I am trying to find out if I would be able to get where I want using solution A, B, or a mix so that I can plunge in to the correct tutorial.
I think I will take a closer look at the Mobile platform and if that has too many limitations, I will put a small Computer inside my project.
Thank you all for your understanding and great advice. I am sure I will figure out where and how to set up a thread / page showing my project and the progress once the parts arrive from all over the world
Claus
@thetechguru : I totally agree that win7 is the best option stability wise. I have to do some calculations on how much power Ill need to run my robot for X amount of hours using both a PC-based robot and a Mobile (tablet) version and compare them. It looks like using EZ-B for this robot might be more a proof of concept than an actual working automnous "information-gatherer", but thats no problem really. Half my robot will be a brain-dead machine anyway. Doing, or not doing obstacle climbing / avoidance manouvering. The EZ-B would mostly be "riding along" gathering information.
Claus