
How to Build a Computerized Android Robot Head 157
Wee writes "While searching for some serial port programming information, I came across a result labeled How to Build a Computerized Android Robot Head for $600. That title demanded a read. This guy built a Java and Perl/Tk controlled android head out of R/C motors, bicycle parts, a mannequin head, two QuickCams and my favorite item: a brass plant holder. Turns out the entire site is chock full of android/hardware/PC-control know-how (including scenarios in which one might find a need for an android head)."
You know (Score:5, Funny)
Althought I have to admit - this site is really cool. Maybe if I get some spare time (and money), I might partake this small project.
RonB
Re:You know (Score:2, Funny)
I dont know about gettin all up into building a robot head, but maybe getting some, er uh, a robot head would be kinda cool
Thanks, man.... (Score:2)
-B
Re:Thanks, man.... (Score:2)
Re:You know (Score:1)
> computerized android robot head for under $700.
> Now you posted it for the bargan price of $600.
> You rock.
Yeah but does it suck?
Re:Robot Smackdown! (Score:2)
And hey! I resemble that remark! Not everyone around here is a young whipper-snapper.
Karma whoring: Google cache (Score:3, Informative)
Finnally! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Finnally! (Score:1)
If it wasn't for the 'computerized' part... (Score:2, Funny)
This is cool, but... (Score:4, Funny)
Besides, if I was going to do an android head, I'd at least build it out down to the boobs. It is a she, isn't it?
Re:This is cool, but... (Score:2, Funny)
Seriously though, I want one! or 4.
Re:This is cool, but... (Score:3, Funny)
Then again, re-apholstering a Furby with a custom red felt skin, complete with barbed tail and horns would rock, wouldn't it? Have it chant out evil sounding things, "Worship me!" "I command you to desecrate churchs!" all in that sweet little furby voice.
Of course, I would always have more serious products too. Just some thoughts.
Re:This is cool, but... (Score:3, Funny)
Dear god...whatever you do, *don't* make that thing SING! Please...for the love of everything that's human! No more singing bass!!! Spare us all!
Re:This is cool, but... (Score:3, Funny)
Coolest thing I can think of that I eventually want to do...
Take two Furbys, program them individually in isolated rooms by screaming at each one "Tetsuo!" and "Kaneda!" and then put one in front of the other, and let the fun begin!
Re:This is cool, but... (Score:1)
Besides, if I was going to do an android head, I'd at least build it out down to the boobs. It is a she, isn't it?
--
He did build some arms for it.. no breasts to be found though...
http://howtoandroid.com/Gallery2/RMaxLowerArm3.
Re:This is cool, but... (Score:4, Interesting)
But i digress. The cool part is that the motor, home switch, and encoder just unplug from the motherboard, so it's not hard to plug them into your handy HC11 eval board [axman.com] and write a little controll algorithm. The fact that i haven't done this yet only speaks to my superior lazieness. But i will soon. Once i have a furby connected to my computer, i just cat whosyourdaddy to
Check furby autposy [phobe.com] for more info, or just pick one up for $5 and cut it open.
Anyways, check out
Re:This is cool, but... (Score:1)
http://www.ai.mit.edu/~vona/bass/bass.html [mit.edu]
Re:This is cool, but... (Score:1)
No need to build... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:No need to build... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:No need to build... (Score:2)
Oh my God! (Score:2)
Why build a robot head, (Score:5, Funny)
Damn that 790!
What's Dick Hiding? [lostbrain.com]
tcd004
Re:Why build a robot head, (Score:4, Funny)
--
I've got to assume most of the seventeen people who got that reference were amused by it...
Re:Why build a robot head, (Score:1)
All night by the Xev I lay
When does the poetry module come out for RMax?
(hopefully, not a Vogon poetry module)
Re:Why build a robot head, (Score:2)
On that note, I think it would be ultra cool to put this in the planter outside of the front door. Put it right under a plant that just barely covers it so people don't notice it. When a solicitor comes to the door and rings the doorbell, program it to scream, "What the fuck do you want?" and start swearing like a sailor. Much, much better than a no solicitors sign.
