This project is about trying to make a robot that looks like a character from a video game called World of Warcraft. This robot is obtainable in the game through the engineering profession.
Since I liked the aesthetics, I think it will be fun to build it and gradually add functionalities.
First prototype
The first prototype consists of:
- Designing the robot’s skeleton freely using Inventor
- Trying out different electronic stuff to figure out what works best.
- Testing simple functionalities with the OpenAI API
Limitations or things to consider
- The ‘brain’ will be a Raspberry Pi Zero W, which limits the performance and computational capabilities that can be achieved in the short term (it’s a 32-bit computer).
- I have to design all the robot parts myself because there are no existing templates for this robot online..
Head and neck
I’ve designed these pieces for the head and neck:
A textured tube has been used for the neck. Inside the tube, there is a servo motor that serves as the neck in the horizontal axis.
There are 2 yellow LEDs on the head that emulate the eyes.
Torso
It consists of a box where the Bluetooth speaker is placed to enable the robot to speak.
Software
Due to the limitations of the Raspberry Pi Zero W, it’s difficult to obtain audio output and analog sound input. My idea is to use a small Bluetooth speaker I already have and disassemble it to place it in the torso.
So far, I’ve been messing around with the OpenAI API, and it’s doing its thing, talking back (thanks to Festival) in response to whatever I ask it.
