RoboHeart is Spanning New Realms of Technology

If you are an experienced Maker, or even just a passing Tinkerer, the RoboHeartTM Hercules development board may be just what you are looking for.

RoboHeart is an exceptional development board that proudly boasts: “One board to rule them all!” This exceptional circuit board is just what is sounds like: the heart of your robotics Maker project.

At Augmented Robotics, we have gone the extra mile by combining the magic of Augmented Reality with embedded mobile systems, so you can play and manipulate brave new worlds using only your smartphone. This allows you to control any RC device or creative Maker project with connectivity in WiFi, BLE and even 5G when paired with out RoboHeart Vela board. On Tuesday, August 23, 2022, RoboHeart was launched on Kickstarter, and it reached its funding goal in less than three hours! In only two short days, RoboHeart was selected as the coveted “Project We Love” by Kickstarter – an award given to projects that really stand out with creative innovation.

By replacing the circuit board inside your RC car with RoboHeart, you can drive the car with only your smartphone – so we have decided to add an original AR game on top of that. Drive around and collect candies to get the most points… but careful not to run out of fuel! As we reach more stretch goals, the game will get increasingly complex. We have already reached our first stretch goal – Gamepad compatibility – but there are many more to come.

The Maker community is the most creative community out there, so RC cars are definitely not the only thing your RoboHeart board can be used for. Put the board into any electronics project and watch it come to life!

Get RoboHeart and dive right into building projects with an open-source RoboHeart Arduino library on GitHub! Our repository has several cool examples at varied complexities, from reading the IMU sensor data to controlling things with your smartphone. For example, we have built our own Balancing Bot using only one board:

The RoboHeart Hercules has all the features one needs to start building:

  • ESP32-WROOM32 with dual-core and WiFi+Bluetooth capabilities
  • Arduino compatibility for easy programming
  • An integrated Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for motion data
  • Three DC motor outputs
  • USB-C connector with auto-download feature: flashing is a piece of cake!
  • LiPo battery input with auto-charging feature: where do you need Power most, at USB or LiPo? RoboHeart will automatically distribute power where it is most needed
  • Convenient peripherals for Makers: GROVE, JST and JTAG

… and with the addition of the RoboHeart Vela extension board, Makers can unlock the power of 5G, and no longer be dependent on the BLE range of 50m.

So the only question that remains is: What will YOU do with RoboHeart?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/augmented-robotics/robohearttm-by-augmented-robotics

The Crafty Robot launches the most accessible telepresence robot ever

London, England – July 21st 2020 The Crafty Robot today launches Smartipresence, a low cost telepresence robot that works with a smartphone, based on their Smartibot robotics platform. Created by product designer Ross Atkin, Smartipresence kits are available for pre-order on Kickstarter from £50 ($62).

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rossatkin/smartipresence-cardboard-telepresence-robot

Smartipresence builds on top of the existing Smartibot app-connected cardboard robot platform, adding extra components to create a dedicated telepresence robot. Slide a phone into the cradle, put the robot online then send a loved one a link to the pilot webpage allowing them to appear on-screen just like a video call, except they have the additional ability to move themselves around. Using controls on the pilot page your friends and family members can drive forward, backwards, left and right and they can tilt the phone to look up or down.

Smartipresence comes as a kit combining cleverly designed cardboard parts with re-usable electronics, allowing owners to build their own telepresence robots by hacking battery operated toys, using LEGO, radio controlled vehicles or 3D printers.

“It’s awful not being able to visit loved ones right now and I wanted to make something to help” explained Ross Atkin. “I thought telepresence might be useful, but not the robots designed for corporate environments that cost thousands. I realised that the Smartibot kit already had most of the parts you’d need to make a really accessible telepresence robot that would work in people’s homes. So I designed the extra cardboard parts to make the experience as good as it could be, and worked with Altrubots to put together the software. It’s turned out great. It’s not quite as good as actually being somewhere but it’s a whole lot better than a video call.”

As Smartipresence is an expansion for the Smartibot the kit, it also includes everything from the previous set, including parts to make the A.I. bot, Unicorn and Teabot. The kit includes 10 hours of telepresence using Smartipresence service with additional 10 hour usage codes available at £5 each. There are no accounts and the system collects no personal information from users.

The telepresence system has been created in partnership with Altrubots, creators of the ‘RC Everywhere’ system used in publicly controllable robots that perform helpful functions like trash collection.

