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Edit: Kickstarter campaign failed in 2015.
Starting in 2025 you can build an interactive Alan by joining my Robotics Courseware (links coming soon). You can follow along with detailed video instructions starting with 3d printing parts. Off the shelf hardware components links are included with the BOM. Don't miss out! Be sure to get a head in robotics. Build at you own pace. Coming soon.
Introducing Alan, the android head robot platform kit, soon to be released on Kickstarter.
First a quick introduction. For those that may not know me. I've been a make up effects artist in the film industry for the past 23 years. Robots have always fascinated me since I was a kid growing up in Ohio and watching Lost in Space episodes. That interest never left me and when starting work in the film industry, I taught myself animatronics. That is I would be called upon to make something move via radio controlled, a puppet, or a toaster or ? As CGI took over the animatronics part of my industry, I focused my free time on using that knowledge for robotics. When I saw prosumer 3D printers come on the market 8 years ago, I knew I could get some of my ideas to the table with out the need for a garage full of CNC machines.
Alan is a culmination of of both technologies, animatronics and 3D printing. When this idea started 3 years ago, I had just found EZ Robots and knew that I could build an interestingly designed kit for everyone so they could experiment with robotics. A platform that personifies how we will interact with robots and androids in the near future, by looking them in the face.
My first challenge was to make sure I leaped over the "uncanny valley". To do so, I took the human dimensions and changed them a bit, eyes wider apart, downplayed high details and added features that were without a doubt not human and certainly robotic in form.
The second challenge was keeping the cost down for consumers. A head like this in the film industry, filled with lots of motions like brow, smile, etc would costs $10's of thousands of dollars. So I built Alan with a modular design in mind. Meaning that the store front will carry modules that will allow you to customize and upgrade the same robot without having to buy a whole new head. As an example the front subskull can be replaced with a module with brow movement, allowing you to keep the entire head and eye mechanism. Other silicone skins will become available different colors and genders, styles, etc. The low cost introductory head will include about 22 parts, easy to assemble, with the consumer supplying servos, power supplies EZB, etc. on their own. My website will include links to all the accessories needed, plus mods like LED eyes, built in audio systems and so on. All the parts will be molded and manufactured in Los Angeles. There will be no pressure injected molding of parts this time around. These are cold cast high impact plastic parts and platinum silicone skins. Alans future may include a full body, if the Kickstarter is successful. And you can certainly use this as a replacement head for InMoov . I will look at altering the open source STL files to be able to accept my heads.
I always knew that the EZB would be Alan's brains. And I will promote it as such. As we all know, DJ's commitment and advancement to the EZB is leading us into the future of robotics.There really is no other choice in my mind. But that's in part because I'm no programmer
D. Cochran's EZ-AI is a boon to Alans development. I look forward to where David takes it. And although I have it installed I have yet to implement it with Alan for a few more weeks. All of these working together will be highlighted on the Kickstater video.
I have several more weeks to finish the paint job and run a new hero silicone skin. Then there is the very important Kickstarter video. So we are at least 4 weeks out. But I will post here the links to both the Kickstarter and Alans website when they go live and as Alan progresses.
I look forward to your ideas for programming and how you would mod him. I'd also like to hear how you would like to see him develop. Thanks for your time and enjoy the development pictures and video.
All the best,
Will
Programming
Camera, Speech recognition, speech synthesis, pad touch,
Parts & Materials
Dynamixels, Arduino, USB camera, EZB 4, micro servos and regular servos
Other robots from Synthiam community
DJ's Jd Wants His Rubber Duck
Drephreak's New Robot
Hi Will, Let me know if I can help out with some 3D printing.
Hello all. I have kinda a micro poll in which I'm ask you a few questions about the importance of certain features with ALAN. ALAN is going through a redesign, and I specifically want to ask your opinions on the esthetic exposed areas and what's important to you. When I originally designed Alan I didn't really care about how it would be reproduced but more about how it would look when I completed it. Once the prototype was completed I realized that some of my design choices created a very difficult task of mass production.
There are going to be many choices for various heads to place on the core neck and head mechanisms for the courseware. This defines my original vision of "modification " in the name ROBO "MOD" IX. I had always designed the whole project around the ability to swap out the heads with other components to create a multitude of robots types with the mechanisms being the core components. With the ultimate goal to complete an entire humanoid robot like the InMoov. These parts include: torso, arms, legs and a mobile bases. You will be able to MOD these parts as well, giving you the ability to customize your robot with several options.
So, what am I asking? For purposes of simplification for mass production, what are the esthetic features of the original ALAN, that are most important to you in order of importance? I'd like to hear from as many people as possible.
...I thought I'd give you some insight into what the future holds...these are a few design from about 50 designs I've been creating. These are for a "Robot" look, unlike Alan and his android appearance, but all the internal mechanical workings will be the same so you can change out Alans head or skins for different looks, building on my "no screws" only magnets concept shown in the bartender videos.
My order would be
It’s interesting to me that it took me a bit of time but over the last few years I fell in love with the silicone-less aesthetic of ALAN. The silicone overlay, neck, and shoulder design never really mattered to me. The head, eyes, and the lines & small details, and the alternating color pattern define ALAN in my mind. I really enjoy the alternating color pattern with Reds and Blues as it reminds of my most cherished robots of the 80s: The Transformers. I feel like it combines that retro style with a future concept of an android face, close to human but not too close to the uncanny valley. It’s human enough to easily anthropomorphize but far enough away to not be off-putting. I think it’s by far, my favorite design for a humanoid robot head. So much more detailed than C3P0 and so much less scary than Sophia. Will I think you hit the perfect ratio the original ALAN design (without silicone)
My order would be the following:
hi will
this is a generous offer from you to give people the chance for a really great robot .thank you for that . do i must ask one very importent question and that is what it all gonna cost . that the files will be availble for download is also a must ,due to customs cost is so hight these days , it woud'n be posseble for people like me ( belgium ) or other country's . also what am thinking is for some people is to be able to by part by part . and in the end have an ALAN robot.
for me i choose alan . ( depents on cost ) i would use grey color
is there a mod to close the openings next alan's mouth ? thats the only part i don't love . sorry about that .
thank you will .
This is what I want.