Release 2012.09.20.00

(Autonomous Robot Control Software)
Make robots with the easiest robot programming software. Experience user-friendly features that make any robot easy to program.

Change Release Notes

Does your EZ-Robot need faster Face Tracking? High Resolution Realtime Video? Custom Haar Tracking? Updated Camera Control? Transparent Grid Lines? And more?

Okay! This is the last update of ARC for a few days, because I need to sleep. I don't know how I did it, but this has been a very productive week of releases. This release is a complete re-write of the camera control. You will notice an updated interface, new options and a new layout. The new layout is much easier to navigate and supports the new High Resolution Realtime Video display.

In the next while, I am working on a custom Haar Cascade Trainer built into ARC. This means you will be able to train objects to be recognized in ARC. Right now, you can use existing Haar Cascades definitions for tracking.

  • New Control Commands (CameraViewProcessed, CameraViewRealtime)
  • High Resolution Realtime Video
  • Adjustable transparency on Grid Lines for Processed Video
  • Custom Haar tracking
  • Updated Camera Control Layout
  • Camera Snapshot saves high resolution images

ARC Downloads

ARC Free

Free

  • Includes one free 3rd party plugin robot skill per project
  • Trial cloud services
  • Free with trial limitations

For schools, personal use & organizations. This edition is updated every 6-12 months.

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  • 2 or more PCs simultaneously
  • Includes unlimited skills
  • Cloud backup
  • And much more

Experience the latest features and bug fixes weekly. A Pro subscription is required to use this edition.

Runtime

Free

  • Load and run any ARC project
  • Operates in read-only mode
  • Unlimited robot skills
  • Early access fixes & features

Have you finished programming your robot? Use this to run existing ARC projects for free*.

  • Minimum requirements are Windows 10 or higher with 2+gb ram and 500+MB free space.
  • Recommended requirements are Windows 10 or higher with 8+gb ram and 1000+MB free space.
  • ARC Free known-issues can be viewed by clicking here.
  • Get more information about each ARC edition by clicking here.
  • See what's new in the latest versions with Release notes.

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Feature ARC
FREE
ARC
PRO
  Get ARC for Free View Plans
Usage Personal
DIY
Education
Personal
DIY
Education
Business
Early access to new features & fixes Yes
Simultaneous microcontroller connections* 1 255
Robot skills* 20 Unlimited
Skill Store plugins* 1 Unlimited
Cognitive services usage** 10/day 6,000/day
Auto-positions gait actions* 40 Unlimited
Speech recongition phrases* 10 Unlimited
Camera devices* 1 Unlimited
Vision resolution max 320x240 Unlimited
Interface builder* 2 Unlimited
Cloud project size 128 MB
Cloud project revision history Yes
Create Exosphere requests 50/month
Exosphere API access Contact Us
Volume license discounts Contact Us
  Get ARC for Free View Plans
* Per robot project
** 1,000 per cognitive type (vision recognition, speech recognition, face detection, sentiment, text recognition, emotion detection, azure text to speech)

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Ecuador
#1  

ooow! in these days you are inspired! good job!

#2  

Hey DJ,

Sounds like you've been REAL busy!

is this Haar tracking for faces? or objects? I am guessing documentation/videos will follow.

Well done on the updates!

:D

Thomas

robots-and-androids.com

United Kingdom
#3  

DJ that sounds cool except I can't get ARC to run now

Get some sleep and then take a look at this error below

Cheers

Neil

See the end of this message for details on invoking just-in-time (JIT) debugging instead of this dialog box.

************** Exception Text ************** System.IO.FileNotFoundException: Could not load file or assembly 'EZ_B, Version=2012.9.20.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=839146fd54f35ea1' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified. File name: 'EZ_B, Version=2012.9.20.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=839146fd54f35ea1' at .(Object , EventArgs ) at System.Windows.Forms.Form.OnLoad(EventArgs e) at System.Windows.Forms.Form.OnCreateControl() at System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl(Boolean fIgnoreVisible) at System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl() at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmShowWindow(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.ScrollableControl.WndProc(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.ContainerControl.WndProc(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.Form.WmShowWindow(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.Form.WndProc(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)

WRN: Assembly binding logging is turned OFF. To enable assembly bind failure logging, set the registry value [HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Fusion!EnableLog] (DWORD) to 1. Note: There is some performance penalty associated with assembly bind failure logging. To turn this feature off, remove the registry value [HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Fusion!EnableLog].

