Robotics

May 2026: The Platform Takes Shape

Posted on by burf2000

Hello and welcome to another Burf Update. Two months have passed since my last post, and for once I can say the gap is because I’ve actually been building things rather than just thinking about them.

Burf Platform
Back in March, I admitted I hadn’t properly defined what the Platform was or what problem it solved. Well, that’s changed — and it’s been the main focus of the last two months.

The headline is BRemote — a unified app now covering four robots across two platforms. The Android app supports Sanbot, Afobot, and iPAL from a single codebase, and the iOS app brings the Double 2 into the fold. Getting iPAL working was a pleasant surprise given how locked down it can be — Sanbot control is working really well, Afobot is solid with some minor turning quirks still to iron out, and iPAL has a working camera feed with full control coming next.

Beyond the apps, the Platform API is now properly working — WebRTC video feeds running across all robots with data recording, telemetry, and commands consistently across the fleet. It’s starting to feel like a real product rather than a collection of separate experiments, which is a good feeling.

PiBob
PiBob has been open-sourced — the aim was always to make it as accessible as possible, and this feels like the right move. ROS2 support is on the roadmap, but right now the Platform is the priority.

Viam Rover
The Viam rover is up and running, auto-connecting to the Viam cloud on startup. I’ve already built a Burf Platform driver for it, so it sits alongside the other robots in the dashboard. More time is needed to properly put it through its paces, but the integration is there.

UGV
Back up and running after the Cube Black USB port issue was resolved. Had a brief play but nothing dramatic to report yet — it’s a capable machine that deserves more focused time than I’ve given it.

Hack24
Still parked. One day!

InMoov
Nothing to report this month. The Platform is where the energy is going right now, and that feels like the right call.

Brilliant
Still going daily and at 533 days now. One of those habits that just keeps rolling.

Plan for 2026 — honest scorecard:

  • Strengthen Burf Robotics — progressing
  • Launch Burf Platform as MVP — BRemote unified across four robots and two platforms, API working, data recording underway. (Strong progress)
  • Continue learning ROS2 — PiBob driver on the roadmap. (Progressing)
  • InMoov Robots — Still quiet. (Needs attention)
  • Continue Brilliant learning — Daily streak continues. (Ongoing)
  • Build my own robot product — PiBob open-sourced. (Progressing)

For the first time in a few months, the plan actually feels like it’s moving in the right direction. The Platform has a clear identity, BRemote has a consistent name across both platforms, and the focus is on holding. Let’s see if I can say the same thing next month.

March 2026: The Robot Edition

Posted on by burf2000

Hello and welcome to another Burf Update. So, as usual, my ability to focus on a single thing has gone Pete Tong. In the last edition, I was set on getting the Platform out there and seeing if it has legs. Instead, I purchased some new toys!

iPAL Humanoid Companion Robot
The first interesting addition to my robot collection is the iPAL robot — slightly taller than a Sanbot, it’s a super cute, child-like robot. It has working arms, though the fingers aren’t powered. It runs Android 7 and they’ve done a solid job with the software — the head tracking is a nice touch and the voice is surprisingly cute. I believe they still sell them, and it even comes with a ROS driver, which I’m looking forward to exploring.

Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV)
This large, monster truck-like robot was an interesting eBay find — clearly someone put serious money into building it. It runs the Herelink system with a CubePilot Cube Black brain, and comes equipped with GPS (Here2), Lidar, and a camera system. From the Android-powered controller you can send it GPS waypoints and off it goes autonomously. It’s a new area of robotics for me and I’m looking forward to spending more time with it.

PiBob Desktop Robot
I also built a desktop robot called PiBob. The aim was to design something fun that was as cheap and simple to build as possible — and it was great fun to make. It’s powered by a Raspberry Pi 3 (had one lying around) and a servo shield, using affordable servos that keep the total build cost under £100 excluding the Pi. It’s still early stages, but I’m hoping to expand it into a larger, moving version.


