How does Bioloid's Humanoid configuration compare?

[tom_chang79]

How does Bioloid's humanoid compare against Kondo's in terms of performance (mechanical), ease of use, functionality, and most important support (parts support/replacement)?

[srobot]

The Robot Services Group has nice comparisons.

http://robotservicesgroup.com/index.html

[AlphA]

Yes, robotservicesgroup.com has some really good information.

I'd like to hear more on this. I have read the specs on every bot I have come across and can gather that Bioloid is slower than most, yet more powerful. Perhaps someone owning multiple bots (one of which being a Bioloid) can elaborate on their personal experiences.
How does Bioloid's balance stack up against the others?
Can he fight (I have yet to see a video of Bioloid duking it out)?
Is the Motion Editor and Behavioral Control Programmer any better/worse than the other software out there?
Would Bioloid make a good sparring partner against other fighters (KHR, Robonova, RBT-1, Etc.)?
...?
Information like this will be tremendously helpful for people (like me) who are trying to figure out what bot is right for them.

[Pev]

Let me see if I can help a little bit. Firstly I have no experience of the Kondo products so can't say a lot about them. As for the Hitec and Robotis products these are me thoughts:

1. Firstly I believe they are very different products, the Hitec Robonova 1 is a complete biped robot ready to be hacked, but also ready to run out of the box. The interfacing is more standard with Digital I/O lines, serial comms etc. The controller board is pretty good but there is the issue of the RoboBasic limitations and speed which can be a pain.

2. The Bioloid Kit is more a robotics experimenters kit. The unit will make a Biped but can also be made into whatever you can imagine (Hexapods, quadpods, wheeled robots etc). It comes with some basic but workable sensors (distance, sound etc) and the Robotis philosophy is that robotics is about autonoumous action not remote control. The down sides are that the interface to the controller is a serial interface at halfduplex and so interfacing additional items to the system is more complex but that is being addressed by a number of groups here and I still see the serial bus approach as the way to go. As for software I like the fact the that the CM5 controller holds the motion sequences and they are called by the programs you write but the programing environment leaves a little to be desired. Infact it is very basic both in interface and functionality if you are used to writing in VB or C as it is very graphically based, although you can program the CM-5 in C if you wish. Again having said this I still use the BCP programming tool for nearly all my Bioloid development.

I really like both products but you have to realise that they are very different and fullfil different requriements. As I have been playing around in robots for 10 years I have enough of an interest in both areas (biped, and experimenter) to see value in both approaches.

Conclusion, if you want a pure biped I'd recommend the Hitech RN1 or look to the Kondo, if you want an experimentation and education platform I'd go Robotis.

To answer a couple of the specific questions:

1. I have not had to use Robotis Support for anything other than programming questions (whats the packet format and that kind of stuff.) This was when I had one fo the First Bioloid kits in Europe and as you would expect I got answers but not quick as quick as I would have liked. Having said that I find the general level of support good now and I get all my spares and additions from Robosavvy.

2. Running time wise I get around 20 to 30 with my Bioloid depending on what I am doing (heavy movement testing drops this dramatically but the CM-5 can be run from the mains power supply when programming etc). On my RoboNova I also get between 20 and 30 minutes and have invested in a second battery to extend the time. The Robonova cannot be run from its charger when programming (Hitec state this will cause issues and damage the controller board)

3. Would I go into combat with my Bioloid, hmmmmmm probably not, although I am considering using Robotis DX servos to build a fighter bot.

4. On the Mechanical Performance compared to a Kondo its har dfor me to comment, however I have seen a Kondo Bot do a really good forward flip and I have never seen a Bioloid or RN-1 do one. Draw your own conclusions.

As I said they are very different robots but I honestly believe they both have a place. I am not particularly drawn to competition events so tend to find myself using the bioloid more, although I still use both a lot.

Hope this helps

Pev

[JavaRN]

Pev,

It helped me too. Even though I am a proud owner of a Robonova I am also considering buying a bioloid to experiment with other bots (not only the humanoid) Thanks, your comment was very interesting.

To tell you the truth I was also considering buying a Johhny 5 kit instead, but I've changed my mind since setting it all up especially the software is a big headache, and the kit itself is expensive.