Wireless Humanoid info requested

[Droid Works]

I was wondering if there is a humanoid platform that I would be able to receive sensor data and run scripts (code) wireless. What I want to do is control the bot wireless and receive sensor input from the bot and transmit code to the bot based on the sensor data.. So I will be able to in a sense use my laptop as the humanoids brain. That way I would have a unlimited amount of space for code and scripts to make it more than autonomous. I know this is possible with a tether but is it possible to do wireless?

[cdraptor]

Most of the humanoids that are currently available can be modified for wireless communication, most of the wireless hacks are around bluetooth and zigbee. I'm more interested in WiFi so I've been working with the gumstix - here I have a video of a gumstix connex with wifistix and robostix (for the Serial headers and others that can be used) and I've connected it to the SSC-32 servo controller from Lynxmotion.

What I love about the gumstix is the crazy small size, the small gumstix/wifisticks/robotstix are 3 gumstix products stacked which you see first in the video. Right now all I have hooked up is serial Tx sent from Gumstix to the SSC-32 controller. The gumstix when it boots up gets an address via DHCP from my router. I can then from my desktop or laptop SSH over to the gumstix and very simply send commands to /dev/ttyS0.

phpBB [media]

I now have the gumstix powered from the SSC-32 running off a 6V NiHm battery - it runs both the servo controller and the gumstix. I have some more experimenting to do, but I've taken a bit of a break on that to work with Speecys. They have a robot just released in Japan on Sept 1st called SPC-101C (aka MIRAI-RT) which is running Speecys OS (NetBSD with robotic controller driver), WiFi, Stereo Speakers, LED (for alphanumeric or like emoticon display) and video camera. It's focused towards developers so I am looking forward to working with one, it's really focused on what your trying to do. They already have code for Video feeding back to the PC where they use OpenCV for Facial Recognition, provide speech recognition on the PC to command the Robot. Check out my YouTube account -

http://www.youtube.com/user/RxDTxDTTL

- Tomoaki had sent me over some videos, they've integrated with Skype so you can see on one video you can call from you phone and control the SPC-101C.

The SPC-101C is a bit more than your typical Humanoid coming in a bit under $3,000. Speecys is working on a new model similar to the SPC-101C features to target the $800 - $1,000 range.

You can compare the SPC-101C to some of the newer robots in development - the NAO from Aldebaran similar type of features, WiFI, Audio/Speech, Video - That doesn't look to be coming to consumer until end of 2008, the pricing I picked up from a video on that translated from EUROs is going to be about $4,500.

You also have RobuDog with Wifi, Sensor, Camera, etc - that is listed on Engadget article for $4,300 or so. Looks to be a trend of some Robots coming out for those that don't want to build everything, but focus on the programming. There are running with a real OS, so no BASIC Stamp/Atom/PIC/AVR - using WiFi so it can be a device off your network - you can use TCP/IP, stream data back to a PC, all the good stuff. So I think the SPC-101C is a damn good deal - it's very fast and responsive because it's using the Futaba servos you find in the RBT-1, which is a very nimble bot - check out my YouTube you can see some RBT-1 action and the SPC-101C (formerly called MIRAI-RT)

Now you can build up just about any of the Robots currently out there to command from PC. If you interested in the Bioloid, I just got a controller board from Jon Hylands (you see him on the board) -

http://www.huvrobotics.com

He's done some work to hook up the gumstix Verdex, which an be a USB host controller, so you can plug it directly into the controller John built and hook your Dynamixels off that. Gumstix is coming out with a WiFi stick for the Verdex gumstix which is faster and provides more memory than the current Connex I am using. I'll be getting that and controlling the Bioloid via WiFi

Pev on the board has hooked up Bluetooth to the Bioloid. You can get from Robotis Zig100 chips, stick one on the CM-5, stick the other on the Zig2Serial.

Check the Robonova - I've seen Bluetooth hacks mostly, haven't followed to see if anyone has WiFi enabled the Robonova.

Anyway I hope some of this helps.

[cdraptor]

Just a follow-up on the SPC-101C it's not coming with IR or Ultrasonic sensors, but if you check out the vids, you'll see the use of the camera with robot vision routines can be utilized to accomplish some of these same things and provide even more sophisticated tracking.

[Droid Works]

The SPC-101C is a bit more than your typical Humanoid coming in a bit under $3,000. Speecys is working on a new model similar to the SPC-101C features to target the $800 - $1,000 range.

That is awsome! I have been keeping an eye on the SPC-101C, but I had no idea they were coming out with a lower priced base model.

I found some useful data in Microsoft robotics studio that would make wifi AI a little easier and faster, because it is a net based app. The only problem is that Microsoft does not have much support for humanoids yet. They have limited support for the original KHR-1 but that is about it so far. If I can establish a wifi data exchange with a humanoid I can use java or xtml to transfer data back and fourth. I have looked at the SSc-32 and the mini atom bot board but the SSC-32 is very large and the mini atom bot board is the right size but very limited. I have not done any research on gumstix yet but it sounds very promising.

I have been trying to decide whether to use a KHR-1HV-2HV or robonova as a base platform. The KHR's agility is superior to the robonova, but the robonova has a superior controller allowing many more sensors. The new SPC-101c would be the perfect bot for this protect but until their US release I will have to use the KRH or robonova. But I am still undecided on KHR or Robonova. There are some videos on my myspace page
http://www.myspace.com/droidworks
that give a brief overview of MRS and a project called hr-2 that is basically what I would like to do but wireless. There aren't that many of us guys working on autonomous mini humanoids so it is always nice to talk to someone who has the same interests. As soon as I decide on a base platform I will keep you updated on my progress and I look forward to seeing your progress.

[cdraptor]

I will keep you up to date on the SPC-101C, I should be getting one soon to start working on application development and help create some english based sample applications and such.

In regards to your Robonova & Kondo. I had planned on getting a robonova initially because of the exceptional community and the people hacking the robonova was excellent - Matt Bauer being a big inspiration with the tweaks he was doing (Grippers, extra knee, etc).

On the sensor side before you rule out the Kondo bots (I am not as familiar with those) - I saw this just recently on robots-dreams -> http://www.robots-dreams.com/2007/08/more-senses-for.html

This seems like a very exciting development for the Kondo based bots.

[Droid Works]

I think I may have found a soulution to the AI problem I don't want to give it away over the forums, but I will send the idea to your private email. Its kind of funny its one of those things where when I tell you your going to say omg why didnt I think of that. It was staring me in the face the whole time and I didn't even know it...lol

[Droid Works]

Based on my new idea I am now leaning heavily twords the KHR-1HV. It is the most agile of all the humanoids and its lack of sensor input is no longer an issue once I implement the new theory I told you about.

[zaboomafuu]

im at work and havent been able to read your whole posts this far . this is the one I have been looking at http://www.lantronix.com/device-networking/embedded-device-servers/wiport.html I found this through the lynxmotion site they were running a brat with it.

[Droid Works]

I was looking at this http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28180 its very cheap and could moded very easily. This seems like it would work for analog sensor data. This package and a proto board and I think I could get some progress made. My only problem now is I keep going to the trossen site and I cant make a decision between the KHR-1HV and 2HV starter kit....lol The 1hv is way better but man it is so hard to pass up a bargain like the starter kit...lol

[limor]

Droid Works,

first of all, for decent low latency and 115kbps throughput check out BlueSmirf ( also sold here at http://RoboSavvy.com/store ). You can find extensive documentation here on the forum about hooking up the Bluesmirf to Bioloid and to Robonova.
(for the Bioloid there's the Zig100 module that comes as a formal Robotis solution and for Robonova there is a formal Hitec bluetooth solution -- see http://RoboSavvy/store).


I've noticed you don't particularly love searching and reading through past forum posts but anyway have a look at this Robonova knowledgebase where you will find lots of pointers to wireless interfaces to Robonova including delegating sensory info to remote PC: http://robosavvy.com/site/index.php?opt ... nova-i_faq


Secondly, there are roughly 2 levels of "AI":
1) video game type AI such as strategy, path planning, path finding, localization, object recognition etc.
2) closed-loop feedback control - motion planning, sensory prediction, stability of motion through uneven and unpredictable terrain

For type 1, sometimes the on-board microcontroler can do an ok job. otherwise a bluetooth/Zigbee solution is ok.
Type 2 requires sensory feedback (inc. servo feedback) and motor control at low latency and high frame rate. so on-board Gumstix or other ARM9 should be used. Wi-Fi Remote closed-loop-control via lantronix Wiport or Gumstix has been discussed here before and should be a pretty cool solution. I dont think anyone has actually done it around with it.

The closest I've come to was connecting a PC to a Bioloid via the serial port and getting a closed loop control using Matlab Simulink RTWT.
(see Bioloid knowledgebase : http://robosavvy.com/site/index.php?opt ... is_bioloid )

[JonHylands]

Type 2 requires sensory feedback (inc. servo feedback) and motor control at low latency and high frame rate. so on-board Gumstix or other ARM9 should be used. Wi-Fi Remote closed-loop-control via lantronix Wiport or Gumstix has been discussed here before and should be a pretty cool solution. I dont think anyone has actually done it around with it.

BrainBot has this capability, although it hasn't been used much. We have a wifi interface through a gumstix directly to the Bioloid bus at full speed.

- Jon

[Droid Works]

cdraptor and I have just about solved the problem and are both working on separate prototypes and sharing information to help each other advance this project.I cant speak for cdraptor but I am hopping to debut it at the 2008 games. I cant really say much about it other than I will be posting some videos on you tube when the prototype is completed.