Hi all,
There has been an ongoing conversation over on the B9 Builders Club forum about using EZ Robot or other Arduino type of controllers. I'd like to share a post I added to that thread. Get a cup of coffee and a comfy chair and enjoy:
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Hi B9 Builders, I thought I'd add to this thread. Sorry in advance for the long ramblings that follow but please stick with me.
I've been very vocal these past couple years about the advantages to using EZ Robot's EZB. Some people have called it a toy, I call it a God send. Before I found it I was planning on buying an Arduino and learning what ever coding language it required. Up to then I had never written any code. I was pleased to find such a large community using the Arduino with a large amount of code already written that I could piece together.
With that said I still needed to learn how to understand and write a new language and learn how to make it do the things I wanted my robot to do. I mostly wanted voice recognition, a voice of his own that could respond to my questions and motor response to voice commands. I also wanted the robot to appear to move, act and speak on his own with a personality. It all seemed like an overwhelming task. Added to that I had just started building the robot itself and that is nothing to sneeze at as it can be overwhelming also. However this seemed to be the best time to decide how I was going to automate him as I needed to build the motors, joints and sound system into him as I was building.
Then just as I was gathering the pieces of his personality (CF3 Sound system, motors, power supplies, Arduino and books on how to write code) I came across a new company that promised to make all my dreams of robot control come true and more. EZ Robot said they could do everything I mentioned above and also include video camera features like face and movement tracking and joystick control. All this without my having to spend who knows how many years learning complicated coding languages. So I was fully in and haven't regretted my decision or been disappointed sense.
I think there are two kinds of people in the world of Robotics. People who can code and make their robots do what they want and people that cant and wish they could. The latter usually ends up with a display or RC controlled robot. They just don't have the time to spend or the ability to wrap their heads around trying to learn what seems to be an overwhelming learning curve with code writing. I fully fell into this last group and was thrilled and relieved to find EZ Robot. I still had to learn how to code to fully utilize the EZB but it's a much kinder and easy language. Most of the code is written already in the background and the simple commands the user writes seems to just trigger what needs to happen.
It's true that the EZB won't work without being tethered through WiFi to either a Windows laptop, Android tablet or phone or soon to be released Apple product (they are waiting on Apple to approve the app). However being connected to the computer is what gives the EZB the power and flexibility it has. I dont see it as being tethered, I see it as being freeing. I can make changes or control how the robot acts on the fly and have him run as many scripts as I can dream up. These scripts can be run randomly, constantly, on demand or a combination of each. If you want autonomy then build your system and mount a motherboard and hard drive on the robot somewhere and have it boot up when the robot powers up and connect to the EZB automatically. When you want to adjust anything or work on ARC just hook into the robots on board computer remotely. There are many programs that can be used to do this.
What about the sound system? This is a no brainer. Sound files can be stored in folders on your hard drive, triggered by voice recognition or scripts and streamed over Wifi to the EZB where it is sent to a speaker on EZB or the robots sound system. With a simple little modification to the EZB you can tap into it's sound circuit before it's onboard sound amp and send true audio to your own amp and sound system.
All this and more.......................
I have great respect for you guys that can work your magic with writing coed. I really don't know the extent of what could be done with your skills and knowledge. I do know I don't have the time or energy to learn more then the basic understanding of how to do it. My time on this world is limited and my real skills with my mind and hands are in the building and design trades. EZ Robot is perfect for people like me. It lets me concentrate on what I do best (build), have fun, learn about how to implement robotics into my project and end up with an amazing true to life robot that acts and interacts with me like the hero from my childhood.
One thing more for you coding wizards. EZ Robot offers the ability to use SDK:C#, SDK:C++ and SDK:Visual Basic to control the EZB. You dont have to be tied down to using ARC. I really don't understand how it all works but it's been said that this really releases the power of EZ Robot. I also know of several people that use Arduino or their own microcontrollers in tandem with the EZB. They let the other controllers do the heavy lifting of controlling functions that are triggered by the EZB. This frees up the EZB to process other important functions. I do this with all my waist, hip, arm and radar motors. I send serial commands through EZB's Uart port to several Sabertooth / KangarooX2 boards that control these motors. I can also trigger things to happen to my CF3 sound system with the EZB.
Additionally, if I ever motorize my tread section I would make it a separate system operated by RC controlled motors. I feel the same as others have mentioned; that you get better control and safety using this tried and true method. Heck, if hobbyists can fly 100 lb airplanes for miles and land them safely on the ground in front of them then it seems to be the best method to roll my 400 lb B9 around the driveway. ;-)
Thanks and sorry about the long post,
Dave Schulpius
@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