
green.tree
DJ Sures mentioned at Nerd Nite that the robots support automation. I searched the web site but couldn't find the level detail I was hoping for. I then visited the office to chat with Aislinn about the automation features. She suggested consulting with online experts for more details. What are the current automation features & limitations of your most advanced robots today? Is it limited to what is programmed in an application? Or does it extend to partial AI capabilities? For example, shape recognition would lead to responding differently to different shapes.
Thank-you for your help.
If I mentioned something about automation, it was most likely referring to programming repetitive tasks into an EZ-B v4/2 Wi-Fi Robot Controller. There are some smart devices on this website - such as Rich's Jarvis Home, Josh's EZ-B Fishtank... Those may fall in line with your references to "Automation" - but again, I would need an example of what you would like to automate.
Generally the word "Automation" in robotics is for manufacturing and PLC programming - which are large electric motor driven machines that execute repetitive tasks. The only use of sensory is for safety and sometimes high level QC (quality control).
In today's industry of robotics, we do not consider automation manufacturing machines to be robots due to their obvious limitations.
You will not find any information about manufacturing automation machines/PLC's on ez-robot website. Perhaps you are interested in reading about entertainment robots that are in their very early stage of manufacturing assistance such as Baxter: http://www.rethinkrobotics.com/build-a-bot/baxter/
As for shape recognition - that's a pretty old technology used in QC for manufacturing. This is done in a lighting controlled environment against consistent neutral backgrounds and a b&w camera. Some newer systems may use color cameras - but those automation manufacturing companies providing PLC devices charge ridiculously for even small features, such as color cameras - believe it
ARC supports object, face and colour recognition as well...
So the premise of ez robot is that they have given you "robotic lego"... You can build anything you want, but like real lego, things don't come pre-assemble out of the box. You'll have to design and build what you want. Then program it and test it....
When you ask if EZ Robot supports automation the answer still depends what your definition and what you mean by "automation" is
It is about 30 minutes long but it is worth watching. This is just scratching the surface of what is possible.
It is my recommendation that you start with a Revolution EZ-Robot and ARC as an introduction to robotics - that will help you ease into the much larger concepts in which you are inquiring about.
The advanced robotic features which you are thinking about is exactly why we created ez-robot. Start with a Revolution EZ-Robot and that will teach you..
- proper terminology
- the current state of robotics and real-world sensory
- creative methods to combine robotic sensors for navigation and process execution
Your questions are jumping ahead :). With EZ-Robot, we are the only robot product which will introduce you to real-world robot features of the industry without needing a PHD. Get a Revolution EZ-Robot and you will be able to answer your own questions and participate in the industry.