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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
Buratino's Buratino - Humanoid Animatronic
Cardboardhacker's Ez-Ollie
@CochranRobotics.com
that sounds great! I hope someone make a review from the end-modell. then I want to buy him! but not for 700 bucks. 499 with color, without technics will be fine
And I hope one day the price will be at that level. That means Will is successful and is mass producing ALAN. That would be awesome for all involved.
Have a great day @smarty!
In any case, a $550-$626 increase from BRONZE to SILVER for the electronics is impossible to reconcile with the 'Why the $125,000 goal' from campaign page that states "We have worked hard to negotiate cost effective suppliers to minimize production costs as well as secure a manufacturing team. To ensure we can deliver ALAN to our backers, we have also included a risk mitigation factor to account for unforeseen". if William 'negotiated hard' with suppliers to secure 2.5x the RRP of the electronics, he should probably get someone else to do his negotiating for him, or maybe he's using extortionately expensive packaging to pack extra electronics, who knows?..
Regards, Andrew
And there isn't a shadow of doubt the level of craftsmanship that goes into producing each ALAN bust, but to add $550-$626 for adding electronics, it immediately casts doubt on adding $525 to assemble, and moreover $1599 to paint & tablet PC.
I'm afraid William is the architect of his own misfortune on this endeavour? It's a damn shame too as it had every hallmark of success before greed overtook him.
Warmest Regards, Andrew
@Andrew.
I guess we'll see then, won't we. Time will tell.
From what you've been saying already, I take it that you're not going to make a pledge then? If not, then you don't really have any reason to make any more posts on this thread, do you. You have made you're thoughts quite clear now which is fair enough, and repeating yourself is getting a bit boring now.
@Steve G, obviously you have backed then, kudos to you you're happy to throw money without engaging any wise judgement.
The deepest shame is that, the very backers that are able to contribute/participate (afford) ALAN, have scant regard for anyone else's abilit to contribute/participate at a lower level. vis-a-vis, prohibiting the 'other', 'poor' people, nobody will receive an ALAN 'bust' as a direct consequence.
Let me get the crystal ball out & see what Kicktraq trending/campaign end might look like over the course of the coming week,.. Mon 16th- $132,255 Tues 17th- $105,804 Wed 18th- $88,170 Thurs 19th- $75,754 Fri 20th- $66,127 This prediction is no coincidence, there's no chance or 'luck' at play here, people are than what you obviously pay credit to. Do you genuinely stand behind William 100% in respect to the price jumps between BRONZE, SILVER, GOLD & PLATINUM, if you do your unashamedly answering from a subjective, vested-interest point of view, and this is my point, this turning a blind eye to essentially extortion (ironically justified by existing backers?) locking out the common hacker/hobbyist which is conspiring against the ALAN campaign, nobody else. It's dissapointing is all,..
Regards, Andrew
^^^ Good grief, man. Let it rest. I want one too. I can't afford it. There's lots of things that I want but can't afford. That does not mean I'm going to write the manufacturer of each thing I can't aford and ask them to make it affordable for me specifically. His pricing structure is what it is. Who am I or you to question? He's been working on this a long long time and trust me, he knows more about his needs than you do. You are coming off like a whiny, petulant child that's not getting his/her way.
I'm going to contribute something eventually just because I want to see these things get out the door even though I may never have one.
Yes I do 100% stand behind Will and I have no vested interest in the campaign whatsoever. I just like to see the guy who is at least trying something new, to succeed. Anyway, there are lower level pledge tiers available, such as the $10 one for anyone who wants to do so.
And actually, no, I have not backed... yet. But when I do, I will not be backing to get a product of any type, but solely to support Will.
Again, you're not making a pledge, said your piece, and seem to have nothing constructive to say, so you have no need to say anything else here on this thread.
How about wishing the guy luck or say nothing and leave it at that.