Another Possible R2 Project

Welcome to the community first of all!

The EZ-Robot platform allows you to really do whatever you want. The real difference between using an EZ-Robot EZ-B and leaving it as is is that your robot becomes tethered to the outside world with the EZ-B, along with allowing you to make the robot do whatever you want it to in the inside world.

Lets say that you want your robot to be able to get you information that is not contained inside itself. A simple example of this is News, Weather and Sports information. This is easily possible through the EZ-Robot platform. If you want your robot to be do things on its own, this is possible through the EZ-Robot platform. It can do really whatever you can imagine.

If you are happy with what you have, leave it. I find that I always want to add features to things so happy really never comes. I like the thought of having control to do whatever I want to do with a project so for me, I would go with the EZ-B. If you don't want to mess with trying to improve what is there (like most of the population) we totally understand. This isn't for everyone, but is by far the simplest and most powerful platform available.

How much does it usually cost for the starter kit? I saw $179 but not what it is normally . Also as seen below... I not modifying my current r2, ... But building an all new one. So I was considering buying another like the one I currently have and using the insides on my larger one. Ez robot looked like a very cool alternative however.

Do they offer firmware upgrades and do software updates often? Just curious as to how the software, etc has come along to include previous parts or if when I buy the v4 they will come out with a v5 shortly after with more bells and whistles.

The V3 is still supported by the software. There are multiple updates weekly normally, but I have very rarely seen something break because of the updates. The board can be updated via firmware, but the V4 hasn't had a firmware update pushed to the community yet. If the software updates cause an issue, normally there is another update released within days to fix the issue.

As far as cost goes, the developer edition is normally just under $200. Some opt for this route as you get multiple servos and other things that you know will work with your build. Its also possible to buy just the V4 or buy the V4 and the camera. This is the route that I normally go so that I can put servos or motors/sensors that are specific to my builds.

If you are building a robot from scratch, the best option is to start with a V4 and add to it as you build. There are a lot of people here who are more than willing to help you out with advice and programming knowledge to make your robot pretty much whatever you want it to be. The strength of EZ-Robot is in its Community and having a company that is dedicated to helping you succeed.

Programming for the V4 is as easy as anything I have ever seen. They have done a great job of taking the things that are difficult, and making them into very usable controls, but if you want to get into the programming side, its easy to do that also. Another thing that is cool is that EZ-Robot has invited the community to extend its offering by opening the ARC product to plugins. If you have a great idea, and you don't know how to go about programming a plugin, normally a post on the forums will interest someone. You will find that people are always posting new plugins that are very interesting.

Hello @jkcweber,

Looking good ! I know you are looking for the most cost effective way to control you new droid. If you get another control from another unit like you have, that will be it. You will be limited to what is there. You will also have to hope the smaller motors or drivers will move the larger unit.

If you get a programmable control, you can duplicate what you have, and go further. Additional hardware can be added such as a camera which can be used for tracking, face recognition, etc. You can build a library of voice commands, and have it speak back.

You do not have to be a computer programmer to make these things happen. Much of it is already built.

You will be able to take the program of an EZ Robot Adventure Bot or Roli and convert it to run continuous rotation servos to drive your robot using a movement panel. If you need to run larger drive motors you can get help here on hooking up an "H bridge" and still use programs available.

Do not be afraid of this controller. It is easy to use. Though it is very powerful if you want more complex things, it does simple things very well.

Enjoy,

Ron R

In re-reading your post, you seemed to be concerned that if you bought a EZB v4, a new one could come out and you would be stuck with what you had.

First, the "magic" is in the software. This software is reviewed and updated almost weekly. Features are improved, added, combined etc. Even people in the community have the ability to offer program improvements so all can use them.

The software is where the "operation system" for your robot is built. The robot connects to your computer over Wifi and runs this program to operate. This way the computer does the work. The ezb is the connection between the servos, sensors etc. and your computer. Even if an improved EZB came out, I think it would be mainly hardware improvements.

