Understanding How This Exhibit Works:

    Prior to using this exhibit you must program the robot arm’s control panel to recognize your voice commands. The computer is totally literal, so be careful to correctly state commands. When each command is stated during use, the arm will latch the command.
    When you are ready to command the motions of the Robot Arm, remember to say “Stop” when terminating a command or it will keep going.  Example of correct command language is: “Forward – Stop”, “Clockwise – Stop”, “Down – Stop”, “Counterclockwise – Stop”. As you can see the voice commands always are followed by the “Stop” command to terminate the last action. If the “Stop” command is not used the commands combine and the arms motions will keep going or cancel each other out.  If such an error occurs the “Stop” command ends the error.  The only exception to this command protocol is the hand function, which is addressed as “Open” or “Close” without saying “Stop”. This allows the hand to have a constant grip on objects while other commands are being stated.

To program the unit you will be prompted to speak the command and then to repeat it again. This will give the computer two examples of each command to build a voice pattern map, which it uses to compare to your voice commands.
    Keep in mind that the control uses speaker dependant voice recognition, so in effect it learns to recognize your distinctive voice patterns. In theory this means that the controls can learn to recognize other words as having the same meaning. This allows the control panel to be reprogrammed to recognize different types of speech, accents or languages.

The robot arm moves by the use of a series of servos, a control board and a series of limit switches. The limit switches limit the travel and allow the arm to feel its surroundings. They also restrain the arm from crashing into objects. In this respect the arm is capable of adapting to a changing environment and refusing the users commands if the commands would result in damage to the arm or objects surrounding it.

   The arm has pressure sensitive and end of travel limits, and can adapt to any arrangement of objects stacked in it’s path. It is made of light weight 6061 Aluminum. This arm is totally open framed for educational viewing and based closely on the proportions of an actual human arm. It is especially designed with safety features and force limits.
    Built in logic allows robots to act as a mechanical assistant and simple electronic brain. In the ideal case this accents the human user potential to perform a given task.

Activity: Try to control the arm using the voice commands. Attempt to pick up an object and set it on one of the pedestals in the exhibit activity area.

Specifics: