Inspector Buddy - a robot with the heart of a Nokia smartphone
Last week, Inspector Buddy, a robot project based on a Windows Phone smartphone, created by indie developer Robert Oshler, won the Accela Construct App Challenge 2014 Developer Contest Grand Prix.
Inspector Buddy is an affordable (if not cheap) robot that is designed to help real estate inspectors in the process of surveying residential and non-residential premises by protecting them from accidents and industrial injuries. In this post we will share some details about the project, the heart of which was the Nokia Lumia 521 (the camera version of the smartphone Lumia 520).
The main idea of creating Inspector Buddy is an attempt to replace a person (in this case, a real estate inspector) with a budget semi-automated solution when inspecting hard-to-reach or potentially dangerous places.
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The technical basis of the project is WowWee's RoboMe robot, which for about $ 78 can be ordered on Amazon and other online stores by anyone, as well as an inexpensive smartphone on Windows Phone (in this case, Nokia Lumia 521 for $ 69, but in As a basis, you can use another smartphone on WP) and a tablet / laptop / PC on Windows. However, all this would be a simple toy if it were not for the software foundation that turns an ordinary robot into an Inspector Buddy. It consists of two applications for Windows and Windows Phone with integrated API Accela Construct and CivicID. With this software, in addition to the live video broadcast, Inspector Buddy is able to take pictures and record video, which, thanks to the integration of the project into specialized software, will automatically be attached to the real estate survey report.
The Inspector Buddy has a little backstory. The robot is a continuation of the last project of Robert Oshler - Nanobot, based on the same technological basis.
Using the principles of speech recognition and having conversation skills, Nanobot is able to play simple games with people, explore and guard the house, recognize objects (like book covers and music plates) and even be a physical transmitter of messages from one person to another. And all this thanks to the "brain", implemented in the form of a bunch of Nokia smartphone and applications for Windows Phone. The application itself, in addition to Robert’s own work, is closely integrated with Cortana and other APIs from Microsoft.
The continuity of Robert’s projects is also reflected in the fact that the Inspector Buddy uses the same code base as Nanobot.
“When I learned about the Accela developer competition (an international company working in the field of digital and web solutions for state-owned companies, author’s note), I realized that there is a certain niche for research robots that could be used by real estate inspectorates, and I can adapt my previous Nanabot project for exactly this purpose, says Robert. “Such a robot would protect inspectors, for example, from such typical hazards when inspecting private homes as rats, snakes, poisonous spiders and other dangerous inhabitants of attics, basements and air ducts.”
"In addition, the small size and weight of the robot will allow the inspector to check the difficult to reach and dilapidated areas to avoid potential injuries and even accidents," he added.
The robot can be controlled by gestures using a special V.BTTN Bluetooth controller from VSN Mobil. It is a fairly simple bracelet with a one-button interface for activating controls and other commands and a built-in accelerometer for determining the movement of the user's hand.
So far, Inspector Buddy is designed as a single test sample, but Robert continues to develop this project into a simple DIY solution that is available not only to large state organizations, but also to small private companies. On the development of the project can be found on the personal site of Robert .
For those who want to create a smart robot based on Windows Phone, Robert launched a crowdfunding project that provides anyone who wants access to software that allows them to create an analogue of Nanobot (the robot is sold separately).
You can register at the Nanabot Developer project site to get personalized technical support for the RoboMe open-source toolkit for Windows Phone, as well as access to other useful tools developed by Robert, even before they are made publicly available.
Inspector Buddy is an affordable (if not cheap) robot that is designed to help real estate inspectors in the process of surveying residential and non-residential premises by protecting them from accidents and industrial injuries. In this post we will share some details about the project, the heart of which was the Nokia Lumia 521 (the camera version of the smartphone Lumia 520).
The main idea of creating Inspector Buddy is an attempt to replace a person (in this case, a real estate inspector) with a budget semi-automated solution when inspecting hard-to-reach or potentially dangerous places.
')
The technical basis of the project is WowWee's RoboMe robot, which for about $ 78 can be ordered on Amazon and other online stores by anyone, as well as an inexpensive smartphone on Windows Phone (in this case, Nokia Lumia 521 for $ 69, but in As a basis, you can use another smartphone on WP) and a tablet / laptop / PC on Windows. However, all this would be a simple toy if it were not for the software foundation that turns an ordinary robot into an Inspector Buddy. It consists of two applications for Windows and Windows Phone with integrated API Accela Construct and CivicID. With this software, in addition to the live video broadcast, Inspector Buddy is able to take pictures and record video, which, thanks to the integration of the project into specialized software, will automatically be attached to the real estate survey report.
The Inspector Buddy has a little backstory. The robot is a continuation of the last project of Robert Oshler - Nanobot, based on the same technological basis.
Using the principles of speech recognition and having conversation skills, Nanobot is able to play simple games with people, explore and guard the house, recognize objects (like book covers and music plates) and even be a physical transmitter of messages from one person to another. And all this thanks to the "brain", implemented in the form of a bunch of Nokia smartphone and applications for Windows Phone. The application itself, in addition to Robert’s own work, is closely integrated with Cortana and other APIs from Microsoft.
The continuity of Robert’s projects is also reflected in the fact that the Inspector Buddy uses the same code base as Nanobot.
“When I learned about the Accela developer competition (an international company working in the field of digital and web solutions for state-owned companies, author’s note), I realized that there is a certain niche for research robots that could be used by real estate inspectorates, and I can adapt my previous Nanabot project for exactly this purpose, says Robert. “Such a robot would protect inspectors, for example, from such typical hazards when inspecting private homes as rats, snakes, poisonous spiders and other dangerous inhabitants of attics, basements and air ducts.”
"In addition, the small size and weight of the robot will allow the inspector to check the difficult to reach and dilapidated areas to avoid potential injuries and even accidents," he added.
The robot can be controlled by gestures using a special V.BTTN Bluetooth controller from VSN Mobil. It is a fairly simple bracelet with a one-button interface for activating controls and other commands and a built-in accelerometer for determining the movement of the user's hand.
So far, Inspector Buddy is designed as a single test sample, but Robert continues to develop this project into a simple DIY solution that is available not only to large state organizations, but also to small private companies. On the development of the project can be found on the personal site of Robert .
Own robot from Nokia Lumia
For those who want to create a smart robot based on Windows Phone, Robert launched a crowdfunding project that provides anyone who wants access to software that allows them to create an analogue of Nanobot (the robot is sold separately).
You can register at the Nanabot Developer project site to get personalized technical support for the RoboMe open-source toolkit for Windows Phone, as well as access to other useful tools developed by Robert, even before they are made publicly available.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/232751/
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