The Platform
Not much progress on the Platform this month — I’ve been trying to find the headspace to properly define the MVP and the problem it actually solves. The current robot support list, outside of the ROS 2 driver, is fairly limited and a little dated. Once I’ve got clarity on the direction, I can move it forward with more purpose.


Tarot FY680 Heavy Lift Autonomous Drone
I bought this drone a few months back, but have never tried to fly it — out of pure fear. If this thing hits you or falls out of the sky, you’re going to get seriously hurt. It’s 1 meter tip to tip and can lift up to 7 kg. I’ve just completed my FlyerId and OperatorId, so I can now legally fly it, and my first flight was a brave 1 meter off the ground.

Burf Robotics
Not much progress this month — I’ve had a couple of chats with other companies, but I still haven’t actively gone out and marketed it. People have been coming to me, which is encouraging, but I need to change that dynamic.

ROS2
I’m continuously using ROS 2 but need dedicated time to expand my knowledge. This month I’ve been more focused on OLO consultancy work, which has come at the expense of learning. I need to prioritise this.

Brilliant
Continuing daily and at 479 days now. Like ROS 2, I need to push myself out of my comfort zone with it — or decide to drop it.

Hack24
Parked until I have time to properly test it.

Meta Quest Tracking
I spent a little time on this to see if it works with PiBob. The results were underwhelming, so it needs more attention before it’s useful.

InMoov Humanoid Robot
Nothing to report this month — and honestly, writing this blog has made it clear just how much I’ve lost focus. That needs to change.

Plan for 2026
The plan isn’t exactly going to plan — a lot of the goals above haven’t moved forward, but I did redirect my time towards some shiny new things instead.

  • Strengthen Burf Robotics and its offerings
    Target: Gain at least one additional customer. (Progressing)
  • Launch Burf Platform as an MVP
    Target: Deliver an MVP with user management, robot management, and support for a range of robot platforms. (Done)
  • Continue learning ROS2
    Target: Deepen my understanding of Nav2, MoveIt, and integrating AI with ROS2. (Needs more progress)
  • Inmoov Robots
    Target: Focus more on interactive demonstrations rather than building additional robots. I’d still like to develop a mobile InMoov platform. (Needs more progress)
  • Continue Brilliant learning
    (Needs more progress)
  • Build my own robot product
    Target: Not fully committed yet, but PiBob is a proof of concept and a step in that direction. (PiBob POC built)

Let’s be honest — I failed at formalising a plan this month. I’m going to sit with this blog post for a while and figure out what actually matters to me.

January 2026: Happy New Year Edition

Posted on by burf2000

Hello and welcome to another Burf Update. I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and an epic New Year. The Christmas period rushed through at lightning speed, but was enjoyable. In this edition, I hope to map out what I plan to do in 2026.

Burf Robotics
Burf Robotics is the key focus for 2026 in that I want to make sure it is properly operating as a company now that it has its first customer (OLO Robotics), which moves it from an idea to a reality. I am also working on its first product Burf Platform.

Burf Platform
Over the festive period, I spent much of my spare time working on the platform. The current vision remains a remote teleoperation platform that supports multiple types of robots. So far, I have developed drivers for:

  • Sanbot Elf
  • Afobot
  • ROS2 Mobile robots
  • Double 2 Robot

The ROS2 driver is the one I am most excited about, as it has the potential to open access to a wide range of robots. My aim is to make integrating the driver as simple as possible, mapping the camera feed (via WebRTC), sensors, and teleoperation topics directly into the platform. The next step is to set up hosting for the platform.

ANYCUBIC Photon Mono 4
So on a different note, I got a resin printer for Christmas, which was awesome. I am super impressed with the printing quality; however, it is a lot messier and smellier than normal 3D printing. I hope it will expand what I am able to print for my projects.

