WowWee Rovio specific
NOTE: To use your Rovio Robodance over Skype, you need to have a Windows PC connected to your home network running Robodance 5. Since most broadband users have leave their PC on this is not a problem for most people.
Rovio over Skype!
Rovio can work over Skype using Skype's video call service. The benefits of using Skype are huge and include:
 Much easier hassle free setup for your Rovio
Eliminates the need to learn how to expose Rovio's ports to the Internet, a task known as port forwarding . Also eliminates the need for a Dynamic domain name service account and the accompanying Rovio setup required to use one. (The port forwarding operation and Dynamic domain name service account are necessary so you can access your Rovio from outside your home. With Robodance 5 and Skype, they are not required.)
Instead, all you need are two free Skype accounts and installing Skype is a very easy one click process. In some cases you may need to tell your Firewall to give Skype access to the Internet but that usually takes only a few seconds. In fact, most Firewall's will ask you if you want to give Skype access the first time you run it.
IMPORTANT!: If you want to find out if Rovio + Skype will work for you, run this simple test. Install Skype on a Windows PC at home, Windows 2000 or newer. Then, install Skype again on the remote device or find a device that can run Skype and use it for the test. Note the two Skype accounts will have to have different Skype names, one for the PC at home and one for the remote device. From a remote location, call in to your PC at home. If you can connect, you can use Robodance + Skype.
- High quality audio in both directions regardless of what browser you use
If your laptop or other web enabled device can run Skype's video call service, you can have audio in both directions. (Without Robodance, you need IE 6 or better to have audio support. Note, Rovio's audio sounds noticeably better over the Skype link than it does with IE's ActiveX control).
- Secure audio, video, and login
This makes using a public access WiFi point much safer since your login user name and password are not being transmitted in plain text to the WiFi access point, like it is without Robodance. Also, your video and audio are encrypted by Skype, along with your Skype login, so WiFi hackers that use "sniffers" can't eavesdrop on your connection or steal your login details. (Note, if you are using a Rovio account with administrative rights, which is a bad idea, the hacker/sniffer can log in to your Rovio, change your password, and lock you out of your own Rovio until you get home. You don't need to worry about that with Robodance since it uses Skype to provide the external connection and hides your Rovio connection behind it).
- Let others access your Rovio easily
Allowing others access to your Rovio is much easier. Currently you have to create addtional user accounts to allow others to access your Rovio, and delete those accounts or change the passwords to revoke that access when you need to. (There's nothing like having your drunk friend dial in to your Rovio at 4 in the morning when you're sound asleep!). With Robodance you just add or remove their Skype name to and from the authorized callers list. Note: By using Skype, direct access to the Rovio is hidden by Robodance and Skype, which acts as shields between you and the Web. You get all of the benefits of remote access, but without the risk of exposing your Rovio’s ports to the Web, as described above.
- “Skype only mode”
If the web enabled device you will use to log in to Rovio remotely is capable of running Skype's video call service, but can not run Robodance, then you can use "Skype only" mode. In this mode you control your Rovio using your voice and/or the number keys. This is made possible by Robodance 5's support for voice commands and DTMF recognition. (As an alternative see “Robodance remote mode” below
(Skype uses DTMF tones when you press the 0-9, # and ‘*’ keys).
More Features for Rovio in Robodance 5 (not Skype related)
- Docking status monitor
Robodance will alert you via E-mail if your Rovio is unable to Dock successfully and requires your attention.
- Scheduled patrol routes
Robodance can have your Rovio execute patrol routes at certain times of the day without your intervention (currently you have to call in to Rovio to execute them yourself via the web interface). This is good for patrol routes you set up with Rovio that have photographs taken at different waypoints on the route that are sent to you E-mail account.
- “Robodance remote mode”
If your remote device is a Windows PC, you can run a second copy of Robodance in remote mode, and use a complete web interface to control Rovio over Skype. Remember Robodance is free so running additional copies costs you nothing extra.
Brand New Tools for Developers, Tinkerers, and Hackers
Robodance 5 has been upgraded extensively to allow you to add new functionality to Robodance, whether it is for a currently supported robot or for a new one. You can now create your own Command Blocks and use them in Scripts, or trigger them via Voice Control, WiiMote control, or interface them with any feature that Robodance provides.
Command Block Types
There are 3 main kinds of Command Blocks you can create with Robodance, described below.
HTTP Command Blocks
An HTTP Command Block is simply a URL with standard arguments. Robodance itself uses HTTP Command Blocks to talk to Rovio's web server. Even if your robot does not use HTTP commands you can still add tremendous fun and functionality to your robot with HTTP commands. Robodance includes a simple text extraction tool that lets you pull data from any web page and then have your robot do something as a result of the extracted text. For example, you could have your Rovio Twitter a message when it takes a picture, or scrape a weather page and make an announcement if its cold or hot, etc. The possibilities are nearly limitless.
Python Scripts
You can create Command Blocks that run Python scripts. Robodance can pass information to, and receive information from, most Python scripts. This opens up Robodance's Scripting, Voice Control, WiiMote control and advanced audio platform features to Python programmers. Also, since there is an existing easy to use interface to OpenCV (the open source machine vision library), Python programmers can experiment with adding machine vision to their robot's capabilities. Currently there are not any scripts in Robodance to do so, but as the Python programmers get working with Robodance, that should change very quickly.
