Society of Robots - Robot Forum

Mechanics and Construction => Mechanics and Construction => Topic started by: airman00 on June 08, 2008, 04:16:49 PM

Title: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on June 08, 2008, 04:16:49 PM: I am going to redo Chives , my butler robot and I am actually going to document it

I'm gonna take him apart and build him up in a new design.

The old chives looked like this
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj202/erobot/Chives%20Original/DSC01588.jpg)

It boasted voice commands, remote web control , web cam used in image processing , arm to pour a drink ( not pictured since its already taken apart for the new design), and manual drive with a joystick. Oh yeah , and a minifridge that kept drinks cool . :)

The new Chives will be 100 times better . I'm planning for HUGE advancements, I'm talking about more sonar sensors, three microphones to track direction of sound, better robotic arm for pouring , cooler design, and anything else that you guys suggest that is feasible. all of this in addition to the old features.

Here is the basic design for Chives :
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj202/erobot/Chives%20Reloaded/chives_new.jpg)

It will follow that design , and that after I have that basic design all finished I will attach my robot arm , some sensors, etc. So when its done it will resemble that CAD .

So far I've finished improving the chassis , making it more secure. Now I'm waiting for some pieces of wood and plexiglas to close up the batteries and relay system ( which I made). Hopefully I'll be done by the end of the week with the chassis.
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj202/erobot/Chives%20Reloaded/Chassis/DSC01603.jpg)
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj202/erobot/Chives%20Reloaded/Chassis/DSC01601.jpg)

The album is located here
http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj202/erobot/Chives%20Reloaded/Chassis/

This will be the official forum thread for improvements to Chives, I'm abandoning any other thread that dealt with this.
My intention is to enter Chives in the instructables robot contest , but I am not sure if I have enough time since I only finish exams a week before the deadline. :-\

Written documentation will be posted next week or the week after.

Feedback is appreciated.

,Eric
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: Parth on June 08, 2008, 05:42:05 PM: SWEET! That looks awesome, and the second a documentation goes up, im reading it! One attachment I'd recommend (though it might be too expensive) is to hook up a camera by your front door and whenever someone rings the doorbell, it tells a TV screen on Chives to show you who's at the door through the camera. This might be complicated, but just trying to give you some ideas! :) Good luck
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: jman571 on June 08, 2008, 06:40:15 PM: Since I know not an inkling about how to make a robot of this caliber all I can say is:

This is like super crazy ambitious! Is any of the software done yet? Woweee. All I can say is how long do you have to work on this??? The whole summer I hope :D
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on June 10, 2008, 02:10:32 PM: Quote from: jman571 on June 08, 2008, 06:40:15 PM
Since I know not an inkling about how to make a robot of this caliber all I can say is:

This is like super crazy ambitious! Is any of the software done yet? Woweee. All I can say is how long do you have to work on this??? The whole summer I hope :D

I already had the thing working and I'm just improving it. Theres a video on Youtube about it titled Chives butler robot or something like that. The video shows the voice commands in action. I have two weeks to make all the improvements , but I have all the parts already at home and I did this before. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it in that time spans

Details about the old butler robot on erobots.blogspot.com
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: pomprocker on June 12, 2008, 11:18:42 AM: I want a chives!

just a thought, maybe you could make it so that anyone could place whatever old laptop they have on it to power it?
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: Parth on June 12, 2008, 12:01:23 PM: Came up with another idea! Lol... Well, maybe you could put some sort of calender on it. For instance, let's say it's someone's birthday. Chives could remind you by saying, "It's so-and-so's birthday today" or something like that. Just trying to come up with some thoughts!
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: pomprocker on June 12, 2008, 12:09:22 PM: Quote from: Parth on June 12, 2008, 12:01:23 PM
Came up with another idea! Lol... Well, maybe you could put some sort of calender on it. For instance, let's say it's someone's birthday. Chives could remind you by saying, "It's so-and-so's birthday today" or something like that. Just trying to come up with some thoughts!

home automation software works like that....

maybe you can make chives interact with home automation software.......misterhouse.org
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on June 12, 2008, 03:41:37 PM: nice ideas guys!

