"Vanessa" is an interactive mobile robot designed for debugging algorithm orientation in closed rooms with a flat floor. As well as realize experiments in the area of communication between people and robot.
The main difference between this robot and other ones consist in the employment of a tablet computer. It´s light, has a recognizable possibility of continuous operation without recharging the battery, which, in combination with high capacity makes the tablet a very convenient object for building robots. Another feature of the tablet, its vertical screen - is used in this project, where the tablet - it's not only the "main brain", but also the "face" of the robot. The ability of a robot to talk and express emotions makes it more esthetically attractive.
The robot was built by one person at home. Therefore the wheelbase was bought. In addition to this, the dual motor driver was installed, as well as AVR microcontroller and some sensors of different functions. The robot has a growth of 130 cm and weighs about 10 kilograms. The maximum speed can reach 3 km per hour and the maximum duration of the battery is about 2 hours.
To detect obstacles, Vanessa has 3 bumpers, 4 Infrared Sensor Switchs, and an ultrasonic sonar. In addition to this, during the movement the current of each of the motors is controlled. If the robot gets stuck, the movement will be stopped.
The robot is able to distinguish between people and furniture or walls. For this purposes Vanessa uses a directional infrared thermometer and a motion detector.
The main task of the robot is to freely orientate in the room and always know the position. To determine the distance traveled, the robot uses a pulse encoder, and to determine direction - a digital compass. Just underneath the robot, the scanner of floor labels is located, which allows precise positioning at the point marked with a special sign.
But, the using of computer vision gives better results. For realizing this task, an extra high -resolution camera is functioning with the possibility of rotation in two planes. Thanks to it, and using image processing software "Robo Realm" it became possible, for example, to use separator lines on the tiled floor as a grid map when moving. Also, the use of the Navigator module is a high-perspective process, which gives you a possibility to recognize and store routes which depend on visible landmarks.
The possibilities of computer vision are not limited only to navigation functions. This robot also can memorize faces of people and images of objects.
Of course, as any autonomous robot, Vanessa has a charging base for recharging the batteries. The charging base is arranged simply, and the robot has two separate contact groups, on for each battery. The states of the main 12-volt battery and tablet battery are continuously monitored during the operations. When the battery charge is insufficient, the robot itself finds the charging base, fully charges the battery, and then continues with the previously programmed task.
The main mode of the robot is basically the autonomous working. The robot performs certain tasks in accordance with a given schedule. For the works performed in dim-light places a lamp and a laser pointer are provided. Also, the robot can control home appliances using an infrared emitter.
At any time, you can switch to control the robot via the Internet. For these purposes, Skype messenger is used. Skype API allows you not only to communicate with the robot by text messaging, but also to switch the video from one camera to another, which provides additional comfort for the operator. Through the Internet you can manage all of the functions, send him phrases for speak, order the reproduction of emotions and others.
Tuning and testing the robot can be performed using a touch screen of the tablet, or using an infrared remote control.
Also, the robot understands some voice commands.
These types of robots can be used, for example, for the house security, excursions, as a home assistant, or just for having some fun.
Hardware:
Tablet PC THD PX1 (Atom N450 CPU, 160GB HD, 1GB RAM, 1024 x 600 10″ multitouch)
Battery: 12V, 7 AH
Wheelbase: HCR (Diameter of wheels 140 mm)
Dual motor driver: MD25 (modified )
Microcontroller: AVR-CRUMB168-USB
ets...
Software and technology:
HP InfoTech S.R.L. CodeVisionAVR
Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Visual Basic
Microsoft Agent
Microsoft Text-To-Speech Engine
Microsoft Speech Recognition Engine
Acapela group computer voices
Guile 3D Studio Vanessa MSAgent character
Skype SDK
Robo Realm
AVM Navigator module for Robo Realm
Credits:
Scorpio wishes to thank
to resource Roboforum.ru for support
and to Dmitriy Yeremeyev for the given AVM Navigator module
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Virtual Assistant Denise 1.0 - Guile 3D Studio - Part 1by guile3d95,509 views
Hello, very cool robot! You have a programm code for me? I would like to replicate this robot :-) Thanx!
AVRExpert 5 months ago
@AVRExpert The Text of main program - thousands of lines of code in VISUAL BASIC + large C program for AVR. All comments in Russian. If it does not matter, I can send on email, I do not mind :)
ScorpioNormal 5 months ago