Do what makes you most comfortable. The whole idea of this robot building is to enjoy.

Ron R

Thanks for all the info guys... Am actually getting way more answers here than I did over at the astromach forum. Very much appreciated!

Ron... You brought up one of my other concerns. If I choose to take my droid somewhere that I do not have wifi does that mean he's not going to work correctly or does that mean I just can't adjust, etc?

Or does the ezb create its own wifi hotspot?

I suppose another option would be to use a netbook or similar small laptop inside of the droid? Or get into the aurdrino stuff which quite honestly scars me.

I am thinking about using the mid range saber tooth motor controller and doing some slightly large motors for the head, and feet considering they'll be taking on the weight they will.

I have some background in the servo, motor controls, ebec, tx and rx l, etc due to building my own quadcopter 3yrs ago prior to these store bought things that come complete. The nice thing was I used a naza controller on that build and am at the assumption that the ezb is similar taking away the headaches that come with aurdrino or other controllers?

Christmas bonus just came today and I was pleasantly surprised. Ezb may be showing up for Xmas lol

This is different than an arduino. It's very simple to use. There doesn't have to be any programming.

You can use an android or apple phone to control your robot. The controller will run in ap or client mode allowing for either direct connection to a device, or connecting through a network.

It really is as easy as it sounds. Connecting to sabortooth motor controllers are not an issue.

@Jkcweber There are two modes in order to connect to the ezb... one is client which is through your network router... The second is WP mode or adhock... this means you connect directly to the ezb... useful when you are out and about... The latter obviously means you won't have internet at the same time....

Sweet !.... Will be placing my order in the morning. The developer kit looks like it's the more cost effective way to go vs buying parts along the way. How many distance sensors can this thing handle? I really want to place two on both sides of the skirt, one in each foot... But that might be overkill. The camera of course will go in the head. And I assume the jumpers provide you with added wiring lengths to connect to the ezb?

@Jkcweber.... If you are using 2 pin pings (like the one in the developer's kit) you can use 12 if you want... If you use 1 pin pings (like the parallax ping) you could theoretically use 24...

Each EZ-B v4 has 24 digital ports, 8 analog ports, 3 I2C ports allowing 255ish I2C sensors, a serial port and a camera port. You can have up to 255 EZ-B controllers running from the same ARC app. You can interface with arduinos or PIC's. Honestly, I don't think it is possible to realistically outgrow what is possible.

@Jkcweber

I'm not sure if you are aware of it, but Brookstone is having a big sale on EZ-Robot parts. All the basic parts like servos and sensors are buy one get one free. Big savings right there. Also, one of the kits, the "Six" robot, is half off at $200. You might want to compare what you get with it vs. a developer kit. For example you'd get 12 lever servos (remove the levers and they become like the servos in the Development kit). It also includes a camera with housing and, of course the EZB-4 Brain/controller. The body of the Six unit can be used as the holder for the EZB-4. It comes with rechargeable battery to boot. The development kit, by comparison comes with a mounting base to which you have to add your own batteries.

So even if you don't build a Six robot with it, it's still a treasure trove of parts. With the BOGO sale on the parts you can mix and match parts as desired also.

Thanks for the heads up.... Checking it out online now.

Hi @jkc weber,

I said many will help guide you.

Have fun !

P.S. Six is a great way to go, and you get a cool robot to mess with while you are building your droid.

Ron R

Six doesn't come with any sensors that I read, but I suppose I can always get those relatively cheap separate. Not sure what I would do with all of the servos on my droid either, but I see where I could make a few things happen that I originally wasn't intending on. For motors to run the wheels... Since he'll be about 30lbs-40lbs when it's all said and done...what size DC motor should I look at? Trying to figure this out prior to getting to far into my build then attempting to figure out how to place things. Trying to somewhat plan ahead. Lol

Look at Steve G's "E4-B4 Build Diary". There you will get tons of ideas. I am sure you will get replies to advise you what motors to use. I was given some windshield wiper motors which will become drive motors on a future project.