John Stewart, Altrubots software lead, said  “It’s amazing to be creating a world wide communication system that’s going to allow normal people to use robots to communicate, it’s the closest thing to Princess Lea coming out of the R2D2 that we’re going to get right now.”

Smartibot Technical Specs

Kit contentsHardware FeaturesSoftware Features
1 x Smartibot Circuit Board3 x DC Motors + Gearboxes1 x 4AA Battery Box1 x Cardboard Smartipresence Parts1 x Cardboard A.I. Bot Parts1 x Cardboard Unicorn Parts1 x Cardboard Teabot Parts2 x Glass Marbles2 x ScrewdriversStainless Steel Fixings Rubber BandsRobot can move forward and back, rotate and tilt the phone to look up or down
NRF 52 series ARM Cortex-M4F based Bluetooth system-on-chip
Espruino runtime
USB/Bluetooth programming
Smartipresence system comprising pilot webapp and robot iOS app and webapp
iOS and Android app for remote control mode and A.I. mode (YOLO A.I.)
Programmable with JavaScript or code blocks from a web browser using Espruino

Smartibot can be found on Kickstarter starting at £50 ($63) for a limited time.

bots_alive® launches Kickstarter campaign for AI-powered robotic creatures

AUSTIN — JANUARY 24, 2017 — Today, bots_alive launched its Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund the distribution of a cutting-edge smartphone kit that uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality technology to build robot creatures that feel believably alive.

The complete bots_alive set includes a Hexbug® Spider and a bots_alive smartphone kit that brings the spider to life. The kit contains an infrared blaster that sends remote control signals from the smartphone directly to the Hexbug Spider, an easy-to-apply decal for the Hexbug Spider, and a set of special “vision blocks’”with which owners create the world the robot interacts with—and change that world as they wish.

These physical pieces complement the bots_alive iOS and Android app, which runs all software for augmented reality—including seeing where the robot and the vision blocks are—and artificial intelligence to determine the robot’s behavior. One vision block is often sought by the robot, and the rest are obstacles the robot avoids; owners influence the robot’s behavior by creating areas to explore, mazes, and barricades, and changing them on the fly.

“The bots_alive kit makes an autonomous robot creature out of a popular remote control toy,“ said Brad Knox, founder and CEO of bots_alive. „Our vision is to create artificially intelligent robot creatures that feel organic and alive. By packaging our cutting-edge technology into an affordable kit, we’re excited to bring more organic, lifelike robot characters into the hands of enthusiasts around the world.”

Through a new artificial intelligence technique the founder developed at the MIT Media Lab, the robot creatures are both goal-oriented (like other autonomous robots) yet also uniquely organic: hesitating, looking around, thinking about its next move, and making mistakes, all at a lifelike cadence. This new category of character AI is built during development by demonstrating what the robots should do through puppetry rather than by directly programming them. The bots_alive team is optimistic that this technique will be broadly applicable to robot characters and non-player characters in video games.

In addition to the complete bots_alive set, campaign supporters can also opt-in to a add another Hexbug Spider as a companion and competitor to the first, and they can stock up on vision blocks to enable complex obstacle courses. Owners of Hexbug Spiders can buy the bots_alive smartphone kit alone.

The goal of the 23-day campaign is to raise $15,000 by mid-February, with plans to begin shipping the bots_alive smartphone kits in September.

People can join the initiative by visiting the bots_alive Kickstarter page at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bradknox/1389638767?token=9ca2853a

About bots_alive bots_alive is a robotics startup that’s introducing a new, more organic form of robot artificial intelligence. Its cutting edge technology uses a simple smartphone kit to bring a mindless remote control Hexbug Spider to life. Founded by Brad Knox, bots_alive aims to build compelling, lifelike robots that are fun, affordable, and offer limitless play.

For more information, please visit www.botsalive.com.

AeriCam Releases the Anura; a Revolutionary Pocket Size Drone.

The Anura is AeriCam’s game changer for the drone consumer market.  Anura is a mini drone that’s designed to fit in pants or shirt pockets, with all sensitive parts protected. Your smart phone is the only thing you need to operate the Anura.

The Anura is the first drone in the consumer market to travel with the user 24/7, whenever and wherever. This allowing users to never miss a moment; capturing aerial photo and video. It is user friendly, so one can simply enjoy the thrill and freedom of flying.

