Create your own Skill

Quadruped Locomotion

• Get inspired by Boston Dynamics Spot about making 4-legged robots move:
  https://www.youtube.com/@BostonDynamics/videos

  • Hey Buddy, Can You Give Me a Hand?

  • “Spot Me Up” | The Rolling Stones & Boston Dynamics ("Start Me Up" was released in 1981)

• Inspired? Here's a tutorial: Quadruped Robot Basics

Bittle (OpenCat) Skills

We've been using the "Skills" (preset static postures, motion sequences) that are built into the Bittle firmware (OpenCat.)
Using the "Skill Composer" in the Petoi Desktop App, we can create our own!

Review the details: [https://docs.petoi.com/desktop-app/skill-composer]
Note: The video is for an older version of the Skill Composer and the Nybble, not the Bittle, but the concepts are the same.

Instructions

• Reload the OpenCat firmware, as we did in the Assembly activity.

• Run the Petoi Desktop App and select "Skill Composer."

• Check if the Bittle is connected to the Skill Composer App.
  Look at the "State Dials" area on the upper right. It should say "Connected" with a communication port indicated.
  If not, click the "Connect" button. Nibble should wake up and play the familiar tune. If not, check your connections.

• Create a simple skill.

  • Click the "balance" button in the "Preset Posture" area.
    Bittle should stand up.

  • The first step in the "Skill Editor" should have a "!" in the 2nd column. Click it and it changes to "=".
    This sets the servo values for this step.

  • Click the "V" on the right column of the first step. This will create a new step.

  • Move the "Head Pan" slider to 90. Bittles head should turn to its left side.

  • Click the "+" buttons on the left front knee and the right front knee.
    (+ means that we want to move both knees at the same time.)
    Move the right front knee slide slider to -25.
    Bittle's should  bow forward.
    Click the "!" to save this step.

  • Press the "=" buttons on the 1st and 2nd steps to move between the poses.

  • Press the "Play" button to execute the steps in order.

  • Click "Export" in the Skill Editor to send the new Skill to the Bittle.
    You can optionally save the skill to a file so you can Import it and edit it later.
    (Or, you might use it in your own Arduino sketch to include the Skill in your design.)

  • Click the "Connected" button to disconnect the Skill Composer from your Bittle.
    This will allow Mind+ to connect to your Bittle. (Only one application can be connected to the Bittle at any time.)

Build a Mind+ program to perform your Skill

• Build the following Mind+ program and run it.

• Is it doing what you expected?
  You can change the program to use the Skill you created in other ways.
  Perhaps the Skill is performed in response to pressing the Blue Button or another input device?

Challenge

• Create a Skill of your own design. It can a few or many steps. Include delay times and repeats as needed.
  (See https://github.com/PetoiCamp/Petoi_MindPlusLib for documentation)

• It's quite a challenge to create Skills where Bittle doesn't fall! 

  • Check out this video from the Petoi developers working on a new skill:
    Bittle - Robot Dog Takes the Challenge of Walking Over a Gap

• You might consider creating a walking/crawling Skill. Even more of a challenge!

• Silly, entertaining, and strange Skills are encouraged!
  Just don't make Bittle fall down and break a leg/servo.

Challenge for Arduino experts

You can add your own Skills to the OpenCat firmware to create more sophisticated Bittle programs.

Refer to https://docs.petoi.com/desktop-app/skill-composer#import-the-skill :
After clicking the "Import" button, you will see a pop-up window. It allows you to copy-paste a skill data array in the text editor or import an existing skill file created by you or other users. You can find example skill data in OpenCat/src/InstinctBittle.h