ROS2
I have continued my learning on ROS2, and I am really enjoying it. I still have an awful lot to learn. It feels the more I understand, the more I need to learn. However, for my needs, I am making good progress. I need to get back to the Inmoov ROS2 driver (Sim) I updated and then work on a hardware driver for that. I also want to take a look at Foxglove, which allows you to visualise all of your ROS data.

Brilliant
Something I had not mentioned for a while is that I am still doing Brilliant.org daily and am up to over 400 days now. I do need to actually focus on expanding my learning here instead of going for the easy topics.

Reviewing 2025
At the start of 2025, I set 3 high-level goals:

  • MyRobotLab + The Inmoov + LLM
  • ROS2 and the Rover Robot
  • Gwiz and predictive driving

The year didn’t go as planned due to my redundancy, but I ended up doing more robotics than in any previous year. This led to the formation of Burf Robotics, and I successfully met my MyRobotLab and ROS2 goals. The Gwiz was always intended as a fun side project, so I’m not concerned about that. My conservatory has now become a dedicated robotics space, and overall, I feel I’ve gained a significant amount of knowledge over the past year.

Plan for 2026
I haven’t fully stepped back to define the plan in its entirety yet; however, I do have several clear areas of focus for 2026:

  • Strengthen Burf Robotics and its offerings
    Target: Gain at least one additional customer.
  • Launch Burf Platform as an MVP
    Target: Deliver an MVP with user management, robot management, and support for a range of robot platforms.
  • Continue learning ROS2
    Target: Deepen my understanding of Nav2, MoveIt, and integrating AI with ROS2.
  • Inmoov Robots
    Target: Focus more on interactive demonstrations rather than building additional robots. I would still like to develop a mobile InMoov platform.
  • Continue Brilliant learning
  • Build my own robot product
    I am not fully committed to this yet; however, I did begin building my own robotic arm. Developing my own robot could be a valuable learning experience, particularly by designing and implementing the ROS2 drivers around custom hardware. This would focus on a robotic system with arms rather than a mobile platform.

In my next update, I hope to solidify the plan.

September 2025: Head Down Edition

Posted on by burf2000

Hello and welcome to another Burf Update, I struggled for a bit to pick a title for this edition due to the range of robotic things I have done over the last month. I have certainly spent a lot of time doing robotics.

Gwiz Update
I have only spent a few hours on the Gwiz, I am trying to work out which batteries are still iffy. I have also installed a battery meter and a 10″ Android headunit which I hope to be able to deploy my own apps to. This allow me to record driving data etc.

Afobot
Back when I bought my 17 Sanbot Elf robots, I was also given 40 (ish) Afobot robots. These are little desktop based things with a screen that can move side to side and up and down. They run Android 7 and initial investigations seemed like they had no SDK and no real use. However with the help of ChatGPT, I managed to write some code to control the motors. Next plan is to connect it to my websockets project and support teleop.

ROS2, the Rover Robot and the Robotic Arms
So I have continued to learn ROS2, overcoming some headaches etc. I still need to learn more, however the knowledge is slowly sinking in. One awesome thing I did get going was simulating the Inmoov robot in Rviz2 and Gazebo. This was super cool but nearly broke my brain. A lot more work needs to be done but its a positive start.

I also built a setup so that I could place a LEGO brick and my robotic arm would pick it up (myCobot 280)

Inmoov Update
As for the Inmoov humanoid robots, I am preparing 2 of them for a show this Month. In preparing Robob, its arm snapped off which I have now rebuilt. Robob and Reggie both run off a Raspberry Pi 5 now and I am working on making them more portable. I have not done any more work on the 3rd robot, but do plan to.

Burf.co
So, I have turned off the Burf.co Search Engine for the moment to help me focus on the future which at the moment is robotics. I want to get my own teleop robotic service going and so need to focus. The site has also moved to faster hosting (Thanks Adrian).

Reviewing the Plan
I am super keen to focus on the plan I set out last month, so lets see if I have helped towards it, or as usual got sidetracked.

