Spykee
Encyclopedia
Spykee is a robotic toy made by Erector/Meccano
. It contains a USB webcam
, microphone and speakers. Controlled by computer locally or over the internet, the owner can move the robot to various locations within range of the local router, take pictures and video, listen to surroundings with the on-board microphone and play sounds/music or various built-in recordings (Robot laugh, laser guns, etc.) through the speaker. Spykee has a WiFi connectivity to let him access the Internet using both ad-hoc and infrastructure modes.
The electronics inside Spykee were built by a French start-up called WaveStorm.
At least one owner has modified Spykee to be able to move its "head" (and thus its webcam) up and down. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN_9rkovW6s
Advertised as an open-source robot, it is unfortunate that no API or SDK has been officially released. However, http://spykee.duskofsolace.com is an unofficial wiki containing information on how to access Linux on Spykee. There is information on how the hardware works and there are new unofficial firmwares, that mainly addresses issues on accessing linux and have the capability of mounting network or USB partitions in linux.
As of May 2010 (possibly earlier), the full source code for the robot firmware, as well as documentation, has been made available, see: http://www.spykeeworld.com/spykee/US/freeSoftware.html
A home made robot daemon open source project (named Phobos Daemon) is available on spykeewiki as well. The aftermarket daemon supports all the basic functionality of Spykee and has additional features.
As of October 2010, there exists an application to control Spykee from an Android Smartphone. http://www.aspykee.com
Meccano
Meccano is a model construction system comprising re-usable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles and gears, with nuts and bolts to connect the pieces. It enables the building of working models and mechanical devices....
. It contains a USB webcam
Webcam
A webcam is a video camera that feeds its images in real time to a computer or computer network, often via USB, ethernet, or Wi-Fi.Their most popular use is the establishment of video links, permitting computers to act as videophones or videoconference stations. This common use as a video camera...
, microphone and speakers. Controlled by computer locally or over the internet, the owner can move the robot to various locations within range of the local router, take pictures and video, listen to surroundings with the on-board microphone and play sounds/music or various built-in recordings (Robot laugh, laser guns, etc.) through the speaker. Spykee has a WiFi connectivity to let him access the Internet using both ad-hoc and infrastructure modes.
The electronics inside Spykee were built by a French start-up called WaveStorm.
Introduction
The Spykee robot was conceived in 2006 and began shipping in the United States in late 2008.Assembly
Spykee is marketed for children ages 8 and up and claims to require 1.5 hours installation time. A review of Amazon.com product reviews indicates the actual assembly time is longer.Modifications
Spykee is compatible with other Meccano set parts.At least one owner has modified Spykee to be able to move its "head" (and thus its webcam) up and down. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN_9rkovW6s
Advertised as an open-source robot, it is unfortunate that no API or SDK has been officially released. However, http://spykee.duskofsolace.com is an unofficial wiki containing information on how to access Linux on Spykee. There is information on how the hardware works and there are new unofficial firmwares, that mainly addresses issues on accessing linux and have the capability of mounting network or USB partitions in linux.
As of May 2010 (possibly earlier), the full source code for the robot firmware, as well as documentation, has been made available, see: http://www.spykeeworld.com/spykee/US/freeSoftware.html
A home made robot daemon open source project (named Phobos Daemon) is available on spykeewiki as well. The aftermarket daemon supports all the basic functionality of Spykee and has additional features.
As of October 2010, there exists an application to control Spykee from an Android Smartphone. http://www.aspykee.com