The Anura was designed to inspire people who are interested in flight, photography, videography, or just to entertain. Anura is controlled via Wi-Fi to your smart phone (IOS/Android), and through the App. You can fully control the aircraft’s direction. Anura features a micro camera and the view of the camera is streamed through Wi-Fi to your smart phone; which allows you to capture the exact photo and video from the App. Anura also features functions such as auto take off, auto land, return home, and follow the phone; which makes it one of the most powerful and versatile mini drone of its class.

AeriCam is a San Francisco based company established for developing aerial cinematography solutions. The company has designed drones and camera equipment for six years, and combines a strong technical expertise with a long history of delivering professional and reliable equipment.  The Anura is AeriCam’s first consumer product, but you can be certain it will share the same traits as their professional line.

Anura will be available for pre-order through Kickstarter, and you can check updates and product launch information on www.AeriCam.com.

Rico – Turn your used smartphone into a smart-home security device

Rico is a smarthome security device that uses your old smartphone as its brain and eyes. We took away the clutter of heavy and expensive home security hardware and replaced them with an old smartphone. All you need to do is install an App into your old smartphone, insert it into Rico, turn it on, and your smarthome security companion is ready.

Rico has just launched on Kickstarter

Kallidil Kalidasan, the CEO of MindHelix, Inc which created Rico says, “Smartphones are really powerful devices with HD cameras, microphones, 3G and WiFi connectivity and a powerful processor. Rico takes these capabilities and uses them to transform your home into a smarter, secure home at an affordable price point.”

Users connect with their Rico through the Rico App which will be available across all major smartphone platforms. Rico comes equipped with photo electric sensors that detect the slightest changes in your home like temperature, humidity, motion, carbon monoxide, smoke, natural gas, noise levels etc. It will immediately alert you when something goes wrong and you can even watch live video of your living room with Rico App. Rico also comes with smart power sockets which can control your appliances using the Rico App from anywhere.

Whilst Rico is an effective solution to home security, Kali points out that the product is trying to solve a much bigger problem. “We love how cute Rico is. But the reality of how many smartphones are wasted is not so cute. So we decided that this would be a focus for us when we began the project. It turns out that we have created not just a viable alternative use for your old smartphone, but an industry-disrupting product. Because of this, we truly believe it is going to take the world by storm.”

He is right. For the average consumer, the shelf-life of a smartphone is 24 months. According to IDC, of the over 280 million smartphones that were sold last year, many will be replaced without being recycled. These phones are toxic to the environment, polluting the air and contaminating soil and water with metals and plastics. What’s worse is that over 90% of these will be in perfect working order.

With Rico, MindHelix aims to disrupt the smart-home market and then encourage us to rethink how we consume electronics. The company plans to open up developer APIs for Rico, allowing developers around the world to create a community and help Rico grow. Kali says “We’ve developed working prototypes of Rico and we need your help to bring Rico to market. We want to solve the problem of used smartphones creating a huge environmental impact. Rico helps consumers repurpose them for something as cool as a smart home solution”.

Rico is a product from Mindhelix, Inc a Bay Area based startup which was part of the batch 3 at the Alchemist Accelerator program.

Rico is now raising $100,000 on Kickstarter and has already chalked up 30% of its target in the first week. Kickstarter page here : http://kck.st/1pmEqzN

Roberta Manual zum Entwickeln von Android Apps

http://roberta-home.de/sites/default/files/images/android_logo.artikelbild.gif
Dieses Manual zeigt wie Apps für das Google Betriebssystem Android programmiert werden können und wie diese u. a. mit
dem LEGO Mindstorms NXT verbunden werden.

Die Entwicklung der Apps erfolgt mit dem App Inventor von Google. Eine Schritt-für-Schritt Anleitung mit vielen Screen-Shots erläutert ausführlich die grafische Programmierung der Android-Apps.

Inhaltsverzeichnis:
Impressum
Vorwort
Allgemeine Information
Warum App Inventor?
Was ist Google App Inventor?
Versuchsaufbau und vorbereitende Arbeiten
Meine Erste App
App zur Steuerung des NXT
Ausblick
Links und Literatur

Link zur Download-Seite: http://roberta-home.de/de/was-bietet-roberta/roberta-reihe/roberta-manual-zum-entwickeln-von-android-apps