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Build Your Own Butler Robot!!! - Tutorial,Photos, and Video

by Erobots on June 11, 2008

Table of Contents

intro: Build Your Own Butler Robot!!! - Tutorial,Photos, and Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

step 1: Bill of Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

step 2: Building the Chassis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

step 3: Choosing the Right Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

step 4: Mounting the Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

step 5: Mounting the Caster Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

step 6: Building the Motor Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

step 7: Powering the Motor Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

step 8: Preparing to Make the Controller Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

step 9: Wiring the Relays For Motor A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

step 10: Wiring the Relays For Motor B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

step 11: Connecting the Relay's White Wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

step 12: Enclosing the Phidgets and Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

step 13: Mounting the Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

step 14: Connecting and Mounting the Phidgets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

step 15: Connect the Kill Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

step 16: Building an Enclosure for the Motor Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

step 17: Painting the Motor Control Enclosure Silver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

step 18: Fasten the Wooden Enclosure to the Chassis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

step 19: Attaching the Plexiglas Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

step 20: Building the Upper Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

step 21: Painting the Wood and the Mini Fridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

step 22: Building the Lower Portion of the Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

step 23: Building the Upper Portion of the Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

step 24: Installing the Mini-Fridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

step 25: Finish Installing the Mini-Fridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

step 26: Securing the Laptop in Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

step 27: Attach the Body to the Plexiglas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

step 28: Begin Building the Robot Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

step 29: Preapring to Build the Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

step 30: Making the Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

step 31: Attaching the Robot's Neck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

step 32: Attaching the Webcam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

step 33: Attaching the Whole Head to the Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Butler-Robot/
step 34: Getting the Gripper for the Left Robot Arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

step 35: Build the Gripper Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

step 36: Build the Arm Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

step 37: Paint the Gripper and the Arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

step 38: Motorizing the Arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

step 39: Mounting the Arm Motor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

step 40: What You Should Have So Far....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

step 41: Preparing to Build the Right Arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

step 42: Paint and Mount the Right Arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

step 43: Check Over Your Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

step 44: Connect Secondary Motors( non driving motors) To Secondary Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

step 45: Connect Secondary Motors to Phidgets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

step 46: Extend the Wires on the Gripper Motor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

step 47: Modifying the Pouring Servo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

step 48: Attach the Pouring Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

step 49: Attach the Servo's Connector to the Bottle Holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

step 50: Glue on the Bottle Cap Opener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

step 51: Extend Wires on Bottle Cap Opener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

step 52: Check it out!!!! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

step 53: Introduction to the Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

step 54: Verify Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

step 55: Downloading the Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

step 56: Explanation of Subroutines and Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

step 57: Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

step 58: Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Customized Instructable T-shirts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Butler-Robot/
intro: Build Your Own Butler Robot!!! - Tutorial,Photos, and Video
Ever wanted a butler robot that talks to you , follows you around , and even pours you drinks? Read this instructable to learn how to build your own voice controlled butler
robot which has many cool features.

This tutorial will show you how to make the butler robot , but any improvements that I add after this tutorial is finished will not be edited into this tutorial, but rather it will
appear on my robotics blog : eRobots.BlogSpot.com . eRobots.BlogSpot.com My blog has a lot of cool robotics and electronics stuff, so check it out!

Please note that this tutorial can be modified to each person's needs and you do not have the follow the exact dimensions that I wrote. To make it easier for users I did
write the dimensions that I used if they wanted a reference point.

I built my first version of my butler robot in 2007 and in June 2008 I began to make a newer version. The older version can be seen here:
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj202/erobot/Chives%20Original/DSC01588.jpg

The Functions of The Butler Robot:

1. Voice Commands for weather, time, and temperature

2. Pour a drink bottle into a cup

3. Manual control with a joystick

4. Cool soda cans in a mini fridge

5. Face recognition and greet people by their names

6. Follow a person wearing a certain color shirt

7. Avoid obstacles

8. Automatically dock to a charger

9. Sweep the floor

10. Wireless control over the internet

11. Wireless Remote Control from iPod Touch or SmartPhone

Video

PLEASE VOTE FOR ME

I WORKED VERY HARD TO MAKE THIS TUTORIAL VERY CLEAR AND EASY TO FOLLOW.

Someone told me that this looks like dalek from Doctor Who. Holy cow it does and I didn't even hear about Dalek or even Doctor Who until this morning!

NOTE: I am selling custom butler robots

Buy Your Own Butler Robot

MY PROMISE: If I win this contest and win a ticket to RoboGames, I will make a sleeker , cooler version of my butler robot ( equipped with tri-tracks, CNC body, better
robot arm) in 2009. I will enter that butler robot in RoboGames 2009 AND I will document that revised version even more than I documented this robot! That's gonna be a
very very detailed tutorial!
So please vote for me !!!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Butler-Robot/
 Image Notes
1. Gripper
2. Mini Fridge
Image Notes
3. Drink Pourer 1. Dalek
4. Motorized wheelchair base
5. Motorized arms
6. Webcam for Image Processing

step 1: Bill of Materials

Here is the final bill of materials. I divided it up into sections and included prices. So break open your piggy bank and collect the money , you'll be surprised it costs less
than $500 !!! ( not including laptop)

Please note that this is what I paid , I will include some comments on items I feel could be purchased for cheaper. These prices are not final and a lot of them I am not
exactly sure of what I paid since a lot were lying around my workshop for months and I don't remember the exact prices , only their relative ones.

I purchased all my parts from eBay ,Jameco, Home Depot , and AllElectronics.com . I used parts that are very common to find so you shouldn't have trouble finding any
of them.

