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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
Smarty's Combot - The Ez-Robot Computer System
Tony1952's My Rolly Boxbot
Ez-ai will be have an announcement made about where it is in a couple of weeks with an unedited video demonstrating it's status. I just got off the phone with my son, now the lead developer on it. I am blown away by it now. He has done a really good job on it. Right now it is missing some of the features it once had, but we are bringing in another developer soon (someone I know who is a great programmer) to start adding features. It is the AI for Rafiki and is really going to be amazing with Alan. We are focusing on how we keep the two products working great together but seperate so that ez-ai can still be a seperate stand alone product.
Great to hear Dave! I'm looking forward to that! And so glad your son is spearheading and doing an amazing job!
@Justin and Warpig....I know its really weird. I guess they have had people in the past fooled backers into believing they had a product but was just a photo rendered computer shot. No product. I understand they are protecting the customers, but its killing our deadlines.
On another note, I've been in talks with Steven Gentner the creator of RoboRealm...alot of cool things coming up cross promotion etc. H'es very active helping out folks who have kickstarter projects using his software. Also not sure if I am allowed to say or not, but hints of a plug in for EZ coming.
the problem that I see is the function. its a cool looking humanoid-bust like the Wowwee Alive Elvis.. but what people wanna do with this head? its a perfect addon for an inmoov robot .. but only a few people have inmoov at home. the most people have no idea how to use ez-robot software. or dont want to use them. I love this powerfull project and I hope you're lucky but I think kickstarter bringing not enough money. its the same like Anthony's project. different things but with same result. I would not wish you to misunderstand me.. I want to buy a ALAN-Bust for sure. but I miss teeth like elvis and without latex/ rubber-mask he looks more perfect ^^! the skin wobbles.. the mask looks funny and unfinished. this is my opinion.
you produced the best 3D printed head I ever seen! now you need a perfect software programming and a lot functions for everyone
regards Smarty
This project can use any robot platform as it doesn't come with any robot controller specifically or any software. This can be driven by any robot software platform dependent on what the purchaser wants to put in it.
What is for sale is the kit. It is for builders to do whatever they want to do with it. It's not a built working product. This is up to the purchaser to do and to decide what they use to drive it. Will has chosen to use an EZ-B V4 for his build. It's the best software and controller so it is only logical that he would go this route, but he could have used anything available.
yes, you can use any robot platform.. but the head is the same like the Elvis Bust and the elvis bust was a flop for wowwee. I say it again, this head is only for robot makers and so its hard to make money with it. fxrtst invest a lot time and money and I hope he gets his money back. thats what im saying.
@smarty, I thank you for your concerns. Wow wee, mass produces their parts in China an like most and have to sell a lot of units to make their money back. We only need to sell 160 units to make a profit because we are hand making the units from molds.
Alan also is upgradable, meaning we will be offering female faces, really cool mechanical faces that simply replace your exciting face. You don't have to buy another head to have a different robot!
Lastly your right it's not a product for everyday consumers... Yet. Builders will need to have a certain skill level and interest to get the most out of a kit.
We now have several rewards available, not just a base kit. We have units all the way up to assembled and painted and several in between kits to hit all levels of builders.
I have a WowWee Elvis (actually, a few of them). Unless you only want "The King", modifications are difficult at best. It's not surprising that the product tanked; having an animatronic Elvis head gets old real fast.
ALAN, on the other hand, will be able to be easily modified. Even if Will never comes out with another molded component, the user will be able to change ALAN's personality using easily-available tools such as EZ-B, software and other controllers.
Basically, I see the difference between Elvis and ALAN about the same as a WWI biplane and the Starship Enterprise: they both fly, but one is able to go where no one has gone before.
Lol, nicely said @WarPig