OPEN-R SDK

Getting Started

If you are just getting into the OPEN-R SDK, please read my advice for how to get started.
NOTE: The OPEN-R SDK is not for everyone. If you want an easier and more high level programming tool, start with YART and get started on RCODE programming. You don't have to buy a LAN card. You don't even have to write code yourself (the YART tool does it for you).

Open-R SDK

The official Open-R SDK website has been discontinued by Sony.
There is a mirror of many parts of SDK at the CMU Tekkotsu website.
This includes the binaries, headers and libraries. It does not include the documentation or the samples, so it is not enough to get started if you've never used the OpenR SDK before.

Other Open-R SDK Pages

Udi's Page - Sound Tracker, Telnet and other stuff.
Dzitter's Page - Mac OSX tools and other telemetry experiments

My Experiments - Index

AiboSpeedRacer Walkbench CMU walk + UDP vision
WalkBench Walking test program
Walker/BiPedal AIBO - AIBO on two legs
Poser - simple poser program
Peer-to-Peer communication - mimic walker
OpenCV vision library - working towards facial recognition

Walker/BiPedal AIBO

Walker (Demo Movie)

Uses a very simple walking gait on the two rear legs (which needs improvement).
The only tricky part is hacking the robot model detection (\OPEN-R\MW\CONF\DESIGN.CFG) to allow a robot with no head and only two legs. I couldn't figure out a way of modifying DESIGN.CFG, so I hacked the Design Robot module (\OPEN-R\SYSTEM\OBJS\DR.BIN - encrypted) to allow any hardware configuration. Getting a headless AIBO to work is even harder. I may release a public work-around that replaces this module in the future.

Poser

Useful for posing AIBO in a variety of positions.
Will work with legs or tail removed (but the head is necessary).
NOTE: If you have an old ERS-210, you need to upgrade his ROM.

Instructions

Remove existing files from a PMS/RCODE memory stick

Download poser.zip
Unzip on top of PMS/RCODE memory stick
Place in your ERS-2x0 or ERS-31x AIBO
He will stretch and joints will be rigid
For the ERS-2x0, press his back - and you can pose him
For the ERS-31x, press the tail upward - and you can pose him
Release the back/tail, and the joints will be rigid again

Peer to Peer WiFi communication

Walker2 (Demo Movie)

Peer to Peer and LAN cards

If you have two ERS-2x0 AIBOs, each with a WiFi LAN card, you can have the two AIBOs talk without a PC.
NOTE: if you don't have a WiFi access point (I don't), you need a PC running a WiFi card to bootstrap the connection, ie. 1) AIBO#1 boots up, checks for a WiFi network. The PC WiFi provides the channel for an ad-hoc (AIBO#1 <-> PC) connection.
2) AIBO#2 boots up, checks for a WiFi network. The existing PC<->AIBO#1 connection is detected.
3) At this point AIBO#1 and AIBO#2 can communicate directly.
4)Optional: the PC can be turned off (or the PC WiFi card removed/disabled) and the two AIBOs will continue to communicate. If one of the AIBOs shuts off, the WiFi connection will be lost, and you should go back to step (1).

RF "Waldo"/Mimic mode

If you haven't tried it already, build and try the OPEN-R SDK sample LMasterRSlave. It turns a single AIBO (no LAN required) into a puppet performing device. If you move the legs on the Left side of the AIBO, the right side will repeat the motions.

The RF-Waldo/Mimic mode takes this one step further. If you move any of the limbs of the Master AIBO, the Slave will repeat those actions. This applies to the 12 leg joints/servos and the 3 head servos (tilt, yaw, roll).

RF Walker and Mimic server

The "AIBO on 13 legs" video shows how one AIBO can walk or dance and another (or more) AIBOs can mimic the actions.