Yes the plans are to do text to speech and Voice commands. My original idea was to use this https://www.robotshop.com/en/grove-speech-recognition-module.html but after talking to CBenson I found out that it only allows certain commands and you can not change what thos commands are. So he suggested using Bluetooth and a Android phone and I found this https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=robotspace.simplelabs.amr_voice&hl=en which I think will work. For the text to speech I plan on using pre-canned words and using the SD card reader and some WAV files. I have this https://www.robotshop.com/en/speech-synthesis-shield-arduino.html that I am currently using on another bot but it is only designed for the Arduino Uno and I will be using a Nano with a Sensor board so it is out of the question. I messed around with the SD card reader and WAV files and it seems to be a pretty good solution that is small in size. The other option I am working on is it returning to the charging station every so often. My first thought is to use a GPS module, have not tested that idea out yet. How is Ava coming along have you added anything new?
Thanks for asking about Ava…right now I am in a planning stage. I have servers running on AWS that are costing me $300 a month for another project I am working on. Because I already have them, I am tempted to use them for some additional robotics projects. I am thinking about two new major initiatives for the next few years:
1. Put a new brain on AWS that would be accessible through API and website…build a new reusable Android app to go with it that would also be able to communicate with bot through BT. This brain would always be up unlike my old one that was not on AWS. This brain would also be configurable to support the hardware specs/commands of different bots. I might be able to make the Android app download a lot of data and run the most frequently used functions locally…this would increase the complexity a lot though.
2. Design a new larger bot that would be a 50% scale up of Ava’s tracks and body…but with smaller Maxbotix sonars and other sensors / actuators. At the same time, I would get Ava working again with new abrain/app, so I can concurrently work on software for Ava and hardware/3D parts for as yet unnamed new bot. Still trying to decide on colors too.
I experimented recently with the Uno Wifi. It was pretty easy to get/set pins or send strings/data via the URL of little web server it runs. Seems like it might be cool to have a Walle with Wifi and a web server…a custom droid app or PC could control it by calling the onboard web server directly with http or even simpler…a browser.
You could probably ditch the sensor shield (to save space) and the RTC. You can get milliseconds elapsed pretty easy on Uno. The sensor shield (I used to use them) can be replaced by a little power bar for +/- with signal coming off the Uno. You just need to make a little 3 in female 3/ split to one signal and 2 male cable with pololu stuff. There might be room to sneak in a camera/mic/or some other sensor and display it all on web server. A compass would be cool but in that small space it could be difficult to get it far enough away from the rest of the metal to work.
I am so wanting to buy one of these and try to follow along with what you are doing.
I have this OS idea I am working on and I want to prove it out on something a lot less complex than my current bots. I think a Walle bot like this with Uno wifi could prove it out in a low cost implementation…and be fun. If its anything you would want to work together on, I’d be game.
Martin, yes I am interested in what you are wanting to do. I will send you a PM so we can discuss the details. Look forward to hearing from you. Check your hotmail for Jointproject invite.
Your two projects look like they could have come from the same “universe” (or perhaps the same company). If you change the aesthetics a bit more to match that of the Wall-E universe and put them side by side, they could be “brothers”
You know that is actually a very creative idea you have there. I could puts some aging on the Radar bot and add some yellow to it and they would be brothers in Cyber… Thank you for the idea.
It’s hard to find anyone who didn’t like Wall-E, so seeing others expand on the universe with additional robots (which have their own personalities and back-stories) seems like it would be really popular. Making a video of the two interacting with each other might be really popular. Shoot it on a green screen and superimpose a garbage dump background
Wow, really crammed the smarts inside there. I like the rechargable 9volt - I hate throwing them away here because they aren’t recycled… I would just like to see Wally moving twice as fast, those 60rpm servos just don’t do it for me. When I think of Wally I see him making tracks to save Eve. Also will be interested in the voice.
Space is a real issue working with Wall-E. The next issue is taking it apart to get inside to add more. My original plan was to to the SD card and use WAV files for the sounds. The servos I already from a previous bot that I built so it was a easy solution and I actually prefer using the servos. I recently purchased a gyro and plan on using the ROLL to keep the angle down when wall-e goes up hill. I also plan on changing out the ultrasonic sensor for a Sharp IR sensor, this should provide better detection and navigation.
