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Installation

  1. Download Fritz - Download the Fritz Desktop application from

    http://www.xyzbot.com/Fritz/downloads/Fritz_Desktop_Binary.zip



  2. Install - Unzip this into

    c:\Program Files\Fritz\

    which will create a folder called Fritz and place the executable files and other appropriate files into that folder.

  3. DotNet - Be sure to have .Net Framework 4.0 installed. If you are unsure please visit
    http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=17851

    in a browser and follow the instructions to download and install.

  4. Download Arduino - Download the Arduino IDE

    http://arduino.googlecode.com/files/arduino-1.0.5-windows.exe



  5. Install Arduino IDE - Install Arduino IDE into c:\Program Files\ by running what you just downloaded.



     

  6. Install Battery Pack - While the Arduino draws some power from the PC's USB connection it is NOT sufficient to power all 13 servos. This is a good point to insert batteries into the battery pack (AAA batteries), attach the pack to Fritz making sure you can access the switch AND that it does not interfere with the USB connection, and finally attach the wires to the external power connector on the Arduino Shield (its the blue screw connectors).



  7. USB Drivers - You can now plug in Fritz's USB cable into your computer. If you are running an OS later than Windows Vista it should automatically download all needed drivers. If it fails to download the appropriate drivers you will get a popup message that will ask for the location of the Arduino Drivers. Point this as the Drivers folder that you extracted as part of the Fritz software download. Normally this would be c:\Program Files\Fritz\Drivers\



  8. Run - Run the Arduino IDE by navigating to the directory where the Arduino software is installed (c:\Program Files\) and run the "arduino.exe" file.



  9. File/Open - When the Arduino software window opens, click on File/Open and navigate to the c:\Program Files\Frtiz\Arduino\Fritz folder and open the Fritz.ino file.

  10. Upload - The firmware code will be loaded into a new Arduino window and shown as below. Click on the Upload button (2nd from left, has the right facing arrow). This will take a minute or so. When done you should see the message at bottom of screen stating "Uploading " and then the "Done uploading" message at bottom of screen. You can then close both Arduino windows.



  11. Serial Port - If the upload fails it is possible that you may have more than one operational serial port. You can change the serial port using the Tools->Serial Port->COMX menu to change to the next serial port. Once complete repeat the Upload (Previous Step) until successful.



  12. Connect Motors - Be sure to now have connected each motor/servo wires to the Arduino. Do this by starting with DIO pin 3 and connected wires till you reach pin 13. Then attach the last 2 to the A0 and A1 pins. Note that GND and AREF are after pin 13 which should NOT be connected to. Be careful to respect polarity, i.e. attach white/yellow wire to the S or Signal pin, Red to the middle V or Positive pin, and black/brown to the G or Negative pin. The labels for the pin types are on the bottom side of the pin array.



  13. Connect Sonar - Similar to the motor connections, chose a set of 2 free connections to connect the sonar. Either digital (DIO) or analog (AIO) pins will work fine. You will need two sets (a total of 6 physical pins) to connect the sonar. Ensure that you have the negative (black) and positive (red) pins the right way around. Once you have connected the sonar, the pins will need to be defined in the same way as the motors are in the Setup Motors step below, i.e. select which pins you inserted the trigger and echo connectors too. Note that if you are not sure which 3 pins constitute the trigger versus the echo pins, you can try one combination and check if the sonar value changes correctly in that interface. If not, swap the pin configuration and try again. You can test the connection in the Setup Motors interface by moving your hand close (~20cm) to far from the sensor which should cause the values to change accordingly if everything is configured correctly.

    Note that the Sonar has 4 pins, positive (red), negative (black) and signals (blue and yellow). Because only a single positive and negative are needed, two connections on the Arduino will not be used (thus the missing wires).



  14. Run - You can now run Fritz.exe located in c:\Program Files\Fritz\ If all goes well the Red Disconnected bar should change to a Green Connected.



  15. Setup Motors - Before you can control/program Fritz you need to define the minimum and maximum limits of each facial feature. This is required since you have to prevent over extending the facial part otherwise you may break Fritz. Select Options->Setup Motors to view that interface.

    a. Disable all face parts by unselecting all checkboxes.

    b. Enable the "Left Eyebrow" checkbox.

    c. Ensure that all the values for Center, Minimum and Maximum are set to zero.

    d. By pressing the down button reduce the Minimum value below zero. Some part of Fritz should start moving slowly.

    e. Based on which part is moving, enable that checkbox, copy the Pin number and continue to determine the minimum value.

    f. Determine the maximum value for the facial part by pressing the up spin button.

    g. To test the values in actual usage, click on the Test button next to that facial part. It will cause that part to cycle between maximum and minimum. Press the Test button again to stop this cycle.

    h. Continue back on Left Eyebrow until you have found and adjusted all facial parts. A couple notes on each part:

    • Keep in mind that right is YOUR right and NOT from Fritz's perspective.
    • Eyebrows - The minimum will start to cross over the eyelid. If you go too far the eyebrow will cause stress on the eyelid. Be sure to stop the minimum value before it would touch the eyelid.
    • Eyelids - Adjust the minimum and maximum to just when the eyelid is closed and when it is fully open. If you go beyond these limits the servos will start buzzing to indicate that they are stressed beyond their limits.
    • Eyes - Adjust the values until you hear the servo start buzzing.
    • Jaw - Note the jaw can open very wide, ensure that the minimum value is not too open. Likewise, if the maximum value is too high the servo will start buzzing.



  16. Keyboard Control - You can now hold down the CTRL key and use the arrow keys to move Fritz's head left and right. Use CTRL-spacebar to lower the mouth. For additional keystrokes have a look at Options->Keyboard Configuration



  17. Joystick Control - Plug in a USB joystick. If you have all the needed drivers for the USB joystick, Fritz will not respond to joystick movements. Start out slowly in order to ensure you don't overextend anything to get a feel for how Fritz moves under joystick control. He's quite responsive!



What Are People Saying About Fritz?

ENGINEERING.com Fritz .. achieves an excellent interpretation of human facial expressions using only 13 motions.

Engadget XYZbot's Fritz offers a cheaper robot head, free trips to the uncanny valley.

the Slanted Fritz is an amazing robotic puppet that needs your support, and your creativity

Fritz was also mentioned on The Huffington Post.

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