Tools:

1. Drill

2. Electric Screwdriver

3. Soldering Iron with solder

4. Hot Glue Gun

5. Small flat head screwdriver

6. Scissors

7. Wire Stripper

8. Some sort of saw to cut the wood

9. Black Spray Paint Canister - $5

10. Silver Spray Paint Canister - $5

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Butler-Robot/
Chassis:

1. Two Wheelchair Motors - $100 on eBay

2. One 14" x 21" plywood 3/4" thick - $2 ( this depends on how big a piece of wood you buy and how much you cut)
3. Four machine screws ( this depends on what the wheelchair mounting holes accept) - $0.64
4. Four washers for the machine screws - $0.50
5. One caster to support at least 150lbs - $5.40
6. Two screws to mount your caster ( this also depends on what the caster mounting holes accept) - $0.32

Motor Control:

1. Eight 30amps automotive relays (cheapest I found is herehere) - $19.20

2. Four dual relay sockets (cheapest can be found herehere) - $12.00
3. Two 12V 20AH batteries ( you could really just get one and that would suffice) - $60.00
4. Phidgets 0/16/16 (I bought from TrossenRobotics.com , though eBay sometimes has them) - $99.00
5. Some 22 ga. or thicker black wire( get a 20ft roll and that will be enough for the whole project) -$3.00
6. Some 22ga. or thicker red wire ( 20ft roll will suffice for the whole project as well)-$3.00
7. Different color of electrical tape ( yellow,black,red,white) - $2.69
8. See through plastic cover - $2.00
9. Six L brackets ( each angle is 3" and 2" thick) - $3.00
10. Eight #8 x 1" drywall screws - $0.16
11. One 120V Light Switch w/ at least 14 ga. wires attached - $5.49

Lower Body:

1. Two 14.5" x 8" plywood 3/4" thick -$4.00

2. Two of 11.5" x 8" plywood 3/4" thick - $4.00

3. One of 14.5" x 13" Plexiglas 1/4" thick - $3.00

4. Seventeen #8 x 1" drywall screws - $0.34

5. Three L brackets ( each angle is 3" and 2" thick) - $1.50

6. Six #8 x 1/2" thick plastic spacers - $0.12

Upper Body:

1. One 5.5" x 9" plywood 3/4" thick- $1.00

2. One 5" x 9" plywood 3/4" thick - $1.00

3. Two 10" x 21" plywood 3/4" thick - $4.00

4. One 9" x 11.5" plywood 3/4" thick - $1.00

5. One 9" x 21" plywood 3/4" thick - $2.00

6. One 12VDC Automotive MiniFridge - $15.00 ( got lucky on eBay)

7. Six L brackets( each angle is 3" and 2" thick)-$3.00

8. Two #8-32 x 1/4" machine screw with two nuts and washers- $0.50

9. Twenty two #8 x 1" drywall screws - $0.44

Robot's Head:

1. 12" diameter cake cover - $1.29

2. One 1.5" dia. PVC slip-joint nut - $0.75

3. One PVC 7" x 1.5" diameter $ 3.00

4. One webcam - $5.00 ( eBay is a wonderful place)

Robot Arms :

1. Robot Arm Grabber Toy - $10

2. Two 1.5" dia. PVC slip-joint nut - $1

3.One 2" length PVC coupling - $0.50

4. Two 1.5" dia. PVC threaded pipe that is at least 4" long ( this can be cut into a straight piece) - $1

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5. Two 17" x 1.5" dia. PVC pipe - $ 4.00

6. Five L brackets( each angle is 3" and 2" thick) - $2.75

7. Four #8 x 1.75" drywall screws - $0.08

8. Four small L brackets ( servocity has similar http://servocity.com/html/534-633_bracket.htmlones, but theres always eBay :P ) - $0.60
9. One 6V NimH battery(I used that) or 6V battery pack(cheaper) - $11

10. HS-425BB servo( electronics were fried so I got it cheap) - $5

11. Rim of a 4" dia. Lego Wheel- $0.15

12. 1.5" dia. duct connector - $3.00

13. Motorized back wheels of toy R/C car - $1.00 ( eBay has a large selection of broken R/C cars whose motors still work)

14. Two skinny L brackets ( its like 3" long at each angle but only 1/2" wide) - $0.50

15. Eleven #8 - 1" drywall screws - $0.22

Plus the laptop of choice --- this can be anywhere from $100 - $3000 . I used an old one that was lying around

Also I want you all to know that around 50% of all the parts I had from beforehand in my workshop so it only costed me like 50% of the total price listed here. You too
probably have a bunch of the above parts lying around your house or perhaps you have friends who would be willing to donate parts, just use your resources and you
could make this thing much cheaper than it is now.

Total Bill: $420.14 + laptop of choice

step 2: Building the Chassis

The first step to building a butler robot is to construct a chassis.

The chassis is probably the most important part of the robot. If this fails than the entire robot is practically pointless. This is the foundation of the robot. The chassis is the
mode of transportation of the robot.

For motors I decided to use preowned wheelchair motors since they were pretty cheap ( ~$70 on eBay) and since they can handle a very heavy load .

What to ask when buying a wheelchair motor:

Do the motors actually work?

Do the motors come with wheels attached?
Do they draw more than 15 amps per hour?
Do they have too high RPM? ( this is relative to your application )
Do the motors have bad gears that make a lot of noise when turning?

RPM stands for revolutions per minute. Now lets examine that further. That means that at 1 RPM a 12" wheel will turn exactly once , which also means that the wheel
traveled 12". Now if that number was higher , say 60 RPM , then that would mean the robot would travel 12" per second. Now for me thats too fast , but it all depends how
fast you need it to go.

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step 3: Choosing the Right Materials
The material we need for the chassis needs to be strong and able to support massive pounds. I went along with wood , though plexiglass will be okay. Make sure you use
3/4" thick wood . Any thinner will not really support the weight. 1" is okay also, but its just extra weight.