Create a Sanbot Remote Control App

  • Design a controller that streams all sensor data from the Sanbot to a user interface, allowing remote movement and activation of functions.

So I have created a prototype Android app and Python script that streams sensor data including camera to a server from a Sanbot. I can also move the robot and make it speak. Next I want to be able to support multiple robots and control head/arm movement.

Continue to deepen my ROS2 knowledge

  • Fix bugs around MyCobot280/xArm hardware, so that API works well
  • Finish self-driving course on Udemy
  • Understand SLAM and mapping better so that a robot can travel between rooms
  • Add IMU support

I have continued to increase my ROS2 knowledge and am progressing with the MyCobot Arm and the self driving course. For work I have written a cool script that can control the robotic arm to pickup a LEGO brick.

Continue Developing the InMoov Humanoids

  • Have an active one for improving Vision and LLM use. Think about using a Neural Net to give personality. Think about gestures.
  • Create a mobile Inmoov robot, even if its remote
  • Consider merging this with the Sanbot remote control app

At the moment, I am focusing on getting the Inmoov robots ready for a show, however in doing so I am improving them. With the ROS2 Inmoov work happening, this only improves my likelihood of doing more ROS2 and Inmoov work.

Have Fun with the G-Wiz

  • Design a remote-control system (concept-only for now)
  • Add sensors and record journey data
  • Use that data in a self-driving AI test
  • Explore ROS integration for car control

Some small steps made by adding the Android headunit, I have lots of ideas here but mainly focusing on the fun side.

It generally looks like I have stayed on track which is good news, I hope the October update shows equal or even more progress.

August 2025: The ROS2 Edition

Posted on by burf2000


Hello and welcome to another Burf update! Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to publish a July post — it’s been full throttle on the robotics front. This year is really shaping up to be a robotics-heavy one, and I’m loving it.

MTC: Robotics and Automation Event
We attended the event, and the second InMoov robot did well playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. A few lessons were learned — notably, face detection struggled with different skin tones and people wearing glasses. I had (wrongly) assumed that the maturity of OpenCV would have eliminated these kinds of biases by now.

As for the Sanbot robot — it didn’t get used much, so I need to think harder about a compelling use case for it.

Gwiz Update
Back in May, the G-Wiz passed its MOT, but unfortunately, the batteries were shot. Luckily, a kind soul from the G-Wiz forum donated some replacements (seriously nice of them), and now the car is up and running. The plan — once I clear the next few tasks — is to start recording data and begin training an AI to drive it.

ROS2, the Rover Robot and the Robotic Arms
This month has been packed with ROS2 learning. I’ve completed the ROS2 Manipulator course on Udemy (and I’m nearly done with the self-driving course). I’ve successfully controlled three different robotic arms using MoveIt, Gazebo, and RViz.

Massive thanks to Compsoft for giving me time to dive deep into ROS2 — they had a cool idea involving it, which gave me the perfect excuse to learn. I still have plenty to master, but I’m feeling far more confident than I did a few months ago.

AI
ChatGPT has been incredibly helpful throughout the ROS2 journey. Sure, it’s made its share of mistakes — looping, incorrect suggestions, etc. — but it’s been a great learning tool. The bigger vision is to use AI to simplify robotic arm control, lowering the barrier to entry for others.

Burf.co
The main website has been updated to reflect my focus on robotics. The new goal is to offer consultancy and robot rentals — an exciting next step in the Burf journey!

Inmoov humanoid 3
Yes, somehow I’ve ended up with a third InMoov robot — rescued just before it was scrapped. It still needs a lot of work, but I’ve managed to piece it back together and source enough parts to upgrade the others. This one now has LCD eyes, which adds a fun new dimension.

