Great post Dave.... By the way, you know way more about coding than you give yourself credit for... Also your skill set is much like Doombot's... You have a knack for custom fabricating... As long as I have my Vex kits I do ok making stuff, but I do not have the tools to fabricate the way you and Doombot do.... So we all have out own skill set that we bring to this community....

Thanks for sharing that. You really describe the strengths of the product very well.

Alan

@Dave, nope, not gonna get a B9, no matter what you say I'm stickin with the Roomba.

Just kidding Dave, great write-up, you feel as I do about the abilities of the EZB4) controller. As well as other micro-controller products that can interface and help with sub-routines to support the EZB itself.

Just to be clear; this was a post I made over on the B9 Builders group in response to people asking for comparisons between controllers. Just thought I'd share with you guys what's happening in other forums .

Thanks for looking and the support.

Wow that's really interesting read, Dave. Thank you for sharing those thoughts - it helps me understand a few things. And also raises questions about other things - such as, who would want to code anything from scratch to get less interactive features? Also, why would anyone be impressed with rudimentary? - I'm sure these ppl on the b9 forum are a little jealous of your amazing features, meanwhile their robots are not impressing anyone.. And clearly not even impressing themselves!

Guess the only words i have for them is, "get with the times!" Do they code their own spreadsheet program too? Read email by telneting to port 110? Doesn't make sense why someone would reinvent the wheel and to impress. Because fact is, no one is impressed that someone runs Linux or wrote their own anything... In today's world - we value our time by successes - not the efforts it took to get there!

I get that some people like to "show what they made" - but they certainly didn't make the LEDs and they certainly didn't make the RF transmitter and receiver. And by certain those arduino users sure didn't make the compiler or the chip or the libraries or or or...

So what year is it?

Apparently some people are stuck in limbo between two stages of technology... Where it's okay to use some items that other people made / but it's not okay to use a other prebuilt components? Which tools are okay, and which aren't?

These are most likely the kind of people who had trouble accepting push button telephones, back in the day...

Dave, what you have created is amazing. And you're not alone in wanting respect from people with similar goals and interests. In my world of robotics as well, I deal with it everyday. I spend months of the year meeting with some of the "most influential" people in robotics - once i meet them, their work doesn't impress me because it's crude and dated. The majority of these people are building robots with custom software and hardware that can't be replicated and is custom built each time - of course i scratch my head and wonder how I ever admired them?

There are countless supporters of ezrobot - and we hear from them daily. Those are the people who matter. Even though the majority supports what we are doing, there are a few which overlook our achievements and/or are unable to comprehend the impact ezrobot is having on robotics.

i read an article from an investment firm about one of their startups taking about how amazing it would be to have an appstore for robots! Ha... Welcome to EZ-Robot 2 years ago!

Then, I sat in a meeting a few weeks ago with the two lead partners of a rather large vc firm who told me robots aren't the future!

Want more? A few "technical diligence" contractors met with me recently who are super "active" in technology, apparently. They bought ezrobots, but don't feel there's a market for robots. So, you bought them, want your kids to use them, want them in your schools - but you don't think robots are the future? Okay - hmm

Maybe no one was listening when Obama said "We need more robots in our schools"

Here's a good one. So there's this tiny group of elitists in Silicon Valley that work with robots - they avoid ezrobot like the plague. I'm sitting on a panel with one of their representatives next week, this should be interesting. Majority of very boring robot companies stick together and act like they're decision makers for the world - fact is, their focus is in a small isolated space, meanwhile the rest of the world is speaking out! The rest of the world is asking for robotics, specially easy robotics! The consumers and educators are demanding simplicity with robotics... And those groups aren't listening.

We are Listening!

We don't receive messages from customers asking for more complicated features... We receive feedback about how to make it even easier - and easier - and easier. We listen! We listen really well, because no matter how often those little isolated robot groups try to ignore us, we keep getting more traction. And more customers. And more users.

Meanwhile, their little isolated robot groups are still clapping about arduino robots that avoid an obstacle after 6 months of complicated programming - and our robots are being used by everyone everywhere.

So Dave, like myself, you may not be accepted in (what you feel) are similar interest groups - fact is, they're not similar interest groups. Your interest to have a REAL FUNCTIONING B9 that impresses the world - at any stake!

They? Well, they are interesting on hanging onto what little they have left of their last success. And that, speaks on behalf of my experience in most of the Silicon Valley as well...

We are your similar interest group, Dave.

If any of you feel we need to give your robots more exposure, help us with ideas and participate in the execution - we can tell the world together.

The small group of these B9 users and other small groups that I have dealt with recently will accept our new easy way of doing things... For the time being, we threaten everything they have worked hard to achieve. And for that, we must sympathize knowing they will eventually and quietly join us.

Wow! After read this I really wished I had a hundred thousand or more dollars to invest in this company. I get more and more impressed with DJ and staff as time goes on. I see great things for EZ-Robot with DJ at the helm! Truly a visionary....no that's not right...a liaison guiding us from the present to the future of robotics!

Great post Dave!

I (personally) disagree when people say EZ-Robot is a toy, to me its not a toy its a serious robot controller and software, like you have shown what neat things can be achieved with your great B9 robot.

I was developing a tethered (to remote PC) robot controller system as far back as 2005 - this 20Q.net video was done in 2006 and you can see the old system in action here http://youtu.be/24309qikJmM

Then a few years back I came across EZ-Robot, I was so impressed that I changed my whole future robotics business model to encompass the EZB and ARC.

I think that maybe whats happened is that lots of people saw the early stages of EZ-Robot where DJ was hacking toys and doing cool stuff, so they then associated it with toy hacks. But DJ's concept/product has matured light years from those days and is now a serious contender in the robotics sector. What will charge these peoples thoughts will be when they see some of the great robots that are being produced here (like your B9) and their functionality.

