Voice-Controlled Robosapien 78
robotsrule writes "Robosapien Dance Machine, a free, open source program hosted on SourceForge, now uses the CMU Sphinx 3.5 speech recognition engine. The Sphinx 3.5 engine is also a free, open source program on SourceForge. You can now control your Robosapien robot using just your voice as well as build fun complex scripts to make your Robosapien robot dance, do comedy skits, and other performances. Currently the software uses the USB UIRT infrared transceiver to talk to the robot. Support for other infrared devices is being added this month. There is a short unrehearsed movie of the robot responding to voice commands that you can watch."
Wow! (Score:5, Funny)
New? (Score:3, Interesting)
The manufacturers instructions for programming it to act as a noise sensitive guard are here. [wowwee.com]
Apparantly their next product is going to be a robot dog... everything goes round in circles
Re:Wow! (Score:1)
Meanwhile, maybe I could do a voice-controlled Clippy demo. (Why yes, I am evil.)
ROBOSAPIEN! Beer me! (Score:4, Funny)
Bliss.
[1] Port is only needed because RoboS is too short and weak to actually open a standard fridge door.
Re:ROBOSAPIEN! Beer me! (Score:1)
Something simular was creates by I think the guy who created PONG. It was an expensive setup with robot and fridge. But the fridge for it was too limited in size!
The portable Pez bear despenser makes more sense.
Try Dancing with This (Score:5, Interesting)
One priority is the goal of constructing Mecha in a way that will be affordable to civilians and not just commercial entities. There are plenty of pretty pictures and info here [neogentronyx.com]. See also these larger more recent pics [coasttocoastam.com]
I can just imagine a mosh pit filled with these things.
Re:Try Dancing with This (Score:1)
Looks like they are assembling this thing out in the open!
No building to put it in!
When it rains, they are going to have one Wizard-of-Oz Tin Man [lincolnparkchamber.com] to oil up.
Imagine the look on the faces of some revenuers [geocities.com] when they come up on this thing in the middle of the woods!
Re:Try Dancing with This (Score:1)
Re:ROBOSAPIEN! Beer me! (Score:2)
Cool idea, but
1. Robosapien is slow. By the time he got back your beer would be warm.
2. Ever see how Robosapien walks? The beer would explode as soon as you tried to open it.
Maybe you could arm Robosapien with a cattle prod, and tell it "Robosapien! Tell my wife to get me a beer!"
Re:ROBOSAPIEN! Beer me! (Score:2)
In any case, "ROBOSAPIEN! Go dick with the cat!" would be fun. Of course, we'd have to build in some image recognition, else he messes with the dog instead. In which case he'd be an ex-robosapien.
Robosapien... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Robosapien... (Score:2)
Intruder alert Intruder alert
Re:Robosapien... (Score:2)
I for one... (Score:4, Funny)
Oops, too fast! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Oops, too fast! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Videos (Score:1)
Re:Videos (Score:1)
Re:Videos (Score:1)
Voice recognition is cool, but... (Score:1, Interesting)
(Cue random follow-up poster linking to robosapienlinux.com)
Definitely offtopic- don't even bother (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Definitely offtopic- don't even bother (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Definitely offtopic- don't even bother (Score:3, Funny)
No, no, Slashdot reading is strictly for work and college
Re:Definitely offtopic- don't even bother (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Definitely offtopic- don't even bother (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Definitely offtopic- don't even bother (Score:1)
Re:Definitely offtopic- don't even bother (Score:1)
Only if you're running Gentoo.
-truth
Re:Definitely offtopic- don't even bother (Score:2)
Massively Multiplayer Online Church (Score:1)
Kids out of school (Score:2)
Now I need to go back to teaching my daughter the principles of cryptography.
Possibilities (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Possibilities (Score:1)
Re:Possibilities (Score:2, Insightful)
Secondly, as far as I can tell this is not actually controlling the Robosapien with your voice, in the same way that I'm not actually communicating with the internet in binary
Re:Possibilities (Score:1)
Open source USB UIRT? (Score:2, Interesting)
~kyoorius
A new way to think about robots... (Score:2, Funny)
Robots used to be referred to as "clunky", or "junky", but now..... funky!!
More like a voice controlled remote control (Score:5, Informative)
All the hardcore voice-recognition stuff happens on the PC which then just sends the movement commands via infrared to the Robosapien - just like the included infrared remote control.
Good idea though - just not exactly portable.