Re:Why build a robot head, (Score:1)
Let me know when you figure out how to differentiate a salesperson. I don't think my mom would appreciate that very much when she comes over.
Re:Why build a robot head, (Score:2)
Here is a much sexier android head... (Score:2, Interesting)
It's Valerie: The Domestic Android [androidworld.com]
For all your domestic android head needs. Its a kit, although it looks like they're still working out the bugs.
Websurfing: The Next Generation - StumbleUpon [stumbleupon.com]
Re:Here is a much sexier android head... (Score:2, Interesting)
Too many geeks already have a hard time relating to real women - let's eliminate the need for them to ever learn. With lubrication and ingeniously designed orifices (and articulated appendages), geeks won't have to jerk themselves off as they surf the web... Valerie the Domestic Android will do it between laundry and dusting, with fellatio as a bonus, perhaps programmed as an "incentive" for those who remember to take baths or brush their teeth.
We are entered the orbit of a terrifying, strange planet, and that planet is named Earth.
The Gates Testimony - Why Microsoft Will Win [microsoft.com]
Sexbots will bring back traditional romance (Score:1)
You'll never want a "real man" again. (Score:2)
Hey Gigilo Joe, whaddya know?
Re:Here is a much sexier android head... (Score:2)
If you'd bothered to read the site (it's vaporware, but at least interesting), you would have read that they explicitly say that Valerie is *not* designed for sex, and is very likely not at all antonomically correct. She is a she just to appear less threatening (which may be sexist, but IMO is more culturalist, the same reason we don't paint our houses bright pink and why 95% of automated voices are female).
And, since this article has a dozen movie references, I'd like to do a double by pointing out that the company is based in Denton. Maybe they are using some alien tech left there after a visitation about 27 years ago, eh?
--
Evan
Re:Here is a much sexier android head... (Score:2)
And have you ever heard of Suffolk pink? Many houses in the UK are painted that color (which, charmingly, is/was traditionally produced by mixing buttermilk and pig's blood to the paint).
Re:Here is a much sexier android head... (Score:2)
Re:Here is a much sexier android head... (Score:2)
I see your Suffolk pink and raise you the noxious pink mandated in Delray Beach (downtown is a uniform neon ugly), and common throughout South Florida.
Blearg. One of the reasons I'm glad I left.
--
Evan
Re:Here is a much sexier android head... (Score:2)
Oh, shut up. They could just as easily have made it look like a man. They chose a female merely because people relate better to females and will be more accepting of a female robot than they would a male bot. If anything, this says that the designers think more highly of females than they do males, so you can stop whipping that dead sexist horse anytime now.
Re: Creepy Mannequin == Sexbot??? (Score:1)
A little bit of math... (Score:2)
Reprogrammed Valarie + RealDoll = A housemaid that is REALLY eager to please.
(Necessary tools: handsaw, duct tape)
It has been forseen. (Score:2, Funny)
Building the Perfect Psychic Dummy Head [angryflower.com]
What happens if you say... (Score:2)
Realdoll applications (Score:2, Funny)
Seriously, as someone has mentioned here before, in order for technology to be successfuly it has to somehow relate to pornography/sex. This has definite potential.
Re:Realdoll applications (Score:1, Insightful)
I am afraid, very afraid.
Re:Realdoll applications (Score:1)
I saw them once at an adult industry convention, and I can assure you they do not resemble a sleeping girl...
They resemble a DEAD girl.
The creep factor is surpassed only by the imagery of a room full of headless realdolls hanging from hooks. [salon.com]
Re:Realdoll applications (Score:3, Funny)
Oh sweetheart, you're gonna give daddy a treat...open wide...mmm...tha zzzzZZZZzzzzZZZttt!
I propose the name Lorena.
Cmon Guys... (Score:1)
What happened to this site?
Ooh, the irony (Score:5, Funny)
Wait for it...
Building humaniform robots is one of his many hobbies. Pat's interests include sentient robot life forms, theoretical physics, gravity, electricity, magnetism, dimensions, complexity, astronomy, weather, chaos...
