The “Q.bo One” robot released by Thecorpora is based on RPi 3 and Arduino, and provides stereo cameras, microphones, speakers, as well as visual and language recognition.

In 2010, as an open-source proof of concept and a research project to explore AI capabilities in multi-sensor, interactive robots, robot developer Francisco Paz and his company Thecorpora in Barcelona launched the first Qbo[1] “Cue-be-oh” robot. After a preview at the Mobile World Congress in February this year, Thecorpora put it on Indiegogo, collaborating with Arrow to launch the first mass-produced version of the social robot.

Left side of Q.bo One

Top of Q.bo One

Like the original, the new Q.bo One has a spherical head with eyes (dual stereo cameras), ears (three microphones), and a mouth (speaker), and is controlled by WiFi and Bluetooth. Q.bo One also uses open-source Linux software and open-spec hardware. However, it does not use an Intel Atom-based Mini-ITX board, but runs Raspbian on a Raspberry Pi 3 connected to an Arduino-compatible motherboard.

Side view of Q.bo One*

Q.bo One launched on Indiegogo in mid-July, with a starting price of $369 (for early buyers) or $399, which includes the built-in Raspberry Pi 3 and Arduino-based “Qboard” controller board. It also has a complete kit for $499. Currently, the crowdfunding goal on Indiegogo is $100,000, which has reached about 15%, and it is expected to ship in December.

More professional robotics engineers and embedded developers may want to use a version worth $99 that only includes the Raspberry Pi and Qboard PCB and software, or a $249 version that provides a robot kit without the circuit board. With this version, you can replace the Qboard with your own Arduino controller and substitute the Raspberry Pi 3 with another Linux SBC. The company lists Banana Pi, BeagleBone, Tinker Board, and the soon-to-be-discontinued Intel Edison[2] as examples of compatible alternatives.

Q.bo One kit

Unlike the 2010 Qbo, Q.bo One cannot move except for its spherical head; it can rotate on its base with the help of a dual servo system to track sounds and movements. Robotis Dynamixel servos are also open-source, and the Raspberry Pi is based on the TurtleBot 3[3] robotics toolkit, allowing it to move up and down as well as left and right.

Details of Q.bo One

Details of Qboard

Q.bo One is similar to the Linux-based Jibo[4] “social robot”, which was crowdfunded on Indiegogo in 2014, ultimately raising $3.6 million. However, Jibo has not yet shipped, and recent delays[5] forced it to release a version sometime this year.

Q.bo One

We boldly predict that Q.bo One will ship around December 2017. The core technologies and AI software have been proven, and so have the Raspberry Pi and Arduino technologies. The Qboard motherboard has been manufactured and certified by Arrow.

The open-source design indicates that even the mobile version will not be a problem. This makes it more like a rolling humanoid creature Pepper[6], which is a similar AI conversational robot from Softbank and Aldeberan.

Q.bo One has added some tricks since the original version, such as a “mouth” made up of 20 LEDs that mimics lip movements in different programmable ways during speech. If you want to get the robot’s attention, it also has three touch sensors on its head. However, you can simply talk, and Q.bo One will turn around and gaze at you like a Cocker Spaniel.

The interface is the same as that on your Raspberry Pi 3, which eliminated other competitors in our 2017 Hacker PCB Survey[7]. Antennas for WiFi and Bluetooth are installed for the Raspberry Pi 3.

Software architecture of Q.bo One

Q.bo One and Scratch programming

Qboard (also known as Q.board) runs Arduino code on the Atmel ATSAMD21 MCU and has three microphones, speakers, touch sensors, Dynamixel controllers, and an LED matrix for the mouth. Other features include GPIO, I2C interfaces, and a micro-USB port for connecting to a desktop.

Q.bo One can recognize faces and track movements; the robot can even recognize itself in a mirror. With the help of cloud connectivity, the robot can recognize and communicate with other Q.bo One robots. The robot can answer questions with the help of natural language processing and read aloud through text-to-speech.

Scratch programming can be used, which is the main function of the robot and can teach children about robots and programming. The robot is also designed for educators and makers and can serve as a companion for the elderly.

The Raspbian-based software uses OpenCV for visual processing and can be programmed in various languages (including C++). The software also provides hooks for IBM Bluemix, NodeRED, and ROS. You might also be able to integrate Alexa[8] or Google Assistant[9] voice agents, although Thecorpora did not mention this.

More information

Q.bo One launched on Indiegogo in mid-July, with a starting price of $369 for the complete kit and $499 for the complete combination. Shipping is expected in December 2017. For more information, see Q.bo One’s Indiegogo page[10] and Thecorpora website[11].

via: http://linuxgizmos.com/open-source-social-robot-kit-runs-on-raspberry-pi-and-arduino/

Author: Eric Brown[12] Translator: geekpi Proofreader: wxy

This article is originally compiled by LCTT and presented honorably by Linux China.