Run Program
You can have Robodance execute any program on your local PC. Currently you can only send information to programs as command line arguments but can not process any output printed or returned by the program. However, this is still a very powerful tool to run programs that can interact with your robot or other robots, trigger electronic devices, fire off E-mails, and many other applications.
In all 3 cases, you can either provide default values for the parameters needed to execute the Command block, or you can specify that Robodance should stop and ask for the values during the execution of a script. For example, you might want to set the movement speed on your robot to a particular value, whenever you execute a script. When it encounters your new Command Block Robodance will pause the script and put up a dialog screen to get the needed parameters. This is a screen driven alternative to using the GET_SPEECH Command Block described below which can get information needed by your script via Voice Input.
With HTTP commands and Python scripts, data is extracted from the result of executing the Command and then stored in Robodance's data bank. The data bank can then be accessed by other Command Blocks in the Script and they can use that information to make decisions and take different actions depending on what they find there.
Access to Robodance's Advanced Audio platform
NOTE: All 3 kinds of Command Blocks get full access to Robodance's advanced audio handling platform. This includes:
- Receiving and processing voice commands
Robodance can listen to the local PC microphone, audio coming from a Skype caller, or audio coming from Rovio's microphone to use as input for doing speech recognition.
- Recording audio from any recognized audio input source
Currently supported channels are: the local PC microphone, audio coming from a Skype caller, or audio coming from Rovio's microphone. Other sources will be added as time goes by.
- Playing audio to any recognized audio output channel
Currently supported channels are the local PC speakers or headphones, the current Skype caller (if any), and Rovio's speaker. Other sources will be added as time goes by. You could play sound effects, recordings of your voice, music, help prompts, etc.
- Playing a "Text To Speech" (TTS) generated waveforms to any of the recognized audio output channels.
New Built-In Command Blocks
Several powerful new built-in Command Blocks have been added to Robodance's default library. Here are their names and descriptions:
- IF_THEN
This command block can access Robdance's data bank, which contains the results of previously executed Commands, and take different actions based on what information is in the data bank. For example, a previously executed HTTP command might have left the current temperature for the weather in the data bank. If it's cold then you could run a Script that has your robot go to the window and kick it. If it's warm, you could send an E-mail to a friend who is snowed-in, inviting them to come down and enjoy the sun.
- GET_SPEECH
You can play an audio prompt to the user over any of the recognized audio output channels, and wait for a Voice Command from the user. The reconignized speech will be stored as plain text in the data bank. You can then use Rovio's IF_THEN block to run different scripts based on what was said.
- TEXT_TO_SPEECH
Robodance will take a string of text, for example "Buy me batteries!", and use Text To Speech to play an audio file created via speech synthesis that sounds like a person saying the text, to any of the recognized audio output channels.
- SEND_SKYPE_CHAT
If Robodance is connected to a Skype call, you can craft a Skype message complete with Skype's Emoticons and send it to the caller as part of the executoin of a Script. You can even create the text on the fly by using information in Robodance's data bank.
Support Added for Many New Robots
Here's a list of robots that were added to Robodance 5's supported robot list:
- Rovio
(Note: Rovio does not require any additional hardware like an infrared transmitter to work with Robodance. The ones below do).
- Femisapien - WowWee’s first female robot ever and an amazing dancer!
- Tri-Bot - Omnidirectional 3 wheel base, tells jokes, and plays games with you
- Wrex The Dawg - a cartoon character come to life in robot dog form
- Roboboa - WowWee’s big, bad, robot snake
- U-Command Wall-E - Your own little planet saving trash compacting robot
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This adds to the already long list of the robots supported by Robodance which currently includes: Robosapien, Robosapien V2, i-SOBOT, Robopet, Roboraptor, Roboreptile, Roboquad and Animatronics T-Rex.
General improvements
Upgraded Script Editor
- Cut and Paste of Command Blocks
The script editor now has full cut and paste facilities allowing you to cut and paste Command Blocks between scripts and between different parts of a script.
- Scheduled Scripts
You can attach a time of day to a Script and Robodance will execute that Script when the time comes.
Fresh New Interface
Robodance's user interface has been redesigned. The individual overlapping module screens are gone and have been replaced with a convenient new Tabbed design, just like your web browser.
Roboremote Support
Robodance 5 will have support for WowWee's inexpensive and versatile new infrared transmitter, the Roboremote. Robodance is free but you'll have to get Roboremote from a third party. (Please do not buy a Roboremote until Robodance 5 is officially released just to be safe!)
Previous features
Remember, this big list of new features is in addition to Robodance's already lengthy list of features which include:
- Full Voice Control of any supported robot.
- Full control of your robot using the Nintendo Wii Remote (WiiMote) including the use of arm gestures to control the i-SOBOT robot. Requires a WiiMote and a Bluetooth transceiver, but the Wii console is not required.
- Advanced scripting features.
- And much more!
Estimated Release Date
Robodance 5 is currently targeted for release by the end of March 2009. However, a pilot or pre-release testing program is scheduled to begin near at the end of January 2009. People who are not already on the Robodance newsletter list and want to know when Robodance 5 is available, should subscribe to the Robodance newsletter.
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