This tutorial will show how to build a simple voice controlled robot that's easy enough for beginners to make in just a few hours. I show how it can be done in two languages, both English and Thai.
The cost of the entire project is about ~$224, which factors in quality components and parts.
There will be three parts to this tutorial. This part will show you how to assemble the robot mechanically, the next part will show you how to program your microcontroller, and the last part will be how to configure voice recognition.
Watch the video for step-by-step instructions, and see the result at the end. If you like it, please boost my ego and rate this Instructable =)
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Signing UpStep 1: Parts Needed
(2) servos - I used HS-311 for ~$8.99 each
(2) servo mounts $1.95
(2) wheels - I custom made these using a CNC (although a laser cutter would be better), but you can buy some for ~$3 each
(1) 6V NiMH battery - about ~$22 for a quality battery
(1) small piece of plastic (scrap)
(16) 4-40 screws ~$2
(1) Axon II microcontroller $118
(1) VRbot Voice Recognition Module $57.95










































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1) can i use any other microcontroller if axon is not avaliable.
2)can i use any other simple voice recoginition module...
as i am a beginner how can i program axon 11 or any other microconroller
thankyou
sir, i would like to know weather we can use any other microcontroller instead of axon 2 mc with vrbot.
as this microcontroller is not available in india.
or any other way to make a voice controlled robot.
thank u
i loved the robot
Try posting your question here, there are several experts that will probably have good advice:
http://www.societyofrobots.com/robotforum
(try searching the forum first)
John (admin)
www.societyofrobots.com
-The arduino does NOT require 2 batteries. You can easily power an arduino and servos off one 6V or even a regulated 5V supply (I do it all the time). Why would you think/say that you need two - that's just misleading.
-You can use an arduino to drive servos and interface with a voice recognition module as you did here without any kind of shield.
-You claim that the axon is plug and play, requiring no shields or protoboard - Tell me then, how do you drive anything that draws >20mA of current such as a standard hobby motor that is a 1 amp inductive load requiring power handling components in the form of a shield or custom external circuit?
-The axon is actually ~3.25x as much as a standard arduino, perhaps you are including shield costs, but this project requires no shields if implemented on arduino.
-What are the 3x features that the axon has over arduino? Is it not an 8 bit atmel microcontroller broken out on a dev board just like the arduino? I bet you can even use the axon drag and drop programming tool with an arduino.
-The only advantage I see is that this microcontroller has is that it has built in headers to connect servos to it (it's an advantage if that's what you are looking to do).
> The arduino does NOT require 2 batteries.
The Arduino, unless recently changed, does not use a LDO voltage regulator. The regulator simply won't turn on when using a 6V battery, unless that battery is fully charged (meaning its closer to ~6.7V). That basically means it requires a 7.2V battery to run the on-board logic. A servo will run on 7.2V, but most batteries aren't designed to handle more than 6V. Operating at higher voltages, even on a fully charged 6V battery, will greatly reduce the lifespan of your servo. I suspect you are running your Arduino on a fully charged 6V.
> You claim that the axon is plug and play, requiring no shields or protoboard
I made no claims to having an on-board motor driver. It's 'plug-n-play' in that it doesn't require a breadboard or a special shield - ie you can simply connect directly to the Axon bus and be done with it.
> The axon is actually ~3.25x as much as a standard arduino
The Arduino has a lot of hidden costs, like you said, such as the cost of a protoboard, wiring for that protoboard, the additional battery, and shields. As the voltage regulator on the Arduino is a low efficiency type, you'll also burn through your battery faster, meaning you need a bigger battery to get the same bang for the buck. It's not a hard number as it depends on what your project requires, of course.
> What are the 3x features that the axon has over arduino?
Again, it really depends on what your project needs. The Axon has 4x as many UART ports, 4x as many PWM and interrupt ports, 4x the memory, 3x the total I/O, 2x the timers, and 2x as many ADC ports. I consider being smaller a feature, as well as the power buses, but thats more qualitative. I also consider the higher efficiency LDO regulator a feature as well. You may not consider these features, but try making a biped with 16 servos and you'll see quickly the advantage the Axon has. I honestly can't see myself making a robot with less than 4 UARTs (GPS, voice recognition, bluetooth wireless, Blackfin camera, USB, Razor IMU . . . thats 6 already).
> I bet you can even use the axon drag and drop programming tool with an arduino.
Yeap, WebbotLib supports the Arduino. But you'll find limited memory and limited timers on the ATmega168 preventing you from fully taking advantage of it. The 328 on the newer Arduinos is fine, though, as it has more memory.
Your other arguments are reasonable as well. Good points. Reading my previous comment I may have been a bit over aggressive. Apologies!
Hope pic10f is more smaller and more energy saver..Any idea?
Excelent use of video. It is much easier to follow video for something like this than pictures and text.