#4  

Unfortunately, ARC won't run for me either.:(

It happens right away upon launch of ARC. I am on Win7 home premium. Toshiba dual core, 64 bit. 4 GB ram. 1/2 TB hard drive.

Please do get some sleep. I'll just revert back to an earlier version.

See the end of this message for details on invoking just-in-time (JIT) debugging instead of this dialog box.

************** Exception Text ************** System.IO.FileLoadException: Could not load file or assembly 'EZ_B, Version=2012.9.20.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=839146fd54f35ea1' or one of its dependencies. The located assembly's manifest definition does not match the assembly reference. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80131040) File name: 'EZ_B, Version=2012.9.20.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=839146fd54f35ea1' at .(Object , EventArgs ) at System.Windows.Forms.Form.OnLoad(EventArgs e) at System.Windows.Forms.Form.OnCreateControl() at System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl(Boolean fIgnoreVisible) at System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl() at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmShowWindow(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.ScrollableControl.WndProc(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.ContainerControl.WndProc(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.Form.WmShowWindow(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.Form.WndProc(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)

WRN: Assembly binding logging is turned OFF. To enable assembly bind failure logging, set the registry value [HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Fusion!EnableLog] (DWORD) to 1. Note: There is some performance penalty associated with assembly bind failure logging. To turn this feature off, remove the registry value [HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Fusion!EnableLog].

************** Loaded Assemblies ************** mscorlib Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0 Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4971 (win7RTMGDR.050727-4900) CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/Microsoft.NET/Framework/v2.0.50727/mscorlib.dll

EZ-Builder Assembly Version: 2012.9.20.0 Win32 Version: 2012.09.20.00 CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files%20(x86)/EZ-Robot/ARC.20Installer/ARC.exe

System.Windows.Forms Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0 Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4977 (win7RTMGDR.050727-4900) CodeBase: file:///C:/windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Windows.Forms/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Windows.Forms.dll

System Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0 Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4971 (win7RTMGDR.050727-4900) CodeBase: file:///C:/windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.dll

System.Drawing Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0 Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4927 (NetFXspW7.050727-4900) CodeBase: file:///C:/windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Drawing/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Drawing.dll

************** JIT Debugging ************** To enable just-in-time (JIT) debugging, the .config file for this application or computer (machine.config) must have the jitDebugging value set in the system.windows.forms section. The application must also be compiled with debugging enabled.

For example:

When JIT debugging is enabled, any unhandled exception will be sent to the JIT debugger registered on the computer rather than be handled by this dialog box.

User-inserted image

United Kingdom
#5  

HI DJ

Same here , not working any more.

Steve_C.

Spain
#6  

Great job DJ, an update every day, is incredible! I have not tried it yet but I'm sure the latest version soon to fix it, as always. Also, with so much work I think it's normal that something is not working, is purely statistical, what matters is the end result.:)

PRO
Synthiam
#8  

Sometimes you need to reboot your computer when strange things happen

PRO
Synthiam
#9  

Actually I take that back. It looks as if the upload to the server was corrupt lol. Strange that it still installs! Anyway, I uploaded the file again and this time it's good to go:)

Redownload ARC and install. If you have already installed this version, you may receive an error that it is the same version during install. So you may need to use Programs and Features in the Control Panel to remove the software first:)

United Kingdom
#10  

HI DJ

Loads an runs fine now , but there is a prob with the shortcut maker now.

Steve_C.

United Kingdom
#12  

Thx DJ.

First time i try'd to use it .

Steve_C.