The Plan
At the start of this year, I set myself three high-level goals:

  • MyRobotLab + The Inmoov + LLM
    (Rock paper Scissors demo)
  • ROS2 and the Rover Robot
    (ROS2-powered rover and MoveIt-controlled robotic arms)
  • Gwiz and predictive driving
    (Train an AI to drive the G-Wiz using collected data)

So far, I’ve successfully achieved the first two. The third — predictive driving with the G-Wiz — hasn’t really taken off yet, though it’s still on the roadmap.

In the meantime, I’ve also acquired a whole fleet of Sanbot Elf robots and rebranded Burf.co as a robotics-focused website.

Thanks to changes at work, I’m now spending a lot more time on robotics. That’s not only helped me hit my previous goals faster, but it’s also inspired and refined the next set of objectives I’m working towards

New Goals
These goals aren’t in priority order and will naturally evolve over time, but they represent the next phase in my robotics journey:

  • Create a Sanbot Remote Control App
    Design a controller that streams all sensor data from the Sanbot to a user interface, allowing remote movement and activation of functions.
    — Critical for the robotics rental business idea.
  • Continue to deepen my ROS2 knowledge — this remains vital for both work and personal robotics development.
    — Ongoing learning improves real-world application and problem-solving.
    • Fix bugs around MyCobot280/xArm hardware, so that API works well
    • Finish self-driving course on Udemy
    • Understand SLAM and mapping better so that a robot can travel between rooms
    • Add IMU support
  • Continue Developing the InMoov Humanoids
    —These are great for showcasing my skills and drawing crowds at events.
    • Have an active one for improving Vision and LLM use. Think about using a Neural Net to give personality. Think about gestures.
    • Create a mobile Inmoov robot, even if its remote
    • Consider merging this with the Sanbot remote control app
  • Have Fun with the G-Wiz
    —This one’s for fun, learning, and experimentation.
    • Design a remote-control system (concept-only for now)
    • Add sensors and record journey data
    • Use that data in a self-driving AI test
    • Explore ROS integration for car control

These are some pretty epic goals, and definitely enough to keep me both challenged and inspired. Each one strengthens my experience in robotics across multiple fronts — hardware, AI, mobility, UX, and control systems.

I’ll need to keep an eye on context switching to ensure I stay focused enough on one thing at a time to make meaningful progress.

June 2025: Rock, Paper Scissors Edition

Posted on by burf2000

Hello and welcome to another Burf Update, the focus on robotics has continued throughout the last month which is always a good sign!

MTC: Robotics and Automation Event
So we are exhibiting at the Robotics and Automation event at the MTC again which is a fantastic event based in Coventry. This year we are focusing on Bespoke AI and using a couple of my robots to demo it. We are taking a Sanbot Elf robot to wander around and interact with people (face detection etc). This is running a similar app to the one we wrote for the Film and Movie event last month, but with a focus on AI.

I have also been busy getting the 2nd Inmoov humanoid robot ready for the show. This is running a Rock Paper Scissor AI demo which is all offline. The robot detects faces, asks to play you at the game, then detects your hand, works out what hand you have played via a LLM and then returns a witty message via another LLM. I should find out tomorrow how well it works however in testing it has been pretty good.

Gwiz and predictive driving
The Gwiz passed it’s MOT, yup I am totally shocked. So now I am working on getting it properly kitted out. I have 1 dead battery that I am trying to replace and once that has been done I will be wiring it up with all sorts of sensors. I am pretty excited about this!

ROS2 and the Rover Robot
Very little progress this month on ROS2 learning, due to all of the other robotics stuff going on.

AI
As mentioned last month, this is continuing to have a bigger and bigger impact in the things I do on a daily basis. After the show, I hope to sit down and brainstorm the next few months goals and how to achieve them.

Conclusion
Due to work, I am getting more and more time to do robotics which is great, however I still need to define what my goal is. Am I mainly doing this for fun, or do I want to build something that turns in to a product? When I first created Burf.com search engine, the Internet was a simpler place. Now, everything is moving at such a rate, by the time I have an idea, it already exists. I like the idea of renting robots out, or building custom robotics things for events but is there a need for that?

