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Anyone added the EasyVR Development Kit to their robot? — Parallax Forums

Anyone added the EasyVR Development Kit to their robot?

DrPopDrPop Posts: 227
edited 2014-12-02 03:12 in Robotics
I read the admin post that says the EasyVR Development Kit product (http://www.parallax.com/product/30019) has been added to the End Of Life list.
They have just a few left, so I'm curious if this means a new "better" VR kit is in the works, or is it more like "this is it" and I should nab one if my daughter and I want to try voice commands with the Activity Bot someday?

Lastly, has anyone here used one, and if so, would it be too much for a novice or something we could get the hang of after a few months of this hobby?
Thanks!

Comments

  • banjobanjo Posts: 443
    edited 2014-11-30 23:24
    Parallax is discontinuing the product, but not the manufacturer AFAIK. I bought it and a Emic from Parallax a couple of months ago and hooked it to my PC to check that it works.
    Apart from that exercise I haven't done anything more.
    If you've just recently started with this hobby my recommendation is to take one step at a time. Trying too many things at one go might get you frustrated instead of excited :-)
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2014-12-01 04:40
    I have several of these I plan to use in various projects.

    I don't think there's a "better" version in the works. I think modules like these are on their way out since you can purchase a Raspberry Pi or similar small computer for about the same price as an EasyVR. The small computer could be used for voice recognition.

    While I think the small computer approach should work fine, I still think the EasyVR module will be easier to use than a computer based alternative.

    I took advantage of the reduced price of the EasyVR and purchased a couple more.

    There was some discussion of the EasyVR in this thread. Post #44 of the thread includes code to use speaker dependent words.

    While I agree with what Thomas wrote above, I think the current price of the EasyVR makes it worth purchasing now and you can have a goal of incorporating the device sometime in the future.

    One thing to keep in mind with this module is the need for relative quite in order for it to "hear" commands. It probably will not work well while motors are running on a robot. Even with this limit, I plan to add an EasyVR to a robot this week.

    I'm also incorporating an EasyVR into my robot remote project.
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2014-12-01 08:08
    I've used it on a couple of robotics projects, all to mixed results.

    The version I used had the soldered-on microphone. The later versions have the microphone separate, so you can move it to a place away from motors and vibration. That's important.

    Don't expect to speak to your robot from across the room. The microphone isn't that good, and it'll just be picking up motor noise from your robot anyway. I always thought the best way to do it was to mount the EasyVR into a headset equipped with a sub-controller and XBee. Then send the data over XBee to your robot. Any distance more than about half a foot or so between you and the robot will have greatly diminishing results.

    I never used the training mode, always the built in speaker independent commands. For whatever reason, on my EasyVR it consistently failed to understand the word "Look." Thinking I had some funny accent, I had others tried saying the word; likewise the thing responded with something else. It might have been a fluke with the version of the firmware in the model I had.

    I ended up using mine on a stationary robot (a robotic parrot), and avoided the need to use "Look."
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    edited 2014-12-01 08:28
    Sounds like a good wireless microphone and a receiver on the EasyVR would eliminate the noise problems on the robot end.
  • ValeTValeT Posts: 308
    edited 2014-12-01 11:49
    kwinn wrote: »
    Sounds like a good wireless microphone and a receiver on the EasyVR would eliminate the noise problems on the robot end.

    Or you could attach the EasyVR to the remote control, if you have one with your robot, and just send commands to the robot via an XBEE.
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2014-12-01 17:35
    The VR outputs a standard serial signal, with a default of 9600 baud -- nicely the same as the factory default for XBee. You could conceivably just treat the XBee link as a long serial cable. But I also like the idea of adding a few more smarts -- like a "kill" button (as in stop, not destroy), which you could do either on the XBee itself using its IO, or (my preference) a small processor to combine these and any other nifty features you can think of.

    Example: Andy L. of Parallax has a neat project using XBee and an accelerometer to control a robot. Something like that is pretty easy to add, along with the VR unit.

    Duane has the right idea with his robot remote. It's a bit more than what most people will do for their lonely bots, but it shows what can be done.
  • DrPopDrPop Posts: 227
    edited 2014-12-02 01:41
    OK, thanks for all the info! I get a little bit how it's supposed to work now, but being a complete newb at this hobby, I don't exactly understand all of how it works
    I'll think about it for a day or so and see if I can come up with any cool project ideas for Kat and I with one of these.
    I just didn't want to miss out on a cool kit if it was being phased out for good! ;-)
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2014-12-02 02:56
    DrPop wrote: »
    . . . I don't exactly understand all of how it works . . .

    Here's a quote from one attempt I made at explaining how the EasyVR works.
    Duane Degn wrote: »
    . . .
    The EasyVR doesn't make any decisions for you. Your microcontroller has to do all the decision making. Your program has to tell the EasyVR's when to change word sets, it wont do this on its own.

    I like to think of the EasyVR as a verbal touchscreen. The word sets are like the active menu displayed on the screen with the words within the word set acting like buttons on the touchscreen. When using a touchscreen, the microcontroller has to tell the screen what to display (which buttons are active) just like the microcontroller also has to tell the EasyVR which word set to use.

    I'm not sure how useful the touchscreen analogy is to someone who hasn't used a touchscreen.

    I'm still planning on adding an EasyVR to the robot I'm using to test the new Eddie firmware this week.

    Unfortunately I don't think there will be any EasyVR modules left by the time I make a video demonstrating the EasyVR controlled robot.

    I'm pretty sure there are several examples of robots controlled with an EasyVR or, its predecessor, the SayIt module. If I find one of these robots I'll add a link here.
    DrPop wrote: »
    I just didn't want to miss out on a cool kit if it was being phased out for good! ;-)

    It looks like there's just one left.

    Run; don't walk to the EasyVR's "Add to cart" button now.
  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    edited 2014-12-02 03:12
    Roboshop also carries the modules.

    http://www.robotshop.com/en/easyvr-speech-recognition-module-20.html
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