1. The dynamixel support for reading position data would be software, not hardware and therefore also affect the ez-b v4. The dynamixel software update is an open-source plugin and available in the plugin section of the website. Anyone interested in adding additional support is welcome to it

2. Feedback on load of servos can only be done on servos which are supported, and therefore is not ez-b v5 specific. If dynamixel servos support feedback of load, then they could be supported with the software update. The software for dynamixel support is an open source plugin on the website. Anyone interested in adding additional support is welcome to it

3. Grippers are now starting to ship with foam inserts to hold objects, such as pens/pencils, screw drivers, utensils, etc.. I will write a post once the new grippers are online - the foam inserts will be purchasable. The design for the foam grippers to cut your own will also be posted. Stay tuned

Hello Dj,

I was wondering if you have considered add on (piggy back) boards which could offer embedded features or functions . This way the v4 platform, or the future v5 would have a much larger potential. I know onboard features offered on a footprint the size of the ezb could be very powerful. (on board sub routines, sensor interface, on board memory) ?

My desire is still indoor navigation. I was hoping an optional piggy back board made for navigation only could become an offer.

What is your thoughts?

Ron R

@Ron I am not sure how or what the add on module can do to accomplish autonomous navigation? I mean what would it have hardware wise that would accomplish this? Autonomous navigation is 90% software... ROS uses lidar or kinect and a crap load of programming to do autonomous navigation.... If ez robot goes the route of the Kinect or an xtion 3d camera you will need to have a PC on board your robot. If DJ goes the route of a camera based system or lidar this might work with just the ezb alone. Still it's all about programming...

I do want to ask you what your ideas about the piggy back modules are?... What sort of features would they have that currently can't be done already with the ezb?

David posted this Lidar package My guess is this or @DJ's original camera/IR based system idea are the likely candidates if he were to undertake an indoor nav solution...

Hi Richard,

Regarding the navigation idea,I was wondering if Dj would or could embed software to work with hardware, maybe the camera or beacon that has been discussed in the past, to perform navigation of some sort. I know you have been working on, and are developing a nav. system for your needs. I was just looking at a way, maybe, Dj would or could consider a EZ Robot system. He could make it a separate package that plugs into a communication port.

My other thought is a system where a module could be plugged into the ezb, say a com port ( allowing a USB port, requested in a earlier post) or maybe the ability of onboard subroutines, or onboard memory or sequencer etc. ?

Just throwing out ideas.

Ron R

@DJ Sures sorry to argue with you on this but to do the dynamixel AX-12 right it is both a hardware and software solution. The Dynamixel AX-12 series uses a single pin to communicate bidirectionally using a TTL Level Serial. Most solutions I have seen so far that appear to support Dynamixel well use a Tristate Transciever to connect to the Dynamixel bus. The direction of this Tristate Transciever is controlled so that when the controller sends to the Dynamixel, the controllers serial output pin is enabled to transmit on the dynamixel bus. When the controller is not transmitting the controller disables the tristate output and the serial data from the dynamixel bus is available to the controllers serial input pin. Once this Bidirectional data link is implemented the rest of the Dynamixel solution is software as you stated.