Saudi Arabia
#14  

Thanks DJ for the updates , but I didn't feel much improvement in face tracking, is there any fine tuning that should be done before? confused

PRO
Synthiam
#15  

No additional settings necessary. It's absolutely fabulous! I impressed myself for a change. Im sure it'll work great if you use better lighting conditions:)

Canada
#16  

I can see vast improvement... and I have lousy lighting here. I love the new features! Thanks DJ!

I did notice a minor glitch after checking then un-checking the "Hide Settings". I'll toss that in the Bug forum.

PRO
Synthiam
#17  

Don't bother posting. It had been noticed by us and fixed already for next release.

Canada
#18  

Aww... and I had pretty pictures and everything :D

Canada
#19  

Awesome... DJ have you thought about a visual studio publish point and enabling the application to check for updates on start feature? This would allow updates to be pulled and installed at runtime.

Thanks for the updates !

PRO
Synthiam
#20  

@Tklass, thanks dude. It already does the check. You must have accidently closed it. Look under the Help men item and select "Check for latest update". And you can modify the checkbox so it checks each time you load ARC.

#21  

The camera gets more slow:(. Also I cant find the button to change the Camera Resolution .

PRO
Synthiam
#22  

@kurt the camera is much faster and smoother. The CPU usage is the same but with more features and high resolution video - also you can view realtime high resolution video at the highest framerate your video hardware supports:)

camera resolution is the highest your video hardware supports automatically now:)

#23  

Thats weird, because when I pass the camera through it it takes like 2 seconds to show on the computer, maybe is because I have like 42 open internet windows.

PRO
Synthiam
#24  

Haha, that might be it:)

Check your taskmanager and look at the cpu usage - what does it say for ARC with the camera running. Keep in mind, the more tracking types you have selected the more cpu usage will be required. With the number of things ARC does, you do need a reasonably new computer. I do many demos on a AMD C-50 with Windows 7 Home Edition and 4 GB of ram - I feel that is the slowest processor anyone would use these days.

This latest video processer uses the hardware accelerator on your graphics card also. But that is only available in Windows 7... So if you're XP, that will be an issue.

#25  

Thanks, Im using an Asus, with the Core I5 and 6 GB of ram with Windows 7

Canada
#26  

@Kurt You are probably not running into processing power issues... but Windows can have a million and one glitches that will surface on one particular program or other... usually the one you want to work on the most:) Check for up to date camera drivers. You could also try uninstalling ARC and doing a clean install. Perhaps even test multiple cameras to see if it is the camera or specific driver issue. And also you can try to create a 2nd user profile and quickly test in that... if the issue is resolved then minor profile corruption is usually the cause.

One of my computers that I have used for ARC is an ASUS Aspire One with an Intel Atom N270 @ 1.6GHz and 1GB RAM. It was running XP, but because I wanted all the features of ARC, I shoe-horned in Windows 7 Home Prem on it's 8GB SSD, with a whole 387MB left over:) Thankfully I have SD cards for data storage.

However even with its limitations I have had no issues running my robot creations with video tracking (usually colour) & voice recognition (assuming I remember the commands I programmed:)). The built in camera is relativity low quality, so I did a face recognition test with an older build (one from all of two of three days ago:P) and then with this build. I can see an amazing improvement in this new build with camera quality, speed and face recognition... as in it now recognizes my face without me needing to get into kissing range of the cam:D

#27  

OK, I will test that, thanks

Canada
#28  

Hi DJ,

i meant the visual studio deployment approach, i was not referring to the update check within the app.

I can see why you probably implemented it this way because people have the option to update or not since they effectively download the update vs the visual studio but updating it just before runtime.

thanks

Just thought i would throw it out there:)

PRO
Synthiam
#29  

Oh I see. I've never been fond of the visual studio publish and update:) I think the current way is more personalized:D

#30  

Oh this is an awesome release, I need to make time to finish my Wall-E build:). Never too happy with face tracking, now i get a chance to try again....thanks man!

United Kingdom
#31  

HI Louis

Its excellent now , I can't say how much it's improved . go for it , It rocks

Steve_C.