Teaching An Old Dog (Me) Some New Tricks

I tend to wonder just how much easier all these artificial intelligent projects would be if I just simply went to school for computer science.  I have been trying my best to soak up as much knowledge as I can regarding anything remotely close to artificial intelligence and somehow, I came across this project.

This is the brainchild of the USC Institute For Creative Technologies.  Apparently, this department located at the University of Southern California has been in the business of creating virtual humans for over 10 years.

In the video, we see what looks like humans interacting with a virtual human in a situation to where it appears as if the virtual human is acting like a physiatrist.  What really stood out for me was the virtual human picking up on the motions and demeanor of the actual human and then responding accordingly.  In my world, this is nothing short of spectacular.  This alone is cutting edge when it comes to digital interaction with virtual humans. If I could get Denise to listen and learn by observing me, then responding accordingly would be absolutely incredible. 

The thing that really excites me is that this toolkit, developed by USCIFCT is available for download on their web site.

As if my brain wasn’t already feeling fried by the massive amount of information I have been learning about, now it seems I have even more learning to do.

Getting Organized

It is getting closer and closer for me to begin thinking of initial Alpha testing for my Home Automation project.  However due to some scatterbrained thinking, I am second guessing myself and feel I need to organize more carefully so nothing is left to chance.

In order to do that I feel that I need to make a checklist of sorts in order to later help me organize everything just right.  This also substitutes as both a reminder and also a to-do list.

1.) Overall Project:

• Intertwine household electronics with SmartThings via sensors and Z-Wave technology
• Code Denise to interact with those electronic devices
• Code Denise to control Nest Smart Thermometer so temperature is remotely changeable
• Setup household intercom/microphone system to speak to Denise with voice commands
• Code Denise to perform those voice commands
• Setup security system (including cameras and motion)
• Code security system to Denise and enable mobile remote viewing into home through video
• Setup mobile phone integration to have Denise screen calls or send text messages
• Setup projection and Kinect system to display Denise onto the wall
• Acquire smart door locks
• Install/Setup/Code Denise to work with smart locks

Looking at this list it in no way justifies the massive amount of time and energy that I am going to have to commit to make this a reality.  The list seems short, but I know just how much work it is going to be for me.  I think the main thing will be coding Denise to do all these things will take the most time, especially if I am creating that code from scratch.  The codes and commands need to be individually tested and that will also take time.  Eventually I want to replace every outlet in my home to a Z-Wave input/output, that way literally anything plugged in can be controlled by Denise.  I will have this project already started by the time that happens.  I plan on buying some gradually to where eventually all plugs will be Z-Wave technology.  Now THAT would be awesome.

I got a lot of work ahead of me.

A Glimpse Into A Similar Project

I have been researching the internet about how exactly I am going to pull off getting Denise projected onto my wall.  This concept has been done before however not with Denise to my knowledge.  The idea is to get Denise to be available to appear at any given part of the home to assist me as need be.  If I need her to wake me up, I want her to appear on my bedroom wall telling me to get up. If I need a recipe in the kitchen, I want her to appear on the kitchen wall to give it to me, etc.  I was thinking I was going to need a chain or Microsoft Kinects and projectors setup throughout the house.  However that is jumping the gun at the moment.  First, I  have to get her projected onto the wall before I worry about how I will do this in every room.

I came across a YouTube video of a man who projected his assistant (in this case The Terminator) onto the wall.  He then interacts with the assistant by asking it questions.

This video is very similar to what I tend to accomplish.  I plan on getting Denise projected onto the wall and being fully interactive.  I knew that this small project was something that had been done before, however I could not escape how extremely cool it is.  I knew I had to do this.  Soon.

Never Been So Happy About A Wire

A few weeks ago I was ramping up some of my projects that involved my Xbox Kinect.  The device has massive potential and instrumental in some of the projects I was going to do.  I owned an Xbox 360 with a Kinect so I already had the equipment I needed.  I needed to download the drivers and also the SDK for the device however I needed to initially plug it into my system. 

It wasn’t until I attempted to plug the Kinect into the PC that I noticed something, the opposite end of the Kinect (which looked like a regular USB) did not fit into any of the ports on my computer.  It did not take long to realize that the plug was proprietary- meaning that it was not a traditional USB but Microsoft’s own version where only their equipment can be used.

I was not happy, why couldn’t it just be a simple USB plug?  Frustrated, I was forced to track down a wire that worked and luckily I found one on Amazon for less than $10.  The Kinect was something that I needed to pull off some of the artificial intelligence projects I was doing so I had no choice but to purchase the wire.

Today the wire with connecting power supply finally arrived.  I was so excited because I could finally download the drivers and the SDK for the device.  This small setback was a huge inconvenience and finally that setback was over.  It was then I realized, holy crap, I am giddy over a wire.

Downloading SDK now….

With this wire now in my possession I can down work on the motion/video aspect of my home security, facial recognition, plus others.  Looks like this might be a late night.

Doing Something Entirely New And Cool

I have decided that I was going to make the leap and do something totally new for me.  I admit, this so up my alley it gets me so excited that I can hardly contain myself.  I have come across something called Ubi Displays.  This is not to be confused with the Ubiquitous computer also named The Ubi, this is completely different.

Ubi Displays will literally make any surface you want an interactive touch screen.  However the best part is, it only requires a Microsoft Kinect, a projector, and a computer.  I looked into it and it seems fairly simple to do.  I already own a Microsoft Kinect from my old Xbox 360.  In fact, I recently parted ways with it however I was smart enough to keep the Kinect itself.  The only piece of hardware I seemed missing was the projector.  Once I learned how to set this up I grew impatient and decided that I would try and set it up even though I do not own a projector as of this moment. 

That was when I ran into my first issue.  It appears as if the Kinect needs a power supply and adaptor to plug into the computer.  This was actually something that I was unaware of since it plugged directly into the Xbox 360.  I did not know that the Kinect connection, (which looks like a regular USB) was proprietary.  Not only that, the device was not powered by the "USB" even if I bought an adapter to connect it to the PC.  Damn, and I was hoping that the connecting wire would power it, it would make everything so much more simple.  While my hopes of the "USB" powering the devices didn’t pan out, I acknowledged that I was being forced to purchase a power supply and adaptor for the Kinect through Amazon.  Luckily, I found a wire with both a power supply cord and a "USB" connection for less than $10.  So unfortunately, I am forced to play the waiting game.  However I cannot stop thinking of what cool things I can do with this. Here is a small demo of how it works.



Here is another video of two guys making a two-sided Ubi Display. Very cool and very impressive!



I will keep you all informed of when I begin this project and what becomes of it.