I was looking for a test platform to learn more about robotics, and came across a kickstarter on Indigogo, now closed. It was for a “Advanced Quadruped Robot With AI Modules”. I have some experience with MCUs and AI, servo’s and electronics so I thought I’d participate. That was in November 2021. The website is www.xgorobot.com where you can find links to repo’s and firmware.
The parcel arrived yesterday, and I quickly checked it out. Its not a Boston Dynamics machine, it does not have paw sensors. It is mostly a platform of servo’s in the right configuration. Powered down the legs dangling do feel a lot like a small cat sleeping, legs bending become a tangle fast.
When you start the robot up it shows a menu on the K210 screen. It has quite simple hardware, a K210 and MSP32 Wifi chip. The menu includes face recognition, face tracking, gesture recognition. The dog will move in respons to the face or hand gestures.
I still have to connect to the board by USB (connector on the front) and investigate the Git Python repo’s. Best case one can upload code to the dog using a library but I have not found an explanation on how to do that yet. Also the app I downloaded does not have all the features.
My next step will be to find out more about the AI module and how to script the Robot. Have to find an installer for the XGO programming environment
A good intro in the video below..