home automation is the next step!
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: pomprocker on June 12, 2008, 03:48:46 PM: sorry bad URL

http://misterhouse.sourceforge.net/ (http://misterhouse.sourceforge.net/)
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on June 12, 2008, 04:25:22 PM: god dam it, is everything I think of already out there?
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on June 12, 2008, 05:08:52 PM: guys I need your help

http://www.societyofrobots.com/member_tutorials/node/141

Have a look at that please , tell me if thats detailed enough on how to build the chassis.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: Trumpkin on June 12, 2008, 08:26:39 PM: looks good to me!
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: pomprocker on June 13, 2008, 09:46:43 AM: looks good to me!

i'm not too excited about using wood on a robot though. :P
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: Trumpkin on June 13, 2008, 11:36:34 AM: Quote
i'm not too excited about using wood on a robot though.
Why? I guess you could always use HDPE instead of wood.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on June 13, 2008, 11:54:16 AM: Quote from: pomprocker on June 13, 2008, 09:46:43 AM
looks good to me!

i'm not too excited about using wood on a robot though. :P
why?

I'm painting it silver anyways , if its about looks.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: pomprocker on June 13, 2008, 03:38:46 PM: When I think of a robot I don't think of a wooden robot for some reason, I picture metal and gears, and nuts and bolts.

I dunno, I like to think of a robot as a machine being.

If wood it used it seems a little too "organic" to be a robot.

Also I like to think robots we make would last a long time. I think of wood as being not as sturdy.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on June 13, 2008, 03:58:46 PM: you seem to have a bad experience with wood for some reason .
I think you are terribly mistaken , wood is very sturdy and lasts very long. Think whats holding up the very house / apartment you're in!

I just painted it , it looks very silvery.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: jman571 on June 13, 2008, 11:16:50 PM: If anything plastics is NOT the way to go here in my opinion. Although lighter than wood, to get equivalent strength you'd need a thick cut, possibly 1" or more with plexiglass. Just going from my experience with my RC robot in class the last week or so and its plexiglass chassis it's that this stuff has a high resilience, but when it scratches, and even when you get a small crack, WATCH OUT. This stuff harbors tension like a dirty politician. It's good for a while but out of nowhere...boom. Suffice to say, my bottom plate cracked right in half, if it wasn't for plastic cement I'd be done ;D For something like Chives I'd have prob. gone with sheet aluminum, but it's definitely a lot harder to work with than wood if you don't have the proper equipment for it.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: Gertlex on June 14, 2008, 11:15:55 AM: Well plexiglass generally means cheap clear plastic to me. Get true polycarbonate if you want durability. Still, not super durable. Just being a detail freak :)
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on June 14, 2008, 07:19:31 PM: thats really weird

i havent had any trouble with plexiglas , I even made a rotating platform for me to stand on with i think 1.5" plexiglass as the base and there was no crackigng. i guess its all about weight distribution
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: Trumpkin on June 17, 2008, 03:26:00 PM: Is there such a thing as a wireless phidgets interface board? so I can use a desktop instead of a laptop??
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on June 17, 2008, 05:14:01 PM: Quote from: Trumpkin on June 17, 2008, 03:26:00 PM
Is there such a thing as a wireless phidgets interface board? so I can use a desktop instead of a laptop??

sadly no

but you have two ways to get around this:
a) This is the easiest way, just get a Belkin wireless USB adapter ( wireless USB up to 30 ft away)
b) make your own phidgets using wifi or bluetooth and your microcontroller board of choice

I can help you out with either method, but please make a new topic if you want to go into this, it will be a lengthy discussion
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: Trumpkin on June 18, 2008, 02:58:32 PM: ok, maybe later, I have some other projects that I need to get done.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on June 23, 2008, 03:56:58 PM: I made a to-scale , perfectly accurate CAD of chives and I think I'll put more CAD images of the steps than real images of the assembly process.

What do you guys think of a mostly CAD pictures of each assembly step, considering that the CAD images are clearer and perfectly to scale?
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: pomprocker on June 24, 2008, 09:50:22 AM: You use google sketchup right?