Re:More like a voice controlled remote control (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:More like a voice controlled remote control (Score:1)
If it involves robots... (Score:1)
Futurama (Score:3, Funny)
You knew this was comming. (Score:4, Funny)
Next steps - robotic evolution (Score:4, Interesting)
Currently, cute toys, or dangerous machines (like auto manufacturing) is about the limits of what is acceptable. Most people, even on
There have been studies that show that if a robot has a very realistic human face and features, it is viewed initially as disgusting or evil. There is an aclimatization time before humans get used to a machine that has such features. There is even a name for this reaction??
We, in general, are not yet ready to pay for something that might be described as a man-sized robosapien. Currently, the price of such would be in the 100s of thousands of dollars, if it were possible. Batteries just don't last long enough for that.
It is silly things like voice control of a toy that will help pay for and develop technologies that will lead to the grail of man sized Robosapiens, in-car AI, home care robots, hospital asset and stores management, and many other things that are just out of range right now.
We are not far from being able to replace the grocery stock boy (you can bet Walmart will be on the bleeding edge of that one) and several other things that are just begging for robotic labor. (sweeping parking lots, lawn care, etc.) There are a lot of efforts being made for farm machinery because it lowers the cost of production in areas where there aren't people waiting for the jobs.
Anyway, its good to see efforts being made outside of educational and governmental institutions, especially open source efforts.
Re:Next steps - robotic evolution (Score:1)
Are you referring to the theories presented in the uncanny valley? If so, I believe the point was machines with imperfect human faces provoke negitive reactions, much as most people would react to seeing a human with facial disfigurement.
One Step Closer (Score:4, Informative)
I doubt that voice controlled Robosapians will make robots must have household items, but it gets us to maybe generation-3 home robots with only a couple of more generations before they explode in usefulness and ubiquity.
In about 1980 Heath-Kit tried to make a generation 1 home robot take off in popularity - the HERO 1 - it didn't succeed. A shaky low mobility box manually programmed with a small keypad was no ones' idea of a personal 3PO or R2-D2, though Heath certainly was hoping to cash in on both the early computer craze and Star Wars popularization of robots.
Personal robots largely disappeared from public view until Honda of all people pioneered and popularized a walking robot - the P2 (of course P2 was far too expensive to be a personal robot). I was only aware of the P2 and P3 before Asimo, but this link [honda.com] shows a long research line stretching back to 1986 with the E0 through E6 predecessors to the P series. Still when one saw the P2 walking in 1993, one got the feeling we were on the edge of big things to come. Sadly things have not progressed quite as quickly as one might have expected. Like AI, making practical personal robots is proving to be quite challenging. Hopefully voice control in such an inexpensive walking robot takes us a little further along the curve.
Re:One Step Closer (Score:4, Funny)
Suicide bombing robots?!? EVERYONE RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!
Re:One Step Closer (Score:2, Informative)
2001 (Score:3, Funny)
"I'm sorry Dave, I can't let you do that."
Naming convention (Score:3, Funny)
Gee, THX /. ... (Score:1)
Robosapien = Nothing Special (Score:3, Interesting)
And before anybody says its not a toy because of how complex its walking system is....well, give it normal sized feet so that its not impossible for it to fall over and then I'll consider it little more than an expensive toy with a good PR team behind it.
Forget robots, I want Voice Recognition in my car (Score:3, Interesting)
I'd like voice recognition in my computer (which, Yes, is next to my bed, and my bed is where I'm typing from at the moment) to do things like
- Set an alarm clock ("Alarm Clock, wakeup call seven thirty.")
- Listen to audio programs without turning on the monitor (when you want to sleep, and can't, I don't like turning on my monitor again just long enough to pick a new program to lull me to sleep; would be better to say "Audio player, MP3, ocean sounds.")
- connect to VoIP services ("Vonage Call Claire.")
So I'm glad to see it in robots, if that's what gets people interested enough to make progress -- it's like a casino; those shrimp are my bonus because of what other people like to do
timothy
Re:Forget robots, I want Voice Recognition in my c (Score:2)
my computer (which, Yes, is next to my bed, and my bed is where I'm typing from at the moment)
and this:
turning on my monitor again just long enough to pick a new program to lull me to sleep
Is why you have to do this:
- connect to VoIP services ("Vonage Call Claire.")
...instead of having Claire wake up next to you.
Line dancing... (Score:1)
swING your pardner round and round.
Out to the balcony--don't look down!
I can see the next Fox special now... (Score:2)
voice contorlled... (Score:1)