
propinquity

I'm new here and have a question. Let's say that I want to build a system that will allow me to speak directly to a robot and have it reply by playing an existing sound file. I don't want to speak into a tablet or headset, but directly to the robot. There will be no servos running, no whirring or clacking of other components, so there will be no background noise. Does the EZ-B v4 allow for a microphone input that would allow me to do this? If not, is there another piece of hardware you can think of, maybe even one that is self-contained, that would for this function?
Thanks,
Robert
RichR, we answered at the same time.
Welcome aboard! This is a good place to hangout.
As a second and more popular option, use a wireless mic and continue to have the processing offloaded to a remove PC/mobile device. Not mounting a computer in the robot saves a great deal of battery power, allows for greater control and expandability.
If you do mount the microphone on the robot, expect many recognition issues. I always recommend using a headset with speech recognition... well, I'm not the only one who recommends that but so does Microsoft, Apple, Google, etc...
DJ Sures, yes, the robot would be personable and not remote-controlled. So if I understand the general process correctly, if I mount a bluetooth mic inside the robot, a person's voice would be passed to the tablet, where the ARC software resides. The ARC "hears" the voice command, then tells the EZ-B v4, which is mounted inside the robot, to issue the correct response through a speaker inside the robot.
Example: Someone says "Are you having a good day?" to the robot. That phrase is passed via bluetooth to the tablet. I've already programmed the software so that if the phrase "Are you having a good day?" is received, it should play a specific sound file as a response (I'm not trying to generate a synthesized, Siri-like answer, but a specific prerecorded voice that plays on a sound file).
Does that process sound about right?
Thanks,
Robert
But yes;
Person > External (Bluetooth) Mic > Tablet > ARC Recognition Control > Speech/MP3 from speakers
Robert
You will need to check what can run ARC though. It must be run on either a Windows PC or tablet with Windows 7 or newer or made as an app and run on an Android or iOS device. It wont run on a Pi.
You can get small form factor PCs which run on 12v quite easily now. These are what are usually used. Either that or a Windows 7, 8, 8.1 tablet such as the Acer W3.
Robert
My Sunshine robot has no problem hearing me correctly. I have a mic on her. But, I had to go through SOOOOooo many mics until I found one that would work. Most of them do not work. And, I don't remember the name of the mic and it is not on the mic. But, I tried very expensive mics and a mic I got from BIG Lots was a cheap mic that worked.
Good Luck!