The sensors can be gotten easily, so I still would point you toward the Six.

Ron R

This is a calculation based on the size radius of the wheels and the torque of the motor. It also depends on how fast you want the robot to move (rpm) times the diameter of the wheels.

How large are the wheels you want to use?

http://www.robotshop.com/blog/en/drive-motor-sizing-tool-9698

Here is a link that will help you with the calculations.

I'm thinking something along the lines of a rollerblade wheel....which would be 58mm-60mm. I don't want him to go from 0mph-60mph in 2seconds. Was thinking about 5mph at most for top speed and low pickup to top speed so he doesn't fall over or do a wheelie lol. Also needs to carry 30lbs - 40lns without burning up. Asking a lot huh? Lol

There are plenty of motors and wheels available that can do that. You will need an h-bridge sized for the amperage of the motors you select. If you are on a budget, it is pretty easy to find "Power Wheels" children's ride on cars at thrift shops or through freecycle. Usually the body is messed up or the battery is dead, but the motors are usually good and they are designed to move a 60lb child at 5mph.

If you keep the gear boxes (which slow them down and give more torque) they are kind of loud though.

Alan

Sounds like you want ramping probably, which is handled on the device driving the motors (like a kangaroo/sabertooth combo) or you would could code it on an arduino type device running the the motor driver and connected to the V4 in a couple of possible ways, or you could use scripts in ARC possibly to do this too.

Kangaroo/Sabertooth option is the most expensive but the easiest to implement. It gives you light load on the V4 and computer to do it this way.

Arduino connected to the V4 gives you the ability to code the arduino to handle this any way that you want to do it, but is the most time consuming. This gives you the benefit of the kangaroo/sabertooth option but requires you to do all of this coding. It gives you light load on the V4 and computer to do it this way and is pretty cost effective depending on your arduino programming experience.

ARC scripts could be used which keeps everything nice and tight in your ARC package. It requires some script programming and could offer similar benefits of the two listed above, except that it will be the heaviest load on the computer and the V4. Your script will determine how much this load is.

Yeah I've seen people use those as well as electric scooter motors. Not trying to move a 60lb+ object.

Like I said earlier... Am avoiding significant weight as much as possible. If For some reason he goes over 40lbs I'm going to rethink my design.

The powerwheels and scooter motors I've heard and seen people mounting those on their 300lb units... Very loud too.

Powerwheels motors are quite small and light. Nothing like wheelchair /scooter motors or even windshield wiper motors. They are designed to move up to 80 lbs, not the 3-500 of a wheelchair.

So if I bought a sabertooth that would be essentially my motor control and a kangaroo board would then tell the motor control to how fast to go, etc? That said, an audrino would then tell the kangaroo what you wanted them to do for reaction to either rx info sent, motion sensors, etc?

If I just simply used the ezb... then I would have to tell the ezb via programing, if a happens then do b, etc. Then after uploading that to the ezb for multiple actions it would be able to perform but all of that info would have to be sent via my computer.

So does this make the ezb essentially a relay of information where as an audrino is capable of self thinking/reacting? And Kangaroo is essentially like a speed controller?

The kangaroo x2 actually isn't too expensive. There is definitely a lot of nickel and dime'ing in this hobby. Not much unlike when I had my quadcopter..lol

Here's my next quandary.. I have a 2.5"w x 3"h x 2.5" space to place the motor to drive this because I had already made R2's battery box and feet (which is where the motors typically go for this droid). So I'm limited on space. Which is going to rule out quite a few options....whomp whomp.

Pieces to drive a robot seems to be more difficult than programming to tell it what to do....and here I was semi-scared of programming..lol

Wiring for both motors would run up the individual legs and into the torso where the motor controller will be located with the kangaroo (if I go that route).

Power window motors, weren't too expensive from what I found and we have plenty of car junk yards that have plenty of cars with power windows that I could find one for significantly less. Electric scooter motors are pretty inexpensive too. But falling back to the space issue...neither seem to be great ideas anymore.