I wish I was better at that planning process.

It would be nice to have a virtual existence of my robot for planning purposes.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on June 24, 2008, 11:46:55 AM: yep sketchup
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: HDL_CinC_Dragon on June 24, 2008, 04:34:05 PM: Needs more cowbell and a flux capacitor

But seriously, great work :)
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on June 27, 2008, 08:25:47 AM: An update:
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj202/erobot/Chives%20Reloaded/Robot%20Arms/DSC01778-1.jpg?t=1214576539)

Thats kinda bad picture b/c the flash from the camera reflected off the head .

Here is a pic of the head
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj202/erobot/Chives%20Reloaded/Robot%20Head/DSC01762.jpg)

And check out the tutorial page , I wrote a lot .

Please vote for me in the instructables contest also!!! I'll post a link to that hopefully tomorrow since I am just making the deadline . Just barely making it. Thank you . I worked hard to document it in a way that anyone can build it .
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: Admin on June 27, 2008, 01:37:17 PM: Whoa nice tutorial! Nice pics!

Let me know when you have it "finished", as I want to feature it on the front SoR page ;D
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on June 27, 2008, 03:01:12 PM: thx admin

I'm cutting it really really close to the deadline for the instructables contest

What I have left to do:
Wire the Arm Motors
Wire a Pouring Servo
Color Tracking
Finish the new Voice Recognition Software

and document it all!
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: Oscillation on June 28, 2008, 03:08:49 AM: I probably sound really stupid... where are you documenting (link) it or haven't you started yet?
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: pomprocker on June 28, 2008, 10:19:11 AM: http://www.societyofrobots.com/member_tutorials/node/140 (http://www.societyofrobots.com/member_tutorials/node/140)
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on June 28, 2008, 09:37:05 PM: DUDES I AM SOO HAPPY!!!

The instructables contest got extended until July 13. Do you guys know what this means???? Chives will be completely done with image processing and sonar finished and added on. It was supposed to end in another 3 hours and I was working my butt off for the past 4 hours and the last few nights. I'll post videos tomorrow but I will give you guys a glimpse of Chives with the gripper and drink pourer.
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj202/erobot/Chives%20Reloaded/Robot%20Arms/DSC01801.jpg)
Remember to vote for me in the Instructables contest ,I'll post up a link when I publish the tutorial. Thanks.

Right now he can pour a drink , open a drink, close gripper --- but only from a manual control of laptop , not yet voice command.
By voice command he can only tell time ,tell weather, tell temperature , have somewhat of a conversation , and move forward, right,left, backward.

If anyone else has any requests for what he should do , speak up I got two extra weeks to work on it.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: pomprocker on June 29, 2008, 05:56:18 PM: Setup misterhouse to control it

http://w3.misterhouse.net:81/public/robot/ (http://w3.misterhouse.net:81/public/robot/)
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on June 29, 2008, 06:03:51 PM: Quote from: pomprocker on June 29, 2008, 05:56:18 PM
Setup misterhouse to control it

http://w3.misterhouse.net:81/public/robot/ (http://w3.misterhouse.net:81/public/robot/)

sadly I don't have the hardware to do that right now . However , in a few months I plan to automate my house, so be prepared for a forum thread on that! ;D
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: pomprocker on June 29, 2008, 10:44:41 PM: let me know if you need any help with that
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on July 02, 2008, 09:42:12 AM: http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Butler-Robot/

Check it out!!!!

PLEASE VOTE FOR ME IN THE INSTRUCTABLES CONTEST!!!!!
I worked extremely hard to make a tutorial that anyone can follow . I put a ton of pictures and a lot of steps , so YOU TOO can build your own butler robot!

I will post the code and videos this weekend . The bill of materials will be posted up later today.

The contest deadline is July 13 , so if anybody has anything they want to say about my robot , say it now!

Thanks!

PLEASE VOTE FOR ME!!!!!
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: Trumpkin on July 03, 2008, 09:34:02 AM: I voted for you! ;D
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on July 03, 2008, 09:38:19 AM: Quote from: Trumpkin on July 03, 2008, 09:34:02 AM
I voted for you! ;D

woot woot!! Thank You!

