Server robot -- man machine interface

This is not the case for the joystick used on a motorized wheelchair.


Maybe Dave can help on this. Have you seen his Loki robot?

http://www.dshinsel.com/


Motion sensors in a hat or head band?

JC

casey wrote:

Loki is similar to what I would like to build.

Both the wheelchair joystick and the headband ideas are good and
I'll suggest them to Frederic.  Part of the answer, and something
I do not know, is how long what we do should last.  That is, at
some point he will lose all motor control in his hands.  When that
happens voice control and/or a headband will be needed.

thanks
Bob

I was thinking more in terms of voice control as regards Loki.

If money isn't an issue a second hand newish motorized wheelchair
is an instant solution to a mobile base and is the one I would
choose for my robot base if I had a spare $2500.

It also retains its value as a motorized wheel chair which may be
needed as such in the future? Unlike most robot bases it will not
end up collecting dust in some garage without resale value.

I would not wait for future developments in the here and now for
getting a practical working robot base in action right now.

It would be less than a weeks work in my opinion to have a visual
system follow a line, or a wire under the floor, with software to
choose any forks in the road. Are looks more important than a
system that actually works and is needed right now?

If carrying a cup of coffee from the kitchen to the desk is the
only problem I would think an auto coffee making machine on the
desk would be the practical solution? There are also those spill
proof cups? Also there is nothing nicer than a kind human making
a coffee for you. Building a robot just to carry a cup of coffee
seems a bit of an extreme solution and seems to me to amount
to nothing more than a bit of fun rather than of any real practical
value as there are other simpler alternatives like a cart that
can be pushed and also act as support.


JC

Bob Smith wrote:

How about something like a servo-ed waldo? You are already going to
make it maneuverable with a cane when all fails. Maybe you can use
the same socket to control the robot movement when it is operating
normally...

Antoon

Jaded Hobo wrote:

     That is a great idea.  It could be simple if I can figure out how
to mount everything.  Three microswitches should do it -- turn left,
turn right, and go forward.  If the robot is working the switches can
control it and if the robot is not working the cane attachment point
doubles as the tow point.   What a great simplification.  Thanks.


Bob Smith

Have a handle permanently installed at the appropriate height for him
to grab.  If there are some buttons on it, then that is your backup
interface.  I would suggest that these buttons be able to control the
robot, even if the separate remote control computer is down... perhaps
even if the on-board computer is down.  I imagine as a programming
geek, he is going to play a lot with the programming, and that means
it is going to crash or get locked up.  So, the ability to move the
robot in those situations would be nice.  But, rather than as a back-
up device, I suspect that just pressing the "Go to Chair" button would
be easier than going through the dialog.   If he is capable of
preparing a cup of coffee and holding it to drink, he is capable of
pressing a button.

Another option is the smart-home type of interfaces used to automate
household lights, etc.  At my home I have control buttons by my bed,
at my desk and one on the wall. A set of buttons can be placed
anywhere.  But, you would still be relying on a computer being up to
do anything. the reliability is reduced.

Joe Dunfee