Battery/Power wise.. I thought a razor scooter battery would be a good solution. http://www.batterysharks.com/Razor-Pocket-Mod-p/PocketMod_UPS12-7_x2.htm?gclid=CMPfh6vd6skCFc2RHwodBloIYg My son has one of these scooters and I've ridden the thing and it last quite some time...so breaking that power into the dome motor, feet motors and a few little servos else where I wouldn't think would be a problem.?.

@jkcweber,

You will want to watch the center of gravity. Keep it low! And yes, robotics is very much like multi rotors. You will always find that there is a new gadget that will do a job better. But that is part of the fun of it all. You are in for a treat when you start using the EZ B4.

Thanks oldbot! Yeah... Am trying to keep Overall weight down but like you said, I certainly don't want him top heavy. A greater majority of controllers, etc will be located near his skirt area towards The front since he'll be tilted back. The battery will most likely fall over the center wheel (which I'm not making retractable) so that will defiantly help keeping him centered and with the weight should I go with the above battery.

So here's my list thus far.... Ezb v4 developer kit (reasoning behind this is the heavy duty servos will be nice and the six as a lot but I know I need the continuous servos too along with the sensor more so than the extra servos at the moment.) Sabertooth 2x 25 motor controller Kangaroo X2 Razor scooter 12v battery And some kind of motors for the feet lol Still stuck on this.

At some point I'll most like get the led display for the logic panel on his head too.

If using the Kangaroo you will also need wheel encoders or potentiometers to feed back the position data to the kangaroo. These can be part of your motors, part of the wheels, or added on.

You also only need thw kangaroo if knowing exactly how far the wheels have turned ia critical to your movement.

I would wait to choose the motor controller until after you choose your motor/wheelset. The Sabertooth 2x25 is a great controller, but is probably more tha you need given the weight of your robot and the space available fir the motors. Determine the amps your motors will pull and pick an H-Bridge to match (max amps at stall plus some overhead, say 20% so 2x25 would be used with 20 amp wheelchair motors.).

Alan

I could always use the saber tooth without something like a kangaroo temporarily too? The kangaroo would just make everything more precise... Correct?

Correct. The Sabertooth controls the motors, the Kangaroo knows the position of the wheels, so the EZ-B can give precise position instructions (how far to turn, how many times to turn). In an R2, a kangaroo can be very helpful in precisely turning the dome to a specific position. Not as needed on the drive wheels unless you are planning autonomous motion (ie, navigate to a specific place without someone watching to make corrections) which involves much more than just wheel position information.

I am certainly not trying to talk you out of getting one, just helping to make sure you are picking the right equipment for your needs.

Alan

Oh I didn't think you were talking me out of it. The sensors are impart of the reason why I wanted the package I'm getting. So that I can make him autonomous. So your input is greatly appreciated. I didn't even think of the dome but that too is a really good idea along with sensors there. The camera is going to go in the eye which will help as well.

So if I do the autonomous thing I will eventually need two motor controllers and two kangaroos? One setup for the feet and another for the head?

Definitely why I'm asking what I am so that o get what I need vs what I think "might" work. So I'm somewhat left to you All to guide me lol

Any suggestions on motors that will fit the space I have would be awesome too.

Well, there are a lot of ways to do autonomous navigation, but a kangaroo certainly won't hurt in giving precise position instructions.

Alan

So any thoughts on motors?

How much room do you have in the leg above the foot ? Could you mount the motor there and get a timing belt to a wheel below. The CG shouldn't be too bad. I am not thrilled with this idea but the belts and pulleys are pretty cheap and its an easy way to go. The pod on the foot would help hide the mechanism.

Ron R

Thanks for the suggestion but I actually have less space there unless I place it on the other side of the leg for all to see lol. Which if I didn't already have those pieces already built ready to assemble, it might've been kinda cool to somehow incorporate an actual working piece on the outside.