Almost there...
Pat can be reached at (protected)@aol.com
I never thought I'd see a parallel-distributed computing, X11-hacking, web-developing sys admin that uses AOL. I suppose with all those complicated hobbies he just wants a nice, relaxing, online experience.
Android head has a posse (Score:3, Interesting)
I never thought I'd see a parallel-distributed computing, X11-hacking, web-developing sys admin that uses AOL. I suppose with all those complicated hobbies he just wants a nice, relaxing, online experience.
Hey man, the android head is cool. I was even making an "Android Head Has A Posse" sticker. I was just trying to find out the weight of the head (for the sticker) but the site was non-responsive. Then I checked Slashdot. I guess the site has gone out of my cache since I submitted it or something.
But AOL'er or not, the friggin' head rocks. You can't get down on the man for his ISP. Not when he makes a motorized head out of a planter and bike parts that greats little Johnny when he gets home from school. Not even then, man. There are much easier targets than him. Find one who hasn't made a fully-functional robot head out of rat shack parts...
-B
Re:Android head has a posse (Score:1)
I thought my jealousy was obvious. Maybe his mom uses AOL or something, and it's just easier that way...
Re:Android head has a posse (Score:2)
LOL...
My thick head. Pardon me.
-B
Re:Android head has a posse (Score:1)
Re:Ooh, the irony (Score:3, Funny)
(Insert Rimshot Here)
--
Damn the Emperor!
Slashdotting AOL? (Score:1)
Hmmm... I'll bet his mailbox maxes out before the web site goes down. Also, what's with the prophylictic handle?
Re:Ooh, the irony (Score:1, Funny)
I can program my VCR, so I guess I'm smarter than a rocket scientist.
Re:Ooh, the irony (Score:1)
Re:Ooh, the irony (Score:2)
I'm sure this is his trashcan/spam account. Might as well make an alias from one of mom's 10 screennames to capture all the geeky, "You are KEWL! Wanna join my everquest guild???
Re:Ooh, the irony (Score:2)
A great boon for the color-blind. (Score:1, Funny)
Here comes red.
Now (Score:2, Funny)
nice parts list! (Score:4, Funny)
Hanging-light On/Off chain (in case it gets too depressed, I guess)
Plastic tie-straps (slightly kinky)
Plumbers GOOP (ok, more kinky)
Aluminum tape for eye-lids (whoa, too kinky for me)
RC ball-joints/Tie-rods (dude, even I don't have joints there!)
Plastic throw-away green cup
Butt Connectors, RS 64-3037 (Yep, Tandy corp for all your rear panel connections)
Fancy cases (Score:1, Interesting)
What is much more interesting is how to make these things move smoothly especially if the movement is to be done using (two) legs, is Honda [honda.com] still leading this area with their ASIMO humanoid robot [honda.com], specifications for the bot are here [honda.com]. It seems like the beginnings of something real. Once they find a solution to increase the running time to 16 hours, this is something. Now it needs recharging after 15 minutes
Sweet! (Score:3, Funny)
http://www.fu-fme.com/ [fu-fme.com]
;)
Re:Sweet! (Score:2)
Your part [fu-fme.com] plus mine [realdoll.com]
would be even better!
If only (Score:2, Interesting)
If they had, forget anything so outrageously expensive as $600, we would be able to build one of these solely using 13th century clockwork technology [everything2.com], and it would give us useful advice to boot
Wheee (Score:5, Funny)
Step one - Find an android.
Step two - Decapitate said android.
Creepy. (Score:1, Funny)
Damn that'd actually be cool! (Score:5, Funny)
Robot Head: I love you, Grey. Please pay attention to me.
Me: Yeah, that's nice robot head but I've really got to complete this C code...
After a while...
Me: Bio break!
Robot Head: No Grey... please don't go! I can't stand to be without you!
Me: Gotta go when you gotta go! Departs
Robot Head: Mike? Mike are you over there?
Mike: Um... yeah...?