I used: 14" x 21" and 3/4" thick

step 4: Mounting the Motors

You then mount each wheelchair motor to a piece of wood or plexiglas using the mounting holes as shown in the picture. Use washers and the appropriate sized thread
when securing the motors to the material. Try to align the sides of the motors with the wood so that the wheels are aligned straight.

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step 5: Mounting the Caster Wheel
Get a caster that can support 250 pounds . I purchased one from Home Depot, but any caster that can support 250 lbs. is good.

Attach the caster to the base as shown in the picture.

Now you should have a base looking something like the last picture attached.

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step 6: Building the Motor Control System
After the chassis is complete we have to make an interface to the motors so that we can control it from a laptop.

The two best methods to control a motor are using a MOSFET motor driver or using a relay. Since I am all about making a robot from common parts and taking
advantage of everything available , I used relays. The only downside of a relay is that they cannot be PWMed , which in plain english means you can't have speed control
with relays.

For those who have 125 dollars to spend on motor interface , they can get a serial motor controllera serial motor controller which does have speed control and can handle
around 20 amps.

For the majority who dont have that cash to spend, you guys will use automotive relays. The relays I used can be found herehere. Make sure that you this socketget this
socket also. The socket is awesome because it has color coded wires AND it allows you to replace relays easily. You need a total of 8 relays and a total of 4 dual relay
sockets.

step 7: Powering the Motor Control System

The motors will be powered by either one or two 12V lead acid battery(ies) OR buy two 6V batteries. The battery(ies) that you buy must be able to provide at least 20AH
each. If you decide to go with two 12V batteries you wire the batteries in parallel, if they are two 6V batteries then you wire them in series. If its only one 12V battery then
obviously you just directly connect wires to the battey without any hitch.

The relays need their own separate supply of 12V to actuate them . The relays will be actuated by the the main 12 volt power supply of the motors. The reason we can't
connect them directly to the computer switching circuit ( we will deal with that in the next step) is because that circuit can only handle 4 amps , and our motors draw 11
amps each . The relays draw less than 4 amps and can therefore control the motors easily.

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step 8: Preparing to Make the Controller Circuit
Step 1: Know what everything does - the relays ,Phidgets interface, and the batteries

Before we actually start making the relay motor controller circuit let's examine what a relay is and how it works.

Read the HowStuffWorks Article on Relays.

You should now understand that a relay is an electromagnet and a switch, and when the electromagnet has electricity running through it the switch closes, but otherwise
the switch is open. The switch in our relay will turn on or turn off a motor. You need 4 relays to make a motor be able to go forwards and reverse. If you want to
understand how that works have a look at this page.

The electromagnet will be turned on by a neat piece of hardware called a Phidgets Interface Kit. That is the hardware that will interface the computer to the relays. The
interface board consists of 16 inputs and 16 outputs. Right now we are interested in the digital outputs. The outputs are just digital switches that switch to ground.

In the diagram attached you can see that between points 85 and 86 there is the electromagnet which pulls the switch between 87 and 30 using its magnetic pull.

step 9: Wiring the Relays For Motor A

Step 2: Wiring the relays for Motor A

You should have 8 relays and 4 dual sockets. Put each relay in its designated socket.

The following steps are only for two dual sockets ( four relays). The other two remaining dual sockets will get a different wiring which will be detailed in step number three.

By the way whenever I say to connect the wires , I mean to solder them together. Also, the wheelchair motors should have four wires coming out. There are two thick
ones and two skinny ones. Leave the skinny ones alone for now. The thick ones should also be different colors, usually blue and red. If its different colors then just know
that I refer to one of the wires as the blue wire and the other one as the red wire.

You can either follow the steps below or just read this schematic and follow it. Make sure you follow the shematic by color code.
Schematic

A. First Dual Socket:

1. One of the relays in the dual socket

Here is the color code key for the wires for the one of the relays on the socket , do this for only ONE of the relays:

BLUE- Connect to power( the positive ) of the motor's batteries. This is the motor's battery's , not the batteries for the relays.

BLACK- Connect to the ground(negative) of the relay's battery

YELLOW- Connect to the blue wire of the motor

WHITE- Leave alone for now

RED - Not used in this project so you could just rip it out or whatever
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2. The other relay in the dual socket

Now for the OTHER relay thats in the same dual socket as the other one we just did:

BLUE- Connect to ground( the negative) of the motor's batteries. This is the motor's battery's , not the batteries for the relays.

BLACK- Connect to the ground(negative) of the relay's battery

YELLOW- Connect to the red wire of the same motor used above

WHITE- Connect to the white wire of the other relay in the same dual socket

RED - Not used in this project so you could just rip it out or whatever

Now that we are done with that dual socket , so set it aside. Pickup the second dual socket.

B. Second Dual Socket:

1. One of the relays in the dual socket

Here is the color code key for the wires for the one of the relays on the socket , do this for only ONE of the relays:

BLUE- Connect to power( the positive ) of the motor's batteries. This is the motor's battery's , not the batteries for the relays.

BLACK- Connect to the ground(negative) of the relay's battery

YELLOW- Connect to the red wire of the motor

WHITE- Leave alone for now

RED - Not used in this project so you could just rip it out or whatever

2. The other relay in the dual socket

Now for the OTHER relay thats in the same dual socket as the other one we just did:

BLUE- Connect to ground( the negative) of the motor's batteries. This is the motor's battery's , not the batteries for the relays.