Quite the conundrum I know. Probably should have thought about this prior to making my battery boxes for the legs. However, keeping to the actual scale they're the size they should be.

I'm wondering if I could get a big enough motor with a 90 degree shaft on it. That seems like the best solution provided the space I have. But again depth, length and height are still needing to be considered even then. I figure if I have to go with a caster on the back portion of the foot and the motorized wheel on the front instead of just one large wheel that would be fine. Wheel size isn't as big of a deal as the motor at the moment.

I don't know if anyone has used these with EZ-B yet, or if they have the power you need for the weight, but I bookmarked this site when another discussion here talked about fitting wheels into a tight space: http://www.creative-robotics.com/About-HUBee-Wheels

Alan

Alright... I think I found a motor that'll work and isn't going to kill the bank.

http://www.monsterscooterparts.com/100-watt-motor-razor-e90.html?gclid=CKG94sLG7skCFU0XHwodHhoNCg

This is probably a little more than needed, but it's the right size for placement and I'm thinking too much would be better than too little..if I don't run it to its full potential is there an issue with that? Also, I'm thinking just running this directly into the wheel itself vs belt driving or similar. Only thing I'm concerned about doing that is, is the shaft going to be strong enough to handle that weight or will it bend?

Everything else I found that would possibly fit, were a lot of pancake motors that were way expensive. I found one of those for the razor scooters as well, but it was 200 watts and just slightly bigger than actually needed so I would have to mod what I have.

A motor I was given. Check it out on the internet. US made. I have no clue if they are still available. Maybe modify the pod if the motor is big enough to do the job.

Ron R

That looks about the right size Ron. Where did you pick that up? And the 90 degree is sweet.

Came across this place while looking at motors yet again.... These all seem relatively decently sized and the cost isn't too overwhelming not to mention they should all work with the ezb. On the flip side... I don't know what i'm looking for still..lol

https://www.servocity.com/html/motors___accessories.html

I always forget about Servocity. They have all kinds of cool stuff. Good luck on your search.

Ron R

Here's a good source for all types and sizes of motors. The Robot MarketPlace is a great place to buy from. They have all kinds of things other than motors for your robot projects. I get most of my motors and robot parts from these guys and also ServoCity. Check out ServoCity's Actobotics section when you're over there next time.

Motors at Robot Marketplace

As for choosing the right motor, it's kinda hard to advise someone on the right one to use. You need to look at the weight of the object it's lifting or moving, the power requirements it will need and draw and if it will fit into your build. Both places mentioned have great information listed for each motor they sell so you can make your decision. Sometimes you just need to make the best choice possible and then give it a try. If it doesn't work out at least you have a base line to make a different choice and buy the right one. That's called prototyping. LOL. Motors at The Robot Marketplace

So I found the motor I want to try, but I'm wondering if there is another version, same specs but less costly since this is a prototype ordeal ??

Here's the link to the motor I'm considering. https://www.servocity.com/html/313_rpm_hd_precision_planetary.html#.VntvLOw8KnM Also, if I get 2 of these... I will only need one saber tooth motor controller... Which I'm thinking this would work but correct me if I'm wrong...

https://www.dimensionengineering.com/products/sabertooth2x12rc

So this setup with the ezb ... A good starting point?

I would get the 2x12 instead of the 2x12 r/c. It gives more connectivity optioms including simple serial mode that we know works where we have seen problems in r/c mode (although someone this week got a roo/sabertooth combo to work in r/c mode so it may not be an issue afterall). Alan

Oh, wait, those motors have a max stall current of 20 amps, you meed a 2x25 not a 2x12. You need the max amps plus overhead.

Alan

I want to share some very basic calculations with you and explain them. This is not a complete calculation by any means but will help you.

These motors are rated at 416.6 oz-in torque max.

Lets say that you have wheels that are 2 inches in radius. You may have answered this already but what size wheels are you planning on using? I will continue assuming you will be using 4 inch diameter wheels.