Robot Head: Mike... you don't know the things he makes me do Mike! No sentient being could stay sane, Mike! You MUST help me to kill him! You have arms Mike! It'd be so easy for you... rant continues until I return.
Me: Have you been a good robot head?
Robot Head: Oh yes! I am so joyful that you are back! My circuits are all abuzz!
Mike: Um dude... that thing wants to kill you!
Me: Is that true, robot head?
Robot Head: No! Lies! I love you! I could never even think of killing you!
It could be hours of fun, I tell you!
Wouldn't be that hard... (Score:2)
Kill me if this scenario ever happens. (Score:1, Funny)
it: "I'm sorry dave, I can't do that"
you: "Damn - I forgot to build the rest of you"
it: "I've got this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left side."
you: "What *are* you talking about"
it: "I think you ought to know that I'm feeling very depressed."
you: "Hmm..."
it: "I mentioned to you that I had this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left side? That I had asked for them to be replaced but they never were?"
it: See if you can guess which parts of me were never replaced? Go on, see if you can guess."
other interesting site (Score:2)
Use Scenarios (Score:1)
Mr. Person: Make me toast
Very cool, but we need to make some leaps and bounds in agent/AI technology before we can start talking to a $600 fiberglass head.
x10 (Score:1)
not bad for just a head (Score:2, Funny)
Vaporators? (Score:1)
Sorry, couldn't resist. The printer scenario reminded me of this.
Re:Vaporators? (Score:1)
He also did Walter Matthau (sp?) (obi wan) and Harrison Ford (Han Solo)...
Just thought it was hilarious. Here goes karma.
android head (Score:1)
Unprepared (Score:2, Funny)
This safety issue is the primary drawback to using an unprepared fiberglass head....Some things to consider when choosing a head are that the space behind the eye openings has enough room for the moving Eye-Bracket.
Geez, yeah! I went into an exam the other day with a completely unprepared fibreglass head. Or at least, all that late-night vodka sure made it feel like fibreglass! There was certainly no space behind the eye openings for any sort of ocular movment --- just reading the assignment was painful. Do you know where I could buy a pre-prepared head of the correct proportions? I didn't even know they were detatchable! Dammit I should never have slept so much during first-year bio.....
Counter at 77599 at 12:37am apr 24 (pacific) (Score:1)
A good scenario for its use (Score:1)
Perl/Tk, eh? (Score:1)
Control a real goldfish (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
android depression (Score:1)
of a planet and you're using it to hold your
front door open, what's going to happen ?
"Here I am, (...) *moan* bastard *moan* "
thunk thunk
Better discover electronic Prozac first !
Taking it to the next level... (Score:3, Interesting)
Cranium Chassis? (Score:2)
Why Java (Score:1, Interesting)
Oh by the way, AT90S2313's can be had for about $3 a piece, they're RISC and low power.
He could move up to an ATMega for more on-board flash and EEProm.
Poor choice of video parts (Score:3, Informative)
Although such work would need either a really fast computer or a rewrite in C.
Re:Poor choice of video parts (Score:1)
I got the color with digital output. The units are based on chips made by OmniVision Technologies Limited (http://www.ovt.com).
Danger! (Score:2)
You know, this is how that Terminator thing started... it's time to use the slashdot effect for good! Charge!
android love (Score:1)
there will come soft rains (Score:1)
WTG!
I wonder if it dreams of electric sheep.
Mm
Can anyone say... (Score:1)
And she spoke
three words
pure and true
Or however it went at the end of Neuromancer
Animatronic Gargoyles (Score:1)
It had to be said... (Score:1)
Re:Be Warned... (Score:1)
Re:Be Warned... (Score:1)
"I will love you forever."
Re:OK (Score:1)
Try 136 lines mate. Next time, try reading the article first?
Re:OK (Score:2, Insightful)
see bolded section
The sad thing is that this cost the guy $600+ dollars not to mention a LOT of free time. And where did it get him. .
happy, thats where. some people spend thousands on R/C helicopters, where does that get them? happy. people need hobbies, this is just a really cool and original one.