Also, I just wrote a Module in VB6 that lets Chives speak with one command
e.g. Speak "Hello_Everybody"

This allows me to add new commands in minutes. If anybody has any ideas what he should say , post it up.

He can now tell you the time, weather conditions, and temperature. Also he will say Good Morning (or afternoon or night depending on the time). And also there are just the commands like pour a drink, go forward 1 unit, etc.

What should he say?
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: pomprocker on July 03, 2008, 09:54:41 AM: He should know his own battery levels and say when hes running low. unless he can self-dock!
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on July 03, 2008, 09:59:20 AM: Quote from: pomprocker on July 03, 2008, 09:54:41 AM
He should know his own battery levels and say when hes running low. unless he can self-dock!

Thats a good idea, I'll try to do that battery level speech , thanks pomprocker! .

The self-docking is doable( i've done it small scale) But I am scared to self-dock on Chives, since Chives charges with a lot of amperage ( like 10Amps to charge ) plus his batteries are 20ah each. So until I develop a system which is very safe and has a safety factor of like 100, then I'll scale up and have him self charge.

Thanks for the feedback so far, keep it coming.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: HDL_CinC_Dragon on July 03, 2008, 04:58:46 PM: @ go for 1 unit
I think it would be beneficial to have him understand units of measure. so instead of "1 unit", say "1 foot" or "1 foot and 3 inches" or "15 inches" or whatever. That way its a simple matter of wheel rotation count times the circumference of the wheel. Maybe even have some fun with it and say move forward 3 rotations :P
Just my thoughts on that

-Dragon
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on July 03, 2008, 05:31:08 PM: thanks dragon for the feedback

the only problem with that is that I didn't put any encoders, its entirely timer based and therefore varies.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: silent069 on July 03, 2008, 06:02:55 PM: voted for ya as well!, Good Luck!
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on July 03, 2008, 06:08:17 PM: Quote from: silent069 on July 03, 2008, 06:02:55 PM
voted for ya as well!, Good Luck!

much appreciated

:)
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on July 04, 2008, 07:03:52 AM: woot woot!!!

My tutorial for Chives was featured on instructables.com
My tutorial is on the homepage !!!

Check it out , and if you didn't vote for me yet , please do!!!
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on July 04, 2008, 10:01:44 AM: HOLY COW PEOPLES!!!!
CHIVES CAN NOW CALL CONTACTS OVER THE INTERNET!!!!

Its awesome!, free calling , and all by voice command.

e.g. "call Dad"
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: pomprocker on July 04, 2008, 12:01:21 PM: voted
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on July 04, 2008, 02:43:02 PM: i'm going away this weekend so videos and code will have to wait until sunday nite
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: garriwilson on July 04, 2008, 08:13:08 PM: WOW man that is awesome!!
I definitely voted for you. BTW I saw admin's tutorial too so I voted for it too :P

Nice work! I can't believe you took the time to do this for free.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on July 05, 2008, 07:40:01 PM: thanks everyone

I'll be back home tomorrow and upload some more stuff
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on July 07, 2008, 10:48:24 AM: thanks for all the votes so far

sadly I wont be able to perfect the code to make internet calls from Chives, but that will come out in a week or two.

By the way, I just realized that many people may have rated chives but not voted

To vote go to this link
http://www.instructables.com/contest/robotcontest/?show=ENTRIES&sort=USERVOTES

Then scroll down to find my entry for the contest , its titled Build Your Own Butler Robot .
Now click the Vote button which is under that entry.

Click vote and now if you want to read the tutorial just click the picture of the butler robot.

Thanks you all!
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on July 08, 2008, 09:29:24 AM: I uploaded the software and some extra steps in the tutorial explaining all my functions and subroutines.

