Earlier this year I introduced myself and my first robot on these forums but it was a General Discussion post and so now that I've made some progress on Dorian I thought it's time to make a proper Project Showcase for him.
Dorian is a fairly small humanoid robot with a retro style design. He stands about 40 cm tall and has a build quite similar to the JD humanoid robot, with the addition of two hip servos and an ultrasonic distance sensor.
The chassis is my own design, while the joints and brackets connecting servos are modified versions of EZ-Robot designs.
The general goal for Dorian is to have him join me at various events and have him interact with people, but more importantly, have people interact with him. I'm hoping I'll be able to make him smart and engaging enough for people to feel inspired about social robots and realize how advanced robots we can actually make today - if using the right products and knowing the right community
In my previous post some of you were asking about seeing him in action and if he could walk yet. Today I uploaded the first video with Dorian's walking animation so I hope you'll give it a look and hopefully you'll enjoy! He may look like a drunk toddler but atleast he's moving forward...! Sort of.
Other robots from Synthiam community
Cardboardhacker's Penguin-Like Robot Project!
Jdebay's What Should I Do?
Funny, you have a "Up North" in Sweden. Here in Wisconsin, USA was also have a "Up North" in northern Wisconsin and it looks a lot like yours. A little further "Up North and we're in Canada. Up North is always Heaven on earth.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
@Dave
Haha yes, I was rather surprised he even managed to take those steps before falling... the way he currently drags his feet he's really not good at walking on any surface other than indoor floors. I definitely agree with you, I've always been a big fan of Up North! Haha.
You don't really ever see robots in peaceful outdoor settings, taking in their surroundings. It made Dorian seem very zen-like (until he fell down lol) and observant. It was like he was nourishing his robot soul, and I found that to be a very interesting idea.
I hope that by next summer Dorian will be able to experience and interact with that environment a lot more than he did this summer. Other than mistakenly spotting his favorite green ball in the cabin (I didn't bring any of his toys) he was rather lost up there in the wilderness, haha.
Bottom line is that ARC (EZ Builder) is still the best and most advanced platform avaliable. It seems that every week it gets improved and get better and better. One of (but not only) the biggest change is that now ARC can work with and control more interfaces then the EZB. Among them is hardware like some of the more popular Arduino's. Also now you need to pay to use ARC if you have a big project. There is still a free version that is fully functional but limited in how much you can load into it. Look here:
https://synthiam.com/Products/ARC
great you are back with dorian .xD
indeed no video's to see here . maybe sebediah is making new vids.
Dave I trust you're still working on that awesome B9 of yours? And hey Patrick! I am working on a new design for a small robot but Dorian will be back in the future, I have big plans for him, hehe.
I noticed the paid pro version of ARC, I'll get that as soon as I have a free day to jump into it. I was just wondering about whether that now requires an active internet connection in order for ARC to know you're licensed? I'm asking because most of my projects have been done on offline laptops and I'm hoping that will continue to be possible?
lookin forwart to dorian back in action .
With my return I also went ahead and did a bit of a re-brand for the sites where I will be posting my work from now on, and those platforms will go by the new DapperGolem brand that I am very happy with, haha.
I've decided to start streaming my work all weekend evenings, so I'm currently streaming at Twitch from the workshop on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays every weekend unless I am otherwise unable to do so. I try to keep a relaxed stream with music, casual conversations about pretty much anything, the occasional cameo from my dog and cat, and of course, a whole lot of robot tinkering.
If anyone is interested in checking them out, I will leave links below for my new Twitch and Youtube channels. Happy robot building guys, I'm so glad to be back!
https://www.twitch.tv/dappergolem
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAzutx2F8wHWbn2cSJnk8HA
good to hear you tackle your problems . fingers crossed .
Great to see you back. I think robotics is a helpful therapy, it keeps me busy, and not dwelling on health issues.
Lots of fun new things to try with ARC.
Steve S
@Steve Thanks! I agree this is an amazing hobby to help take your mind off things and focus on the things that make you happy instead. ARC seems great from what I've seen so far, really looking forward to see what it can do with my new robot soon.