BLACK- Connect to the ground(negative) of the relay's battery

YELLOW- Connect to the blue wire of the same motor used above

WHITE- Connect to the white wire of the other relay in the same dual socket

RED - Not used in this project so you could just rip it out or whatever

step 10: Wiring the Relays For Motor B

STEP 3: Wiring the Relays for Motor B

Now we have finished the motor control for one of the motors. One motor down, one more to go. The other motor will have the EXACT same wiring as the first motor
except that YELLOW wires will go to the second motor and not to the first motor ( which we just finished wiring above) . So follow the exact steps for wiring it again ,
making sure to wire it to the second motor and not the first.

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step 11: Connecting the Relay's White Wires
After you are done wiring both motors , locate the white wires. From each wire joint ( point where the white wires were soldered together) you need to connect some wire
( NOT ONE OF THE RELAY SOCKET WIRES) to the joint and then leave the end of that wire alone. If you followed the schematic and not the written steps , then you
already did this step.

OK so if you followed all the steps correctly you should have four wires(one per dual socket) which are connected on one side to the relays, but are not connected to
anything on the other side. You should also have a ton of wires everywhere.

step 12: Enclosing the Phidgets and Labeling

I put both my relay circuits in a nice plastic box and closed it up. This protects the relays and also looks nice as well. Notice how neat it looks! I labeled each individual
relay. I labeled them by color coded tape and by typed up label.

step 13: Mounting the Batteries

If you haven't done so already , mount the batteries. Use L brackets to hold the batteries in place. L brackets are 90 degree brackets of metal that can be found in all
hardware stores ( like Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) Just use the L brackets like I used it below to fasten the batteries to the chassis. Make sure the batteries are fastened
tightly and don't move, because while the robot is moving you don't want heavy objects like batteries falling out. Also, notice that I put duct tape to cover the battery's
terminals. You should do the same because you want to have the battery's terminal covered at all times to prevent short circuits.

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step 14: Connecting and Mounting the Phidgets
Remember the four wires you have from the wire joint from the relay? Now its time to connect them to the Phidgets. Connect the wires to the Phidgets output ports 0 - 3.
Each wire getting its own terminal, order doesn't really matter. Also , connect a wire to the relay battery's ground connection ( negative side) and connect the other end to
the two Phidgets terminals closest to output terminals 0 - 3 , they are marked "G". This assigns each output of the Phidget to its own dual relay.

To mount the Phidgets just stick screws or nails through its mounting hole and into the top of the plastic box which encloses your entire relay circuit. If you don't like that ,
then just mount it anywhere as long as the wires aren't getting to tightly pulled.

step 15: Connect the Kill Switch

Wheelchair robots are very powerful machines, if something goes wrong and it doesn't stop or something it WILL DO DAMAGE. This is why we need to install a
mechanical kill switch. All the switch is , is a standard light switch. The switch should have either two wires or two terminals on the side of it. Just cut the negative wire
that is going from the motor's battery to the relays. Now that it's cut , connect a switch in between the two wires. Very simple.

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step 16: Building an Enclosure for the Motor Control System
When we ended off in the motor control section , the robot had no enclosure and was entirely open and prone to damage.

To make a box for the phidgets and relays you'll first need to measure it out.

If you followed my template then you will need:

Two pieces of 14 1/2" by 8 " plywood and 3/4" inch thick

Two pieces of 11 1/2" by 8" plywood , 3/4" thick
One piece 14 1/2" by 13" plexiglas piece

Assemble the wood pieces only for now as shown in the picture, it should be a rectangle. Just take some regular 3/4" drywall screws or some nails and attach the wood
like as pictured below:

Now to see if its the correct measurements put the box you just made over the batteries, relays and phidgets. It should fit around them perfectly , as demonstrated below.

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step 17: Painting the Motor Control Enclosure Silver
Take the the wood enclosure off the chassis and lay it on the floor in a well ventilated area. Now get a canister of silver spray paint or just a bucket of silver paint and a
paintbrush. It would also be a good idea to wear gloves right about now. Spray paint the entire outside of the wood in an even coat of paint. Then let it dry for about an
hour or two .

step 18: Fasten the Wooden Enclosure to the Chassis

Fasten the (now silver and hopefully dry paint) wood enclosure to the chassis using L brackets.

Now it should look like this after you fasten it down with L brackets.

The CAD for this step can be found here:

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step 19: Attaching the Plexiglas Cover
Now take a handful. 1/4" plastic spacers
Nail two or three spacers to each side of the top of the enclosure as show in the picture below:

Take that piece of plexiglass that we cut before and put them on top of the spacers. Then drill holes in the plexiglas so that the holes are over the spacer holes and screw
the plexiglass through the spacer into the wood.

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step 20: Building the Upper Body
After the bottom is completely assembled and the robot is actually starting to like like a robot, we have to build the upper body , which is the part that will really define the
butler robot.This stage will also require the most amount of materials.

I used:

one 5.5" x 9" plywood and 3/4" thick

one 5" x 9" plywood piece and 3/4" thick
two 10" x 21" plywood piece and 3/4" thick
one 9" x 11.5" plywood piece and 3/4" thick
one 9" x 21" plywood piece and 3/4" thick

Cut those materials and lay them outside on the floor. Take out a canister of black spray paint and prepare to paint!

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step 21: Painting the Wood and the Mini Fridge
Spray paint the wood pieces black and also spray paint the mini-fridge if its not black.

Wear latex gloves so your hands don't get dirty and also be sure to do the painting outdoors , its dangerous to inhale those vapors.

step 22: Building the Lower Portion of the Body

Attach the 5.5" x 9" piece to one of the 10" x 21" pieces as shown in the picture below.

Grab the other 10" x 21" piece and attach it to the other end of the 5.5" x 9" piece.

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step 23: Building the Upper Portion of the Body
Now attach the 5" x 9" piece to the other end of the wood and stand up the wood so that the 5.5" x 9" piece is on the lower end.

Then take the 11.5" x 9" wood piece and screw it down to the top of the enclosure ( make sure the 5.5" x 9" piece is on the lower end!!!)