March 2024: Robot Edition

Posted on by burf2000

Hello and welcome to another Burf Update, this one focuses on ROBOTS and the Apple Vision Pro.  I know, you’re probably thinking, hang on they all feature robots?  What’s different?  Well at work, we received 2 Apple Vision Pros to play with, these $3500 devices are not in the UK yet, but the boss managed to get 2.  These super cool devices allow you to do spatial computing (had a go, it really is a game changer).

So when they arrived, my company (Compsoft Creative) wanted to do something cool with them, so after a brief chat, we decided we would use them to control my Inmoov Robot.

So after a 3-day intense workshop trying to get the head/hand/finger data from the Apple Vision Pro (Good work Dave), to control the robot, we decided to take it to the next level!

So we are going to take the Inmoov robot to the Robotic and Automation Show at the NEC next week.

The Rush

As you can see in the videos above, my Inmoov robot is a bit rough, it’s had a very hard life. So I decided it was time to make it look better before the show (which is in about 2 weeks). Work was kind enough to give me time to do it as they needed the robot for the show and there was a lot of work to do.

So what did I manage to do:

  • New head with a new camera and built-in speaker
  • Completely rewired the robot, and all connecting blocks removed
  • New chest plates, sensors, etc
  • New back plates
  • Fingertips added
  • Ears added (not sure about them)
  • A new neck which is a lot stronger
  • Printed a case for the power supply
  • Setup a Compsoft profile in MyRobotLab (took hours to get this to work well)

 

One-off the list

So one of my goals for the year was to finish the Inmoov robot, and I can say pretty confidently that I have achieved this. If the robot stays in 1 piece for the show, I can also say it is classed as reliable.

Anycubic Kobra 2 Max 3D printer

Bloody game-changer, that’s all I can say! So my work bought a 3D printer to help out with the printing needed to update the Inmoov robot because 3D printing is slow as hell. It takes hours/days to do anything large.

Not now it doesn’t, this 3D printer is at least 5-6 times faster than my old one. So 16h print takes 3 hours (standard speed, there is a sports mode!). Honestly, it’s the most epic exciting toy I have played with for ages. This opens up a lot of crazy ideas now.

Goals for the year

It’s always good to look back at the goals, let’s see if we can cross some off

This year’s Targets

  • Finish printing the 3D parts, make improvements to the body
  • Rebuild / Fix the head as the eyes do not function very well
  • Learn MyRobotLab (MRL)
  • MRL: Be able to say some words, and it can perform a custom gesture
  • MRL: Be able to track or detect people using OpenCV
    Plan to do a bit more on this
  • MRL: Be able to call a custom API
    Plan to do a bit more on this
  • MRL: Learn more about AIML (there is a Udemy course)
    Started watching the AIML course
  • Fire up the KinectV2 sensor that’s in the robot
    Not done yet, however, Inmoov does not support this.
  • Improve the wiring in the Inmoov robot as it is a mess

So over half the list has been done, 1 is no longer possible (Kinect) so I may replace that with something else. That is a great start for the year.

ROS2 mentorship

So I saw an offer on LinkedIn offering free mentorship on robotics and ROS. Of course, me being me, I applied for it and got accepted into the group. It has weekly sessions and lots of useful resources etc, however, due to me being super busy with the Inmoov robot, I am massively behind. I see this as a great way to kickstart me into ROS2, even if I can’t keep up.

Vehicles Update

So Jeff the Narava has been sold as I barely used it and it seemed a waste of money. Also, the Harley is up for sale for the same reasons. My dad gave me his 250cc scooter (well swapped for some LEGO) and my Gwiz is on the road and I am LOVING IT. The Gwiz AC version is so much fun. It’s now my main vehicle

The February Update

Posted on by burf2000

Welcome to another monthly update, I hope the start of your year is going well. So off the top of my head, February does not feel like a productive month. I can’t pull out much that makes headlines. I lost at least 1 week to car (Jeep) issues, another morning to Governor duties, and so on.

