Which humanoid robot should I buy?

[IngChris]

Hello, I´m very interested in humanoid robots and I want to buy a humanoid robot.
All the videos on youtube are very fine.
It looks very easy, but I think it isn´t easy to get the same success after assembling a robot.

At first I read something about Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0, then about the RoboNova 1 and now about the Kondo KHR-3HV.
Kondo KHR-3HV looks very fine, but EUR 1299.- is a lot of money! It would be my first robot! Is it a problem to assemble this robot. Is there any documentation in English, or only in Japanese? Are there existing some software download examples to have some success after assembling this robot? I downloaded the Heart To Heart Software from 2006 - this is really used to program the KHR-3HV, or does there exist a newer version of this software.
Is there included an IR-RemoteControl or an 2,4 GHz RC -Set or a battery?

Which robot should I buy?

Thank you for helping me.
Best regards
IngChris

[RobotServicesGroup]

Picking the right robot depends on lots of factors:
What do you want to do with it? Can you follow instructions to build something complex? Do you have experience with computer programming? How much are you willing to spend?

Check out our website for details on the KHR-3HV and comparisons to other robots.

http://www.robotservicesgroup.com/DetailsKHR3HV.html

You can also take our survey to help determine which robot is right for you, and it's free.

http://www.robotservicesgroup.com/Survey.html

[chrisvo]

The KHR-3HV is a pretty advanced kit. It has robust servos (serial, all metal gear, quad gearpost design), at reasonable price.

Assembly and programming is certainly not as easy as RoboNova and Mindstorms. There exists English assembly instructions (ask RoboSavvy if you buy from there). However, almost everything else is in Japanese. To help other users in this forum I have posted an English language patch for Heart2Heart4 version 1.2.2 here (you can see screenshots there too): http://robosavvy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5931

Basically, if you have had experience with humanoid robot kits before, you probably won't have a problem. If not, there will be a lot to learn =)

There is a RF handheld controller available - the KRC-3AD. It has both analog stick and 8-way directional pad. You may need the KRI-3 interface for KHR-3HV support. It does not come with the kit. You will only be able to control it through the PC interface included.

There is an entire suite of sample motions that comes with the Heart2Heart4 software, doing some simple things like walking, turning, but also some more novelty things like push-ups, wave, dance. The sample motions will work perfectly so long as you have followed the assembly instructions 100%, you have mounted the servos 100% correct, and you have set the trim (servo zero position) exactly as specified in the manual.

It comes with an 800 mAh NIMH battery, but any 10-12V battery will work. I personally use 11.1V 2200 mAh Li-Ion battery myself.

Finally, if you want to write your own control software, I have written a C library that you can try to connect to the robot and control from your PC using your own software. There are bindings for other languages as well such as Python and Java, and some example for connecting a Nintendo WiiMote too. http://bitbucket.org/vo/libkondo4