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step 24: Installing the Mini-Fridge
Take two L brackets and connect it so that the top of the bracket is 5" above the floor.

Take that mini-fridge and lay it down on top of the L brackets we just put up.

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step 25: Finish Installing the Mini-Fridge
To secure the mini-fridge in place use a hot glue gun to glue the sides of the minifridge to the wood.

It should be secured and shouldn't wobble in there. Make sure that you have enough clearance to opne the fridge door.

The mini-fridge should have two black wires coming out from the back. Connect the end of one wire to the positive terminal of the 12V battery and the end of the other
wire to the negative terminal. Now whenever the robot turns up the minifridge will be on.

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step 26: Securing the Laptop in Place
The laptop that I dedicated to Chives(my butler robot) was an old one I had and had a 17" screen. Lay the laptop that you have vertically on the space that is in back of
the chassis and secure it with L brackets.

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step 27: Attach the Body to the Plexiglas
Unscrew the plexiglas cover that we put on the motor enclosure place it on the floor . Now put the wooden box we just built on top of it ( aligning it so that its in the
center). Secure the wooden box to the plexiglas using two L brackets.

step 28: Begin Building the Robot Head

The robot head for your butler robot can be whatever you want . I decided to make a dome shaped head with one eye. Here are the instructions for the robot head that I
made:

Get a 12" diameter cake cover and if its not silver yet , then spray paint it silver.

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step 29: Preapring to Build the Eye
Now find a soldering iron that you don't mind destroying. ( you can actually just clean it up afterwards it doesn;t really destroy it)Plug in the soldering iron and wait for it to
heat up.

Now find one threaded PVC connector ( 1.5" diameter is what I used).

Make sure the soldering iron is very hot before proceeding to the next step. ( don't touch it with your hand , but if you put water on it and see the water vapor then its hot)

step 30: Making the Eye

Hot glue that white PVC piece to the silver dome in the place where you want the eye. Now the soldering iron is nice and hot you need to slowly melt a hole inside the
PVC piece you just glued. Make sure you don't melt the actual plastic piece.

step 31: Attaching the Robot's Neck

After you melted that hole in the last step , wet the soldering iron with a sponge and unplug it , letting it cool.

Take some PVC pipe ( I used a 7" , 1.5" diameter PVC pipe) and hot glue it to the bottom of the cake cover as shown. Make sure the PVC is attached securely.

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step 32: Attaching the Webcam
Find that webcam that you will dedicate for this butler robot ( I used Quickcam Pro 4000 ) and glue it so that the lens of the camera is looking through that hole we melted.

step 33: Attaching the Whole Head to the Body

Now the glue the other end of the PVC pipe to the center of the top piece of the wood platform we made.

Cool head isn't it?

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step 34: Getting the Gripper for the Left Robot Arm
The gripper that will be used was taken from one of those robot arm extender toys. Make sure the gripper is motorized.

step 35: Build the Gripper Part

You will also need the following PVC parts , I believe one is called a threaded PVC connector and the other is a 2" length pipe with a piece of plastic sticking out in the
back.

Put the threaded connector over the pipe piece and connect the end of that pipe to the gripper. Hot glue the end of the pipe to the gripper.

step 36: Build the Arm Section

Now take any piece of PVC pipe that is threaded on the end and cut the pipe around three inches from where the threaded part begins.

Hotglue that piece that was just cut to the end of a different 15" PVC pipe

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step 37: Paint the Gripper and the Arm
Now take both pieces outside and spray paint them black. Use the same spray paint color you used on the body

After its dry you can attach the gripper to the pipe by just twisting the threaded connector on top of the threaded portion of the long PVC pipe.

step 38: Motorizing the Arm

Now take one of the two Power Wheels motors and mount the long PVC pipe of the robot arm to it , using some small L brackets.Use hot glue if you want to secure it
more.

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step 39: Mounting the Arm Motor
Mount the motor to the body using two screws and to secure it further hot glue the back to the wooden body.

step 40: What You Should Have So Far.......

If you followed everything correctly you should have a robot body that resembles the one below.Just make sure you got this done and then we will go on to the next steps
where we mount the other arm and mount the whole body to the motorized chassis.

Pretty cool , huh?

step 41: Preparing to Build the Right Arm

Take another piece of the 17" PVC pipe and attach a threaded connector.

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step 42: Paint and Mount the Right Arm
Spray paint that black and mount it to a motor with two small L brackets(one on top and one on bottom) as we did before to the other arm. Use hotglue if needed to
secure the arm.

Make sure that both arms are secure before proceeding to the next step.

step 43: Check Over Your Work

Your robot's body from the front should look like the pictures attached. A back view picture is also attached.

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step 44: Connect Secondary Motors( non driving motors) To Secondary Battery
There should be two wires coming from each motors. Connect the red wires from each of the motors and connect those red wires to the positive terminal of the 6V battery
pack.

step 45: Connect Secondary Motors to Phidgets

Connect the Negative terminal of that 6V battery to the negative of the 12V battery ( which is common ground) then connect the black wire of the left arm motor to Output
#6 , and the black wire of the right arm motor to Output #7.

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step 46: Extend the Wires on the Gripper Motor
Solder on wires to the existing wires connected to the gripper and connect the red wire to the positive terminal of the 6V battery and the black wire to output #15.

step 47: Modifying the Pouring Servo

Open up the servo for pouring and solder on longer wires to the motor terminals. ( the red and black wires pictured)

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step 48: Attach the Pouring Connector
Attach the connector ( which is a rim of a toy wheel) to the axle of the motor using

step 49: Attach the Servo's Connector to the Bottle Holder

Attach the servo connector to the pipe connector and tighten them together.Then mount the servo the PVC pipe arm of the right arm using screws or hotglue.

step 50: Glue on the Bottle Cap Opener

Hotglue the motorized wheel to the bottle holder on an angle so that the wheel brushes against the cap of the bottle.

