I don’t mean to try and rush lynx, But i’m just wondering whats the situation at the moment on old johnny?, last time I checked quite awhile back it seemed near release, but I havent heard anything since?, I saw the new Brat, and wow , something I can actually afford . But I was really looking for Johnny because, in my all carpet house, it has the servos, the humanoid qualities, but then it has wheels for easy mobility, it seems like the right thing for me, and I can wait to buy it
Yeah its a great combination, I want a robot that I can mod and everything but still have it roam my house and annoy people, Bipeds seem more like something to use on a desk or another flat top. This will be great to roam!.
Hint:
Guys, you could always (dare I say it?) make your own Johnny 5.
The parts are all there, they just haven’t been placed into a nice kit for convenience’s sake.
Besides, you can make it even “better” than Jim’s original design by using the new sprockets and tracks.
Food for thought:
Get your custom-made Johnny 5 to climb stairs!
With two hands, grippers, grippy tracks, and a waist-bend, that’s just got to be possible.
Just think of all the possibilities which either a rover or a biped alone wouldn’t be able to do!
If you keep the rover base lightweight, I’m sure most of these are possible:
Rovers:
Can’t climb ropes!
Can’t pick up things.
Can’t pinch your family members’ ankles.
Can’t grasp a beer bottle.
Can’t climb stairs!
Can’t grip weapons…
Can’t draw on the walls with a permanent marker while speeding down the hallway.
Bipeds:
Can’t speed around quickly.
Can’t walk on rough terrain.
Can’t get you your beer while it’s still cold.
Can’t use encoders to accurately dead-reckon position.
Can’t carry oversized/overweight sensors and electronics.
Can’t carry useful payloads.
Can’t balance well under varying conditions without complicated sensor feedback.
Can’t use huge servos because the batteries to power them would be too large.
You can’t make an exact Johnny 5. Jim says it uses the new Rover which isn’t out yet if I understand correctly. But yea, you can make your own pretty much.
Haha yeah, I’m not totally useless, I could build one myself, its more the 2wd rover I’m bothered about, if that was released alone i’d build the rest myself, I just need the rover as i havent seen it released or anything too similar.
You can get a 4wd1 or any other one of the 4wd rovers and make the front addon yourself. All you need is a bit of lexan or aluminum sticking out on the top and bottom to mount a C bracket inbetween and a low profile axis on the top. in the top piece make a hole to fit a servo and there is your front attachement. Just build the J5 onto that.
The current prototype uses a heavy duty “C” bracket and normal SES stuff for the rotate. It works ok, but not as good as I would like. I am working with my injection molder on a new base rotate that will be a big improvement on the large mass rotation. I.e. arms and stuff… It’s too early to say much, and I don’t have any pictures yet, but it’s going to be really nice. I know it’s taking a long time, but these parts, um, well, they just take a long time to develop. It’s only been a few months though. Please give me a little longer and you will be pleased. I promise.
I fully understand; new product development takes time. I’m in no hurry personally. Take all the time you need to bring us another killer product!
I like the idea of custom injected molded parts, especially for specialty applications. SES parts are great, but I also understand there are going to be times where custom components are necessary to get special jobs done for unique situations.
, something I can actually afford 
. But I was really looking for Johnny because, in my all carpet house, it has the servos, the humanoid qualities, but then it has wheels for easy mobility, it seems like the right thing for me, and I can wait to buy it 
, I kid.
well here goes.