The Jeep

So my father and I bought a Jeep (secondhand) to take the kids out more, my current car only has 4 seats and as I have 3 kids we always needed to take 2 cars. This has turned into a nightmare and has already wasted 2 of my Wednesdays (viewing it, picking it up) however I am sure something good will happen. This is not a project just a pain in the arse!

Governor Duties

So I am proud to say I am now a Governor for my kid’s local schools (notice schools, not school). I wanted to give back and try and be useful somehow however this got a be mixed up and I am now a Governor of 3 schools. The workload so far has been more than expected however it’s around learning what goes on and training. I am honestly hoping I can be helpful but balance this out with the robotics stuff.

Nissan Micra

So my epic neighbour gave me his old Micra which was lovely. It’s not moved for years so the idea was to get it back on the road and see how I can go with making it drive itself. Well at least detect the road etc. This had its MOT today and failed on 1 tire, however by the end of the day, that should be done.

FOCUS 🙁

So if you read last month’s update and have read the above, you would be correct in thinking I am massively failing in being focused. The first 3 items seem to be nothing to do with the focused plan from last month! Let’s review last month’s main points

InMoov Humanoid Robot

So I hope to do some work on this today however progress has been made on this.

  • The front neck piston is fixed
  • The head roll now works
  • A new more powerful power supply has been fitted (6v 60 amps)
  • I have fixed the shoulder joint that broke
  • The lower torso is now working
  • Made custom cables for it
  • I also created and 3D printed an object to raise the Inmoov up as the arms were hitting the base.
  • The right arm now has an issue that needs investigating

So left to do is fix the XY eye moment (or replace it), finish a little wiring, and configure the software.

Red Inmoov Head

This was probably my favorite project last year however it always bugged me that the sound feedback was terrible and the jaw didn’t work properly. I decided to try and fix this and it’s now a lot better. It’s stopped using the Burf.co chat API which I need to fix.

Mobility Scooter / Electric Wheelchair

So my PS2 controller sensor turned up from China which meant I was able to use it with my little Arduino project. It works pretty well now and can control the wheelchair

Maths

Very little progress was made here and I need to work on fixing that.

Autonomous Car: Deep Learning & Computer Vision for Beginners

Nothing was done, again I need to work harder to get this done

Burf.co

Now that it is easy to deploy, I have been doing some vital bug fixes for it.

Running

I have started running again which can only be a good thing 🙂

Defining some goals and staying to them

So it’s the 1st of March and I think I have made some good progress over the last 2 months however there has been a lack of focus and life has thrown in some issues. Life will always get in the way but I can try and reduce the noise and lack of focus.

  • Goal 1: Finish the Inmoov robot and fix the issues listed above so that the robot can be demonstrated to people. This is not far away and has been my main focus!
  • Goal 2: Remove the grounding issue from the Red Inmoov robot.
  • Goal 3: Add paging to Burf.co and update the database. Done
  • Goal 4: Create a demo of controlling the Electric wheelchair with a PS2 controller. Done
  • Goal 5: Create a demo of controlling the mobility scooter with a PS2 controller (reducing to low priority)
  • Goal 6: Spend some time at Khan Academy on Algebra and Geometry. (increasing the priority to medium)
  • Goal 7: Do something around self-driving with the Micra else sell it. (high)
  • Goal 8: Continue with self-driving courses (medium)
  • Goal 9: Improve Burf.co Chat API (low)

Reviewing the list from last month (above), things are looking pretty good. One goal has been added around the Micra however if I do not set one, it’s a waste of money and needs to be sold.

Friday Update: Where has the time gone?

Posted on by burf2000

Hello and welcome to another Burf update! I can’t believe it’s been over a month since my last post and it’s nearly Christmas. I think quite a lot has happened over the last month, but who knows until I list it?