Picture isnt showing for some reason , so the link for it is here:

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step 51: Extend Wires on Bottle Cap Opener
Solder on longer wires to the motorized wheel . Connect the red wires of both the servo motor and the motorized wheel to the positive terminal of the 6V batttery. Connect
the black wire of the servo to Output #8 of the Phidgets. The black wire of the motorized wheel should be connected to Output #9.A cup can be attached on a L bracket if
you want to add one.

step 52: Check it out!!!!

Fasten everything down to the body and double check to make everything is in order . Now look at your butler robot, pretty cool isn't it?

In the next steps we'll give it its intelligence.

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 Image Notes
1. Gripper
2. Mini Fridge
3. Drink Pourer
4. Motorized wheelchair base
5. Motorized arms
6. Webcam for Image Processing

step 53: Introduction to the Software

The software that Chives runs off was created in Visual Basic 6 and makes heavy use of Microsoft Vista's Speech Recognition Tool.

The minimum laptop requirements for the butler robot are as follows:
1. Runs any version of Windows Vista
2. At least 512 MB RAM
3. Two USB ports
4. Wifi Adapter ( Built-in or USB)
5. Speakers (Built-in or USB)

You will need to install/ setup the following programs and drivers:
1. Microsoft Visual Basic 6 ( if you want to edit and run the butler robot's program)
or if you want to only run the butler robot's install this runtime filesoftwareinstall this runtime file
2. Setup Microsoft Vista Speech Recognition
3. CCRP Timer Object
4. Phidgets 21 Installer Package
5. Free Voip Calling from Robot
6. RoboRealm

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Butler-Robot/
step 54: Verify Connections
After installing everything verify that the Phidgets Interface Kit Outputs are connected to their appropriate components. If something is wrong then just make the proper
connections.

Output(0) = Relay for Left Motor to turn forward

Output(1)= Relay for left motor to turn in reverse
Output(2) = Relay for right motor to turn forward
Output(3) = Relay for right motor to turn in reverse

Output(6) = Left arm motor

Output(7) = Right arm motor

Output(9)= Bottle Cap Opener motor

Output(10)= Bottle tilter

Output(15) = Gripper Motor

step 55: Downloading the Code

The code can be downloaded from this page . Just download it , unzip it , and run the self installer .
Be sure to read the description in the self installer - it has important information.
This is version 1 of the code. Look on my blog ( eRobots.BlogSpot.com) for the most updated version.

This code has the following features:

Voice Control Over the Following:

1. Drive in all four directions - distance in "units"
2. Speak the Current Time
3. Speak the Temperature in Your Area
4. Speak the Weather Conditions
5. Pour a Drink
6. Raise Right Arm
7. Raise Left Arm
8. Close gripper
9. Various Sound Effects ( gun shot , load gun , laugh , etc.)

Text to Speech Warning of the Following:

1. No internet connection
2. Low Battery
3. Being Remote Server Operated now

This code is a stable release . My program with Voip and Roborealm interface has some bugs , so I'll only release that when I get all those bugs worked out.

In the next few tutorials I will be explaining parts of the code so that you will be able to edit it to your liking.

To run my program do the following. Launch Vista Speech recognition and get it out of sleep mode and have it listen. Then launch my program . Now speak the
commands and Vista Speech will click the commands that are in my program.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Butler-Robot/
File Downloads

Butler_Robot_Installer.exe.zip (2 MB)
[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'Butler_Robot_Installer.exe.zip']

step 56: Explanation of Subroutines and Functions

I have included in the code a lot of subroutines and functions to make the code easier to use and easier to understand .

Here is a list of the major subroutines and functions

1. Speak
The Speak subroutine will play the sound file which is specified . All sound files must be in the "Voice" folder in order to play.
The syntax for the Speak subroutine is : Speak (filename as String)
ex: Speak "File1" - this will play the sound file "File1.wav" which is in the folder "Voice"

Note: For variables such as weather conditions make sure that the proper sound file exists for the condition.

2. Pause
The Pause subroutine will as it's name implies pause the code for a certain amount of milliseconds.The Pause function uses the Sleep function( a Win32 function) , but
before sleeping it makes sure that all prior commands were fully completed.
Syntax for the Pause subroutine is : Pause (milliseconds as Integer)
ex: Pause 2000 - this will sleep for 2000 milliseconds a.k.a 2 seconds

3. Drive
The Drive subroutine is responsible for controlling the drive motors. The subroutine requires two variables to be filled in order to work. The two variables that it relies on
are strDriveDirection and strUnits. strDriveDirection is a public variable because that way the direction can be set separately and in a different procedure than strUnits.

strDriveDirection tells the subroutine which drive relays to activate and strUnits tells the subroutine how long to activate the relays.
Syntax for the Drive subroutine is:

strDirection = (direction as String)

Drive (milliseconds as Integer)

ex: strDirection = "Forward" ' set the Direction to forward

Drive 3000 'Drives for 3000 milliseconds or 3 seconds

4. Get_Time
The Get_Time public subroutine returns the current time in a variety of variables. It has the ability to separate the time into the singles and tens place, set the time to 12
hour time, divide the day into AM and PM, and even divide the day into day phases(e.g. afternoon).

