Robosapien V2 Review

Robosapien V2

Well its been a while since I wrote anything about the V2 so I thought what better way to start then to talk about possible interfacing with other robots and devices.
roschler sparked some idea`s after a late night email trail, and the resault is a more complete picture of how I plan to work with the v2 and other robots.

As you can see the idea in the diagram is to link the v2 to the main server which most likely will run a password protected vnc service. The client`s then could be situated lacally on a LAN or WLAN and net acsess would also be possiable but how functional it will be remains to be seen.
The V2 has many ways that the host computer could control it including directly stimultating the controller with another robot or program-hardware interface like the RCX or NXT (soon..) the VIPER from microbric , and a serial or parallal port interface board.
The V2 could be fitted with LED`s or a slave sensor unit (rcx) to and send back to the host, any feedback needed to control the bot.
A remote user for example with a webcam enabled to see the bot, could see visual cues like diffrent lights to show diffrent things like, "i am talking." further projects would injvolve removing the pomputer interface and having anothe robot controlling the v2`s actions by triggering the remote, or even sending the signals straight from it1s own IR transmitter, (viper has hardware modulation for IR) so the v2 could chase it around the room and react if it touch`s it or such.
On a slighly diffrent note,If your bored and need afriend, the sapienCHAT v2 has surfaced on pandorabots.com go to sapienCHAT (flash or html) thanks roschler for hosting the flash files on
your server.

The Robosapien V2's bowling ability is well, not the greatest. It doesn't matter because it is great fun to watch, but some competitive types would like to improve his aim. In a recent thread on the Robosapien V2 forum that gave tips on Robosapien V2's bowling, the current wisdom amounted to this:

• Make sure you make him do the flinch response by completely blocking his face with your hand. He should scream and jerk his head backwards if you're successful.
• Quickly (very quicky!) put the green ball about an inch from his face, with no shadows covering it.
• He should say something about bowling if you succeed.

If you still have problems, try adjusting his color balance settings and putting him in a room with plenty of light. One user had success by placing the ball in his fingertips, when he asks for it, instead of completely inside his hand.

[11-29-2007] - Update. The Robosapien RS Media has been marked down from its original $400 cost to an amazing $150 at Buy.com, including free shipping. Click here to see the details on this deal.

The new Robosapien RS Media, debuted at the recent 2006 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), is being hailed as the Robosapien V 2.5. It looks like a Robosapien V2 and acts like one; but with the addition of some very cool new features. It can playback audio and music downloaded into it by the user, via a built-in USB port, and display pictures and video too via a chest-mounted LCD display. Visit our web for more information on the Robosapien RS Media and to stay up to date on this successor to the V2 line. Note: this robot is not the Robosapien V3 which won't be out until 2007 at the earliest.

Work on the next version of Robosapien Dance Machine, version 3, is going extremely well. The current publicly available version only works with the original Robosapien. Version 3 will work with the Roboraptor, Robopet, and Robosapien V2 robots.

Robosapien Dance Machine is my free open source program that lets you use a Windows PC to control you WowWee robot. The user friendly graphical drag and drop interface makes it easy to create fun powerful scripts that make your robot dance and act in funny perfomances that you design. Robosapien Dance Machine's two other most notable features are the ability to command your robot using just your voice, instead of using the complex remote control, and to instantly share scripts with other users via a script bank; either scripts you created or scripts created by others.

This 1 minute (3 MB) preview video shows my Robosapien V2, original Robosapien, and my chrome Robopet interacting and generally causing a ruckus. Enjoy!

If you have questions, visit the Evosapien forum and look for the Robosapien Dance Machine section.


P.S. - I don't have the Roboraptor in the video because his great big scaly green butt wouldn't fit in the shot (or on the table)! (Sorry Fluffy!)

The P-Bot or P.E.A.B.O.T. is a radical new robot from WowWee Toys which was recently shown off at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV. This robot is also the first experiment in Segway licensing it's famous motion balancing technology to another company; the same technology that is used in the Segway Human Transporter. With an LCD display for a face, that shows the robot's emotion based on it's situation, the robot's main purpose is to act as a humorous chatty companion. It's full name is the Personality Evolved Android Robot. For the latest news updates and feature list, please visit our P-Bot, or as it's also known as P.E.A.B.O.T., web page.

The Robosapien RS Media is WowWee's latest entry in the Robosapien line of robots. It's being referred to by some as the Robosapien V 2.5. It is not the Robosapien V3. Instead it's a turbocharged version of the Robosapien V2 with a host of features that will please existing and new Robosapien owners alike. With features like the ability to play videos or show images from it's chest mounted LCD, or store and playback your voice, it's no wonder WowWee named it the Robosapien RS Media. Visit our page for the Robosapien RS Media to get the latest list of features and information on this wonderful new robot that was recently unveiled at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV.

Robosapien RS MEDIA!!!!????!!!

Yes, Wow Wee once again, put their name in the CES Show, this time showing off their latest inventions, which involves using the latest SegWay technology which was talked about last year back in November, when RoboNeXus was happening, Click Here to read and see more.. not to mention the 2 other robots comming out for Christmas time 2006 in the UK

Also, anyone needing V2 repair's can email me, knitsu@gmail.com with your V2 robot problems or any Wow Wee robot problem, and I will see if i can help you repair your robot, for free, over the net, or if you need peices, you can order them from me, or I can do the complete repair, for a small price...

-Knitsu

Sometimes it's the simple things that count. With all the power and advanced hardware hacks out there that improve the Robosapien V2's vision system, a forum poster at Robosapien.tk found an easy fix to his robot's eyesight woes. He cleaned the lens!

A favorite feature of the Robosapien V2 is his sound sensor. Put him in Guard mode and any loud noise will activate him. You can even enter a specific series of movements for him to execute when a loud sound triggers him when he is in Guard mode.

Some people have mistakenly thought their Robosapien V2 was deaf because they didn't know the nuances of his sound sensor. Robosapien V2's sound sensor doe not operate when he is moving or when his vision system is actively tracking or identifying an object. He has to be standing still, otherwise the sound of his own gears would confuse his sound sensor. If you ever think your Robosapien V2 has a hearing problem, try this test:

• Turn off his vision system by using the b mode.
• Make sure he isn't moving and put him in Guard mode
• Make a loud noise by clapping your hands.

I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised to see him react to the loud sound. If this test doesn't work, try hitting the a button on the remote to toggle his sound sensor back on, in case you accidentally turned it off. Then try the test again.

Don't forget to turn his vision system back on with the b button or your likely to think he's gone blind!