Check it out
http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Butler-Robot/

PLEASE VOTE FOR MY ROBOT IN THE INSTRUCTABLES CONTEST!!!!
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on July 09, 2008, 09:41:33 PM: I'm editing the video now

OK so the video has all of Chives features except him driving forward and stuff ( didnt have enough room to record that , so I'll record it on another SD card tomorrow)

Its really cool , it has him pouring drinks , talking , turning left ( then the video got full right afterwards)

I'll post the link tomorrow afternoon once its up on google.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: Cotowar on July 10, 2008, 12:16:31 AM: You want complete home automation? I'd try for Linux MCE. They incorporated some home automation software into it, so you can control the lights, blinds, TV, and everything else at the touch of a button. You can do it from a cell phone, or from Chives! Id suggest making him look really slick with some brushed aluminum skin and a touchscreen LCD in his chest. LOL...that would be so awesome having a robot that controlled your house talking to you with a TV right there for you to watch...lol.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on July 14, 2008, 02:54:52 PM: UPDATE: Everything is done

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Butler-Robot/

Please vote for me !!!!
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: garriwilson on July 15, 2008, 01:31:49 PM: How do you view who has how many votes?
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: vidam on July 24, 2008, 07:02:51 PM: Chives is a great concept robot, Airman, especially for the disabled.

You see my poor Grandma and Grandpa could have used Chives. Tear jerker story coming...

They are both passed now. My bedridden Grandpa for 7-14 years after he had a stroke and lost all function of his legs, left side of his body and arms. Your Chives is a great concept for people in this state.

I hope you make it do all these great things you mentioned.

I voted for you!

Hope you win first place.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: WolfFire on August 16, 2008, 11:21:24 AM: OMG, I just thought of something. You should somehow have Chives catalog things in your house. Then, you can like have him tell you where the stuff is. Just a thought, but that'd be sweet.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: Iron Man on August 16, 2008, 11:41:41 PM: extension of wolffire

then send him to the groccery store to replenish supplies!

you could turn him into like a solar cow so that he goes and "sun grazes" while your not home to like trickle charge.

if you wanted him to keep track of certain objects you could use RFID tags.
But RFID tags have a bad rep.

You could put either an encoder on your toliet paper, or have a limit switch that presses up against the roll and then when you run out he could switch it.

You could add a mixed drink function.

Last upgrade idea.
Have him recognize the difference between men and women, and have it make fun of you while women are around and flatter them.
you know like, excuse me miss but your dress is just exquesite or something like that.
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: airman00 on August 25, 2008, 07:20:30 PM: NO FRICKEN WAY!

Look what somebody posted up on youtube , after the date my first Chives robot video was posted.
[youtube]hG9w7bJXTHs[/youtube]
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: Admin on April 07, 2009, 10:34:03 PM: airman00, you got some competition. This robot is called Loki:
http://www.dshinsel.com/LokiOverview.htm (http://www.dshinsel.com/LokiOverview.htm)

Loki Robot 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWd56Qj5548#lq-lq2-hq-vhq)
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: Razor Concepts on April 07, 2009, 11:31:24 PM: Wow amazing what something as simple as blinking eyes can do. If it weren't for that I would have been bored, but for the entire video I was just watching it blink....
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: SmAsH on April 08, 2009, 12:35:23 AM: hah, that thing is so cool, i love the blinking aspect. should get his eyes to beat to music...
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: Admin on April 09, 2009, 02:42:38 AM: Yea I liked the blinking eyes too. This is what the creator said:

Quote
For the eyes, yes, there are 12 blue LEDs for each eye. Each eye is made up of a Logitec web-cam inside a flashlight body, which is inside a soup can :-) between the flashlight body and soup can is a loop of sergical tubing that acts as a diffuser, and the LEDs are behind that. The LEDs are controlled by an 8424 chip in the head, which is controlled via I2C from the main PIC controller in the body.
Software controls the "blink" steps. I experimented with many variations before settling on the current one. How often Loki blinks is controlled by the PC, using a random number for the timing.

airman00, apologies for thread hijacking, wasn't intentional . . .
Title: Re: I'm finally documenting Chives!!!
Post by: superchiku on April 09, 2009, 09:40:27 AM: even the admin hijackes threads.. .its quite normal.. .but the robot is reallu quite cooo olllll