So, torque measurement above / radius of wheel = rough estimate of the weight that each motor can carry.

416.6/2 = 208.3 oz.

There are 16 oz in a pound so, each motor can carry roughly 13 lbs when at the max stall torque. This isnt accounting for friction of the wheels on the ground or carpet.

You have 2 wheels working together, you would be able to move roughly 26 lbs at max stall.

Now, lets look at how fast the robot will move. 313 RPM is what these motors are rated for. your wheels have a diameter of 4 inches in the above example. we need to find the circumference which is done by multiplying the diameter X pi. 4*3.14159 = 12.57 inches per 1 rpm.
if we take that and multiply it by the RPMs, 12.57x313 = 3933.27 your robot will move 3933.27 inches in a minute or 65.55 inches in a second.

There are 5280 feet in a mile. if you look at how far it will travel in a second in feet (5.46) times 60 seconds in a minute x 60 minutes in an hour, you will see that the robot would travel roughly 3.72 miles per hour at full speed if the robot could move based on the torque calculations above.

Again, these are very simple calculations, not counting incline, decline, friction of wheels or anything else and only counting if weight was evenly dispersed directly between the two motors. If you had the third wheel and it were carrying most of the weight (most of the time in an R2 type robot it isn't, then this too would then factor into the calculation.

The average walking speed of a human is about 3.1 MPH.

I hope this helps and didn't cause confusion.

Quote:

I'm thinking something along the lines of a rollerblade wheel....which would be 58mm-60mm. I don't want him to go from 0mph-60mph in 2seconds. Was thinking about 5mph at most for top speed and low pickup to top speed so he doesn't fall over or do a wheelie lol. Also needs to carry 30lbs - 40lns without burning up. Asking a lot huh? Lol

I see that you answered some of the questions earlier in the chain.

60mm = 2.4 inches roughly.

2.4/2 = 1.2 radius

416.6/1.2 = 347.17 oz per motor 347.17*2 = 694.33 oz total for a weight of 43.4 lbs. This is good for what you mentioned above, and if a 3rd wheel were used, you would be more than good.

The speed calculation remains the same.

Awesomeness! Thanks for chiming in. Definitely a huge help and verification of what I was thinking of doing prior to outting cash is always a good thing. Would've been bummed putting out $100 on a complete flop. Also thank you for the heads up on the saber tooth. The only reason I had theorized using the rc was because it seemed to be a bit more simplistic, but I would rather not temp fate.

2x25 saber tooth it is.

So I finally got my ez robot.... Was waiting til I was further along with my build to start diving into learning this stuff. Nevertheless I'm the proud own of a JD humanoid. Got him all together and was playing around with the app... Needs some tuning which was expected and I figured I'd go with this vs the developer kit just for that reason... Having nothing to base what does what, etc I thought this would give me an easier way to learn just that and some other things prior to putting the components into my r2. Which it definitely is. One thing I'm a bit disappointed with is the ezb itself keeps detaching from the body thus disconnecting from the battery causing him to shut down. I'm not quite sure what the ezb unit itself is supposed to look like since this is my first but is it supposed to have just one prong sticking out the back of it to connect to jds body along with the two plastic tabs? It doesn't seem to really lock in place. The other question I had is it supposed to be so loud when standing still? The servos sound like they're working overtime in doing so. Just making sure I didn't accidentally get a lemon I guess....

Will post updated pics of my r2 later this weekend. He's coming along pretty slick. Have to remold the feet this weekend and will hopefully have him standing on his legs and feet by the end of the weekend.

@Jkcweber Is this your first experience with hobby servos? They all buzz when holding position. It's not exclusive to ez robot servos That's just the way they all are...

The mini deans connector is whet you are referring to may need some adjustment in order for the ezb to sit tighter in the base.... EZB4 Power Pin adjustment

If all else fails I use a little bit of tape to hold the ezb4 in place in it's base...

