First, no the board is only a input for sensors and output for.servos and motors.controllers. It takes advantage of your computers processing power to give you the most options available. There are three options. Wirelessly connect to your desktop home computer , install a mini itx computer inside your robot as well like I did , or do what most do and purchase a acer one NetBook and use it like a remote control so your robot is autonomous or you can control him at any moment . Vex robots equipment you can use but often the standard rc industry equipment offers a great selection.of servos and hardware . The EZ board has a built in DC regulator at 5 volts , it can handle up to 19 volts DC input. Most of use either use 12v or 7.4v. DJ sells basic servos at a excellent price as well. IM sorry to hear about your.hearing. I have 70 percent hearing loss myself. The board you have is not compatible with EZ robot builder or EZ robot developers kit for programmers. You will get much more progress out of ARC if you are new. Welcome to the community, I am josh , builder of Jarvis (omnibot 2000 and rad 2.0 vacuum.project)

Hey guys

I'm another one with hearing loss but I have had an awesome time with redirecting the audio output of computer through Bluetooth.

I have phonack hearing aids with their i-com Bluetooth connector.

This allows me to connect up to 8 devices. Of course my Google enabled Android phone is one of them, but my computer and it's EZ-Robot is the other.

Only issue is that when I have to explain why I am sometimes distracted saying I am listening to the voices in my head does get me a few strange looks... lol.

First timer and happy to be aboard(EZ)...Coincidently I too have a hearing loss as a result of childhood infections stress . I do not have any projects started yet but am keenly inerested in creating a bust/head with Frubber(tm) type skin. any ideas for small actuators/servos that would be placed in multiple spots. I have found a site does create eye and neck platforms. Any ideas for skin and actuators would be greatly appeciated!

Where do you get the Frubber, Dr. Hanson? or is there another place? If so, does Dr. Hanson have it listed somewhere with the price?

Thanks,

Mel

Hey Mel! I was hoping someone here on the forum might know about pro"curing" some frubber! I think Dr. Hanson is keeping it hidden in his "lab late one night....six drops of essence of terror,five drops of sinister sauce" is probably his secret recipe! LOL..................I guess latex or some other flexible but firm mixture will have to do for now....I wonder what type of solinoid/actuator/servo their using to move that skin? perhaps its some sort of memory plastic..the research continues ..I ve got to post my user pic... Glen

Dr. Hanson talked about it a while back. He said that he mixed it together and had a high foam content. It all started when he was in school working on EVA, I believe. But, I don't know the EXACT formula. But, he has got to tell someone. He also worked for Disney. He had Great hopes for Zeno, but he failed greatly in his quest to get a $300 robot that did what Zeno does. The EZB is the Best thing now, I believe. I haven't really Experienced the uncanny valley with more human looking robots. I love them. But, that creepy baby one is really creapy. Also, that 5 year old Japanese girl one. I like all of the rest of them.

To make the full range of facial expressions, Frubber materials (Hanson's patent pending) are used requiring less than 10-W and that is significantly less power than any previous robot skin materials [Hanson et al 2005]. Frubber is a structured porosity elastomer, with cellular structure designed mechanically to lower the needed forces and increase expressivity. The reductions in power requirements may make Frubber an ideal candidate for EAP actuation [Hanson, 2004]. The similarity of Frubber to human soft tissues enables new bioinspired approaches, which could greatly benefit from the incorporation of EAP artificial muscles [Hanson and White, 2004]. Actuators, sensors, and other devices can be precisely positioned and embedded in the Frubber material, a concept HRI is developing with the microactuator group of University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) Automation and Robotics Research Institute (ARRI).

I believe that he has a small section of skin, say a half of an inch that is used as an actuator. apply voltage to an inch of this Frubber and it will twitch. And he has these microactuators embedded in the mold. by doing that, it acts like real muscles.

I remember this material in chemistry . Its made from corn starch. Adult industry uses it to make products life like.

A quick google search and many ideas were shown ..heres one using compressed air!(I am thinking STEAMPUNK now)...http://www.ttp.com/technology/microdevices/actuator/