Wheelchair Hacking
So in my last post, I wrote about trying to hack the wheelchair. I decided to take a different direction in this by designing and 3D printing a device that would control it for me. This taught me some useful skills including using Fusion 360.


DevCon
Compsoft Creative hosted another DevCon which was great! I showed people 3D printing, VR and then moved on to continue my work with Wheelchair Hacking. I focused on programming the remote for the wheelchair using Arduino IDE.

I plan to continue on this today as I have the day off. The aim is to be able to control it via an infrared Remote Control using an Arduino Mega and some servos.

Update: IT worked!



Trigger TGB Mk1

I also bought a new vehicle, a 50CC moped trike that is known as GoCar’s in the US and used in Tourism. My dad and I have had some good fun with it already. We have some big plans for it. I technically saved it from rotting in a shop’s back garden 🙂

The Loft

I also did some DIY!!! I know, shut the front door! Randomly I had a day off work and my dad and I boarded the loft. That was a long day!

Math

So I am still plowing through this, I have been jumping forward a little so that I can get to learning Algebra sooner. Writing this post reminds me to do more

The Complete Self-Driving Car Course – Applied Deep Learning

So this was one of the courses I wanted to do this year, and I have now started it. I should have probably started the Coursera one first but hey ho!

Project Lancelot lives
I have taken ownership of the crazy Lancelot project my dad and I built last year and spent a bit of time getting it back up and running

Vevor CNC machine
I got this great little machine from my dad for Christmas last year and thought I would give it a go one evening. It sadly didn’t go to plan due to a malformed chuck however with a bit of brute force I managed to fire it up. I am not sure how much I will use it, I feel I need to master designing stuff for 3D printing first however it was still interesting. Again you can use Fusion 360 to design and plan your milling.


Review

So in my next blog post, I hope to review what I have done this year, the good the bad, and the failures! I also want to start to think about next year’s goals and really focus on some harder targets, ones that are less playing and more life-changing.

Saturday Update: Wheelchair Hacking and Maths

Posted on by burf2000

Hello and welcome to another Burf Update, it’s odd doing it on a Saturday night but there is quite a lot to report (if I can remember it all)

Maths
I have gone back to Khan Academy and have redone 3rd Grade (lol), I am now 46% through 4th Grade and plan to do all the Maths Khan have to offer 🙂 I already have over 500,000 points on the site. The aim is to at least understand some A-level maths by mid-next year.

Wheelchair Hacking

So finally I have started to try and work out how to hack the joystick on the Electric wheelchair. I have not succeeded yet after many hours but I have learned so much. If I was brave enough to cut the wires I could really see what was going on inside. I believe it works using a microchip that detects magnetic forces (A Youtube video explained it) however he was trying to reuse the stick, not mimic it to do remote driving.

I got to learn quite a bit and even used my oscilloscope 🙂 However, I have decided that it would be easier to create something that controlled the joystick via servos so that I do not need to break anything. I have started learning Autodesk Fusion 360 to design it and then 3D print the new mechanism.

I have bought a new tool that allows me to measure stuff precisely so that I can design it properly

I have also built a little pillar drill to allow me to drill stuff out (a random thing I found in the garage)

Hoverboard goes boom

So I had a spare hoverboard to take apart as I wanted to see if I could control it with an Arduino. To do this I needed to soldier a connector onto it. Sadly though I unplugged it, the capacitors must have still had energy in them as they made a rather large spark and blow the board. I am now trying out a Scooter motor controller off eBay 🙂

It feels like I have done more electronics in the last 5 days than in the last 5 months which is rather exciting 🙂

Garage

It’s clearer than it’s been for a long time, I have a lot of LEGO to sort but making good progress on this.

Application of Robotic Tools Course

Completed, not a great course but at least it’s finished

ROS

I have started playing with ROS (Robotics Operating System), just a bit of a refresher as I plan to move to ROS 2.

I hope to either have a hacked Wheelchair or a hacked hoverboard working for the next update 🙂