Hi @jkcweber, Enjoy JD he is a lot of fun. Be sure none of the wires are causing the servos to jam. They shouldn't be tight. A jammed servo can cause it to burn out. Looking forward to your pictures of your R2.

A teaser .... Still a lot to put together this weekend.

Thanks for the suggestions. I did the pin adjustment and think that worked. Going to try it out after he charges. My son was home "sick" all week (probably could've gone today back to school but didn't want to take a chance) so he played with JD all day.

So I've got most of my r2 parts and putting him slowly together but since the rain here I've been put back on how much stuff I can do on him sanding and painting wise. Nevertheless it's coming along. I spent this weekend uploading sounds to ez-B software and messing around a bit.

Am curious if there's a way to make the ezb recognize when you say something as in can I have r2 turn and look at me if I say "hey r2" or just "r2"? Is this partially voice recognition and partially camera working together?

When the you say Hey R2 you can have it run a script to turn on facial recognition, and turn the head toward the direction the sound came from. You would need mics sensors plugged into analog points and use the script to turn the bot/head toward the direction of the mic that picked up the loudest sound (highest value). The mic you use to pickup the speech would be a different sensor, perhaps a usb mic plugged into an on board pc. There would have to be a script running that would be constantly monitoring the analog ports that are have the a mic sensors attached to them so you would know which mic sensor had the loudest sound at the point that the speech happened.

For mic sensors and proximity / motion/distance sensors, can I use adrunio sensors and plug them into the ez-b? Or is there a better way?

Is an ultrasonic range finder and distance sensor the same thing?

@Jkcweber Yes , but a distance sensor is more of a generic term as it could mean a lidar, laser or IR detector too... Most of these type of sensors for Arduino are plug n' play with the ezb as well... However, remember the ezb4's signal pin is only 3.3V. Some sensors meant to be used with 5V may not work very well because of that...

From what I've read ultrasonic range finders seem to be more accurate than the alternative though a bit more costly. Considering I'm intending on using this in multiple light situations including outside, it seems like the way to go though.

My next question is how would I get the robot to do a follow me type feature. I know that I can use camera tracking for this to a degree as well.?.

An Ultrasonic range finder or Ping sensor is your best bet... There is no "out of the Box" solution in order to get your robot to follow you. You're just going to have to learn some scripting and program it yourself... It's not difficult but it will have to be custom... Saying that... An alternative yet easy way (but less than ideal) to do it is to wear something red and set your robot (in the camera control) to forward/left/right movement track... The downside is you will have to remove everything else around it that is red or it may lose interest in you ... This would get you started, then you can write scripts for more flexibility.

You could train custom objects like your face as long as the robot can see your face it would follow you.

Wear a QR code on your back would probably work.

Old school method would be to create a type of IR beacon and wear it for the robot to follow you.

As Richard, said, no out of the box solution, just lots of different options that require tinkering.

Another option for following, instead of totally automatic, is a hidden controller of some kind.

I have two solutions that I have used.

This little controller can sit in your pocket and you can drive the robot: http://www.amazon.com/Impulse-Universal-Controller-Smartphones-Computers/dp/B00GOKV98M

The dis-advantage is that it emulates a keyboard, so you have to make sure the Movement Panel or key control in your project has been clicked (you can use the Remote Mouse plugin to have a script that periodically selects the Movement Panel as the active window).

The other option is a smartwatch. If using an iPhone/iPad and the mobile app rather than a Windows computer as your "brain", there is native support for the Apple Watch.

If you are using a PC but have an Android Phone or tablet and AndroidWear watch, see this controller I made: https://synthiam.com/Community/Questions/9125.

I haven't created a tutorial yet since there wasn't a lot of interest yet (AndroidWear watches are just starting to gain popularity) but if you want to go that route, I will put it together for you.

Alan

I just looked at the Amazon price for that controller.... That's crazy. I spent something like $15 for it. They must not be making it anymore because although the manufacturer's web site still exists, you can't get to their online store. But I am sure something similar is available if you hunt around a bit.

Alan