I will always defend EZ-Robot until my last breath!

Tony

This is a great discussion.... Like I said Dave, great post. My dad used to say to me as a kid... "none who are as blind as those who will not see".... I never knew what he meant by it until I grew up... This illustrates what @DJ is saying.... These old School eggheads just don't like change. It's hard for them to understand the concept that the term "simpler" or "easier" to use does not mean less control, less functionality and less features.... To be honest my code writing has actually improved quite a bit since leaning ez robot scripting... This is due in part to ez robot's "understandability concept" and the awesome forum we have here...

When humans went from not using tools to creating an using tools evolutionarily wise we exploded at a dramatic pace... Up until EZ Robot there have been some robotic tools out there for people to use... Kind of like flint for making fires, stone chips for spear heads, red ochre for drawing etc... You can get the job done, but has anyone ever tried using a flint or rubbing two sticks together to get a fire going? It's not easy and a lot a work to be sure. EZ Robot has given us all a full blown robotics lab for the everyday guy.... I no longer have to rub two sticks together just to get an led to blink.... ...

@Troy.... I'm with you... Not sure if EZ Robot would ever go public, but if they did I would buy as many shares as I could....

Wow, this is the longest post I think I've ever seen DJ write. I'm honored. Thanks for noticing and sharing the vision.

Just to be clear though, the guys over on the B9 forum were not attacking the EZ Robot platform. They were just sharing how they automated their robots years ago. There's new builders trying to find the best path to the result they prefer. Some want a fully automated robot and others just want to keep it simple. Personally in my opinion ezb is the best choice either way. The only real concern that was voiced was controlling a robot through a Windows platform. There seems to be no way to get away from that with some people. Your always going to have Windows haters.

I also agree that the wave of the future is the way ez robot approaches interaction and controlling robotics. I feel that DJ is sadly correct in that the old timers are hanging on to old coding methods and known devices. It's a matter of money and power. Politics are everywhere. tired

It's the thing about technology, sure human kind could advance faster by using the whole thought of don't reinvent the wheel. I agree with the concept of this but at the same time knowledge concerning how to create the wheel yourself can be beneficial to one's self. The understanding of how things truly work can make it easier to design your own or perhaps create a new way to add on to the idea.

Personally it all comes down to the person. I would rather know how everything works but at the same time am not against anyone taking the easy way. As long as you personally are happy with the build you make that is what matters. The biggest issue is that people take negative criticism to close to heart, and a lot of people like to criticize.

For starters I would definitely recommend ez-robot. I have worked with a bunch of processors and when it comes to coding it is far easier to understand your own code then others. So for a platform that allows you to click and have to add very little to a script to have a functioning robot, all for it. I personally would love to see more people advance their knowledge then feel stuck and wondering how they are suppose to go any where before scrapping their project.

Though I would not simply say ez-robot is a stepping stone, as it is still an infant in the industry. I love watching peoples projects evolve from servo driven to the additions of more sensors and watching how ez-robot is more then willing to help support their builders as they find newer sensors they wish to add that have not been supported yet.

I appreciated you sharing your stories Dave and DJ.

Thanks @Justin.

I also agree that it is always better to know how things work and people should try to learn. It's sad when I see people who don't know how to do things because they are used to pushing a button and it happens. I see it all the time when they can't do math because of calculators or read a clock face because of digital clocks. I draw the line at when the old school guys get in the way of progress because they want to keep us stuck in the past to keep control and the cash flowing in. I think this is the wall DJ keeps running into that he was eluding to.

Exactly, Dave. Many of these people I refer to are living out the last highlights of their past success. And because of this, their dying ego is overlooking the companies and products which are changing their industry...

It's okay - doesn't bother me, because the majority rules. While many robot companies have a few active members with a few robots built per year - ezrobot grows exponentially larger.

I agree w Justins post #13 about appreciation for both of you! Looking at ordering items for another grandson, to learn about "EZ Robot" Robotics! Somebody has a vision! Steve S

I can tell you that I am old school in many ways...54yrs old but I am also a technology guy (I work at IBM) and I can appreciate change. I too explored Arduino and I can tell you that for the price (very cheap) it can accomplish a lot of what someone might want in a robot but with a lot more coding and effort.

When I joined the B9 builders club, I searched and researched many members robots and techniques and immediately gravitated towards Dave S and his robot for a few reasons. His ability to explain what he was doing in some of his videos and using EZRobot to accomplish this was EXACTLY what I too was looking for in a robot. I had tried to learn a bit of Arduino coding and soon found out that it was not as cheap as it initially seemed and in the end....EZRobot was a much easier way to get commands into the controller without having to mount a tablet or laptop into the robot. With EZB v4 and the wi-fi capability.....my goodness, can it get even easier? As Dave has graciously shared, there are many ways to have microprocessors augment the functions or compliment the functions provided by EZRobot. If you have the willingness to learn and change the way you look at things, you can truly achieve some remarkable results! I'm no rocket scientist but I do like to build and would rather spend my time building and designing circuits and get things working without all the labor of software coding and debugging.

I am using the EZBoard for my B9 and also as part of my inMOOV 3D printed robot...two projects that have been very rewarding being on those journeys so far!

Bob J

Hi Bob,

Thanks for sharing. I'm very happy my efforts helped you and lead you to EZ Robot. This platform was a God send to me as I was dreading having to learn enough code to make my B9 do just simple things. It's been over 5 years now and because of EZ Robot I've been able to accomplish things I never thought I could. Sounds like you've come to the same conclusion I did.