Steampunk Style Demi-droid EZ-Robot Controlled

FRED (Friendly Robotic Entertainment Droid ) is an Instructable inspired "Steampunk" style demi-droid made of recycled metals and woods . Its head is an inspiration from various YT examples. The eyes are handmade from epoxy resin and are interchangeable with spares. Looking carefully on the head there is also ample etchings of Jules Verne's 20,000 leagues type sea creatures and Victorian scrolls. The "time machine" is inspired from H.G. Wells Time Machine. One hand is hand built from arbutus wood to help operate the time machine lever. The other is a typical 3 clawed hand also to operate the time machine. Inside the 20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea book is a robot operated slideout from a recyled cd player to display all sorts of things. The unfolding working wings inspired by Instructables and ...of course Leonardo daVinci!

The microcontroller is a wireless Bluetooth EZ-B soon to be WIFI , with EZ-Builder software a windows based GUI developed by DJ Sures of EZ-Robots. All the software is on a Windows 7 or Windows 8 based PC and or Android OS. The GUI EZ-Builder is very simple to use giving any robot builder a quick start to getting a robot moving, listening , speaking, face and color tracking ,internet access AND monitoring many sensors. FRED's software does these things and more. His personality generator allows a quasi/random intelligence. For instance on boot up FRED will randomly generate 1 of 12 different personalities based on the 12 Zodiac signs using the provided EZ-B Personality Generator. He begins a dialogue often asking questions , and with Windows speech recognition can allow an amazing conversation to take place. You never really know what hes going to say! While carrying on a conversation or listening for direct commands he is monitoring numerous sensors like the room temp ,day, evening or night light conditions. Listening for sounds and using a IR and ultrasonic sensor he knows when "somebody" is near by. And with a newly developed software " add on" by Justin Ratliff, one of the Forum members, he calls EZ-face, will recognize your face, after training or anyone else's face ! "Hello Jennifer Lopez! How long are you in town " or "Greetings Jean Luc Picard shall I engage warp speed? " How amazing is that!! FRED's EZ-Robot camera can be seen poking out beneath his nose watching for humans or colored objects to track! The software can also access the "Net" and can scrape all sorts of information like giving a weather report to listening to your favorite radio/music channel!

Because FRED has "no legs" I plan on having him sit in an old style , steampunk era wheel chair inspired by X-Men's Professor X. Until then he will sit on a steamer trunk underneath a Curtained veil .

This is my first robot and is a "developmental " platform to learn all aspects of building a robot from EZ to use software to microcontroller / servo hardware . You may also notice rudimentary "gearing" which was also researched! This robot is more then a wind up toy but a continually developing companion/character.