VRbot Module
of assuming the penalty kick position when
turned on.
With Prince Myshkin fully recovered, we
were ready to wire up the VRbot module. Maybe
with voice command capabilities Myshkin could
go from the idiot to part of Craig Ferguson’s
Robot Skeleton Army. There was only one way
to find out …
Eye of the Tigal
The VRbot module can be acquired from the
Tigal website for a cool 39 euros, but included in
that price tag is a polished little unit and a
plethora of support from the website. The website
includes all of the documentation that a tinkerer
could ever wish for, with everything from
datasheets to software.
The VRbot module itself is a breeze to hook
up with only three connections to be made. One is
a socket for the microphone, and the other two
wires connect to the Robonova itself. The Tigal
website features an illuminating diagram that
shows exactly where to plug the wires into the
Robonova. The board on the Robonova itself (the
MR-C3024) clearly labels the pins (VCC, ground,
and serial transmit and receive) to dispel any
second-guessing.
The VRbot board is small enough to mount
inside of the Robonova body panels, which seems
to us to be quite a necessity given the rough and
tumble acrobatics of the bot. An instructional
video on the Tigal website that goes step by step
though the process of implementing the VRbot
module recommends affixing the board to the
inside of the front panel of the Robonova using
double-sided tape. The wires can actually run
through the center of the bot’s chest to reach the
pins, and we also found that the back body panel
even has enough room to house the board. After
closing up the robot, the only evidence of its new
abilities was the small microphone popping out
the body panel. In true Van Gogh fashion, we
attached Myshkin’s new ear on the right side of
his head with a bit of tape. Now we were ready
for some voice training.
PRINCE MYSHKIN’S HIP REPLACEMENT:
AN HSR-8498HB SERVO FROM HITEC.
HIP SURGERY FOR MYSHKIN.
SERVO 05.2010 73