The syntax for it is either Get_Time or Call Get_Time

It returns the following public variables:

strDayDivider - this is either AM or PM
strHours - the amount of hours in 12 hour time ( maximum is 12)
strRawHours- the amount of hours in 24 hour time ( maximum is 24)
strRawMinutes- the amount of minutes ( double digit)
strSinglesMinutes- the amount of minutes in the singles place only ( single digit)
strTensMinutes- the amount of minutes in the tens place only ( e.g. 30 , 40 , 50 )
strDayPhase - either "Morning" , "Afternoon", or "Night"

5. Get_Weather_Info
Gets the weather information( temperature and conditions) and returns public variables.

The syntax is either Get_Weather_Info or Call Get_Weather_Info

It returns the following public varables:

strTemperature - temperature in degrees farenheit ( double digit)
strDegrees_Singles - temperature in the singles place only ( single digit)
strDegrees_Tens - temperature in the tens place onle ( e.g. 10 , 20 , 30 , 40)
strFeels_Like - feels like temperature in degrees farenheit ( double digit)
strFeels_Like_Singles - feels like temperature in the singles place only (single digit)
strFeels_Like_Tens - feels like temperature in the tens place only (e.g. 10, 20 ,30)
http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Butler-Robot/
strWeather_Conditions - the weather conditions outside ( can be anything from herehere )

There are many other minor subroutines and functions , but the average user will not need to use them .

6. HighOutput
This subroutine sets the assigned port number a logical high or on.

syntax HighOutput(portnumber as integer)

ex: HighOutput (9) - Turns on Output 9 of the Phidgets

7. LowOutput
This subroutine sets the assigned port number a logical low or off

syntax LowOutput(3) - Turns off Output 3 of the Phidgets

step 57: Videos

Here are a bunch of videos demonstrating the butler robot's abilities.

Video

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Butler-Robot/
step 58: Updates
For updates on my butler robot project check out my blog
eRobots.BlogSpot.comeRobots.BlogSpot.com

Warning:
This project can be very dangerous if you are not careful. Be careful and scared of your tools. Do not do anything stupid which could be dangerous to your health . I am
not liable for any injuries, death, or any damage that might have occured by following this tutorial.

Also , you should be afraid of your robot . When this thing is on , it has a lot of torque and its probably stronger than you and can push you over and run you over.

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Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 124 comments

footer0 says: Sep 27, 2008. 7:57 PM REPLY

disturbing

Plasmana says: Sep 27, 2008. 9:56 AM REPLY

Great work!

cantthinkof bettername says: Aug 4, 2008. 7:11 PM REPLY

This is amazing! I gave it five stars, and voted for it in the book contest. I would love for the world to have more servant robots to do stuff for me so I don't
have to. Could you use a segway or winget as a base for the robot? I guess that would cost a lot more. I also think humanoid robots are cool, but not very
practical for the price. Could you make an autonomous version?

Erobots says: Aug 4, 2008. 8:03 PM REPLY

thank you!

I could definitely use a segway as a base , but cash is my problem right now I am actually working on a giant mech for me to ride on right now , and if
that goes well then I'll add it to Chives .

I might make my own self balancing robot base and add that to Chives as well.

Chives has some autonomous features like obstacle avoiding and following red shirt people , but due to lack of speed control it needs work. Humanoids
are definitely not cost effective , but they are really cool.

I am developing a newer version with tracks and speed control , that will be finished like next year.

Nice to see people interested!

Have you any experience in robotics?

,Eric

cantthinkof bettername says: Aug 5, 2008. 4:29 PM REPLY

Not really. I have always wanted to build one, but it would be really expensive. I made some of those Lego robots before and some very simple kits.
How much processing power does a robot like this need?

Erobots says: Aug 6, 2008. 4:20 AM REPLY

I could really run this robot on a microcontroller but I chose a laptop to make it easier to program and to do remote control over Wifi.

If you have interest in robotics look at SocietyofRobots.com/robotforum

I am a member there and they answer your robotics questions in detail and quickly.

rak says: Sep 16, 2008. 1:14 PM REPLY

ir remote control?

cantthinkof bettername says: Aug 6, 2008. 3:35 PM REPLY

well I just thought that you wouldn't need the screen on the robot, so you could save weight and expense. the cherrypal computer uses only
two watts and weighs ten ounces and costs $250 and has wifi. I will go to that website now.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Butler-Robot/
 Erobots says: Aug 7, 2008. 4:41 AM REPLY
also

another option to the cherrypal is the EEE PC , which is only ~50 dollars more but has a screen and built in wifi , and built in battery .

cantthinkof bettername says: Aug 7, 2008. 7:23 PM REPLY

Oh yeah, I forgot about those.

Erobots says: Aug 6, 2008. 4:45 PM REPLY

well you don't need a computer at all!

I told u a microcontroller is fine but since I had an old laptop on hand I used that.

Thats a nice find right there !

rak says: Sep 15, 2008. 3:31 PM REPLY

can u combine this with the serverbot
and small robots

using the small ones as an "escort" or something like that

also, can u possibly make this like a self moving workstation with printer..., cuz i kinda need something like that? ..

thnks

Erobots says: Sep 15, 2008. 5:44 PM REPLY

yes I could design those and make a custom robot for you

If you are interested please contact me through email

airman00 at gmail.com

rak says: Sep 16, 2008. 1:11 PM REPLY

just asking, but thanks anyway

Robert L says: Sep 14, 2008. 1:40 PM REPLY

Cool I Gave It *****

HDM528 says: Sep 14, 2008. 10:47 AM REPLY

that could be the next big thing in the magizine

"Big Inventions" great job

can i get one

Erobots says: Sep 14, 2008. 11:07 AM REPLY

which magazine?

mayoom says: Sep 2, 2008. 3:00 PM REPLY

man thats AMAZING !
Great JOB !
i'm really impressed : )

rak says: Aug 26, 2008. 8:31 AM REPLY

this is great

where can i see the 5000 $ version that u r selling?

and once again im into the whole wii thing, so can u use glovpie to map the commands (see my instructable if u dont know what im talking about)
hold the wiimote sideways (power button side to the left) and tilt it for the robot to move, and the buttons can do other stuff in the program --- just an idea

5 star work

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Butler-Robot/
 Erobots says: Aug 26, 2008. 9:20 AM REPLY
thanks for the nice words!

I am currently not selling versions of my robot anymore at least not for another 6-8 months. I am busy with my other projects and its not really worth it for
me to sell butler robots. I like your idea with the wii . I might incorporate it into my bipedal robot that I am working on now.

JellyWoo says: Aug 13, 2008. 7:43 PM REPLY

wait, if this whole build costs $500, then why are you selling them for $5000? btw, you were a runner up in the robo games. good job!

JellyWoo says: Aug 14, 2008. 7:51 PM REPLY

opps, i meant you won second.

Erobots says: Aug 13, 2008. 9:18 PM REPLY

well thats because you aren't paying for the same robot.

The 5000 dollar one looks much much nicer , has custom CNCed parts , and pours drinks better. Plus the 5000 dollar one has a bunch of more stuff that
can be added on.

JellyWoo says: Aug 14, 2008. 8:23 AM REPLY

oh. can you post a picture of it?

Erobots says: Aug 14, 2008. 2:28 PM REPLY

lol its not done yet , but yea I'll post a pic once its done and about to be shipped

JellyWoo says: Aug 14, 2008. 3:23 PM REPLY

thanks

JellyWoo says: Aug 13, 2008. 7:22 PM REPLY

it says you need to use wheel chair motors, but i have this old kids electric motorcycle that can be charged. if i take this apart, will it work? thanks

Erobots says: Aug 13, 2008. 9:19 PM REPLY

Those motors are used in the arms of Chives . However if you make everything out of plastic and make everything lighter then those motors will work
fine. However they are a pain to attach to stuff ( mount on wheels, etc.)

JellyWoo says: Aug 14, 2008. 8:24 AM REPLY

do you know how heavy chives is?

Erobots says: Aug 14, 2008. 2:27 PM REPLY

the version pictured here is very heavy , I'm not so sure of the exact weight but I would say around 100 lbs or something.

If you use plastic and a lighter battery it will be drastically reduced.

JellyWoo says: Aug 13, 2008. 7:41 PM REPLY

i'll post a picture tomorrow

JellyWoo says: Aug 14, 2008. 8:32 AM REPLY

here it is.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Butler-Robot/
 Erobots says: Aug 14, 2008. 2:28 PM REPLY
that has only one motor inside it and its a pretty weak motor at that .

JellyWoo says: Aug 14, 2008. 2:28 PM REPLY

oh, do you know what i can use the motor for?

Teh_Fluff says: Aug 5, 2008. 5:56 PM REPLY

nice! voted, 5*s and faved. keep up the good work

edfel01 says: Aug 3, 2008. 11:19 AM REPLY

holly crap this is the coolest robot i have ever seen!!!!

Erobots says: Aug 3, 2008. 12:19 PM REPLY

thanks!

you know that I am selling versions of my butler robot to the public ... ;)

airman00.googlepages.com

SuperCoPilot says: Aug 1, 2008. 11:21 PM REPLY

OOO a new and improved version can't wait

Ro-Bot-X says: Jul 24, 2008. 6:48 PM REPLY

Hey Airman00, nice instructable! I wish I had enough time to do one too. Oh well, maybe next time!

Erobots says: Jul 28, 2008. 5:20 AM REPLY

hello

thanks for the nice comment!

Erobots says: Jul 28, 2008. 5:20 AM REPLY

I am starting to sell lighter versions of Chives , my butler robot

It has all the same features , but it is made of light plastic instead of heavy wood

Butler robots start at around $4000 , price varies with features included.

Email me if you are interested

airman00 at gmail.com

masterj says: Jul 21, 2008. 10:24 AM REPLY

or this ...http://cgi.ebay.com/Rear-Wheel-Drive-Motors-Merits-MP3C-Electric-
Wheelchair_W0QQitemZ260265254320QQihZ016QQcategoryZ19265QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

masterj says: Jul 21, 2008. 10:21 AM REPLY

would this work ... plz reply soon ...
http://cgi.ebay.com/PRIDE-JAZZY-ELECTRIC-WHEELCHAIR-MOTORS-POWER-
WHEELCHAIR_W0QQitemZ170241151899QQihZ007QQcategoryZ19265QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

cooldog says: Jul 20, 2008. 8:00 PM REPLY

hey this is really cool i've been following your projecty on SoR and you have done a great job

Erobots says: Jul 21, 2008. 10:17 AM REPLY

hey cooldog

thanks for your vote!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Butler-Robot/
 masterj says: Jul 21, 2008. 10:06 AM REPLY
very nicely done 5 stars ... now i want to build this so how much do you htink this would cost if i didnt have a single part .... no charger no laptop no minifridge
or anything?

masterj says: Jul 21, 2008. 10:05 AM REPLY

sorry ... i just read the first step so now i see...

Erobots says: Jul 21, 2008. 10:17 AM REPLY

thanks for your vote

btw , I would suggest you use a motor driver and not relays like I did. Motor driver would let you have speed control. But motor drivers are more
expensive as well...

I'm working on a more advanced version of my butler robot as we speak , so maybe you'll wanna wait a few months until that documentation is
completed.

email me if you need any extra help

airman00 at gmail.com

plane phanatic says: Jul 20, 2008. 5:46 AM REPLY

Excellent job! You did an amazing job with this robot!

+1 vote
5/5 stars

Erobots says: Jul 20, 2008. 7:31 PM REPLY

thanks!

if you need any help building it , just drop me an email

airman00 at gmail.com

view all 124 comments

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