Roboraptor

Roboraptor X is a toy robotic raptosaurus dinosaur manufactured in China and distributed by the WowWee Corporation. It is 32-inches in length and has touch sensors in the form of switches in the tail, chin, and mouth. It uses reflective infrared (IR) vision technology consisting of IR transmitter diodes in the nostrils, and IR receivers in the front part of the head. In addition, each side near the jaw hinge has microphone sound sensors. The toy comes with an infrared remote control for sending commands. The remote control can be used to change the walking gait, direction, head movement, tail movement, and bite. The toy can also operate in autonomous mode (free roaming mode) using its sensors. It also has guard mode where it stands still and senses for sound or movement around it. It requires six "AA" size batteries in the battery compartment situated in the underbelly. The remote control requires three "AAA" size batteries. RoboRaptor X comes with an infrared dongle that connects to a Smartphone to equip it with IR remote control capability. The dongle uses three LR44 button cells, which are usually included with a new toy. The other AA and AAA size batteries however are not included.

In this multi-page article, I review this toy and do some troubleshooting to see why the remote controller is not working and why Roboraptor is not walking. In the process I got carried away and disassembled it as I have the technology to rebuild him, make him stronger, faster, and better than before... In the process I hacked some of the hardware and made sensor improvements and modifications.

Review

Based on the MD6750G microprocessor, this toy robot is quite advanced, for the kind of money they sell for. I was lucky to find this broken pre-used (also known as second-hand in the UK) unit on eBay and was very excited as I love repairing and designing robots. This robot has a huge amount of electronic and mechanical engineering in its design, and most of it would have been hand-assembled, which is impressive. This one has touch, sound, and light sensors so it displays a very basic level of intelligence. Just like most robot toys, good battery power is vital for good operation because as the batteries become depleted, you will find that the sensors do not work so well and the infrared remote control does not work either. In that regard, I wish there was some kind of LED indicator to let the owner know when to replace the batteries.

Trying to get any kind of robot to walk on two legs is impressive even if it requires large clawed feet to maintain balance. Underneath the claws, there are tips that grip for the walking action, whilst other tips are just for balance and have to slide. If rubber tips are worn out, then your robot will struggle to walk on smooth laminated flooring. My pre-used one had a broken leg; hence it had a tendency to move in a circle. But still, it was quite impressive even then.

If you find your robot is not walking or moving unless you make a loud noise such as clapping your hands, then chances are it is in guard mode. When entering guard duty mode, he will rotate his head to confirm this mode. He usually remains still in this mode unless his sensors detect something.

The Roboraptor infrared (IR) sensors are situated within the plastic dome part above his head. These sensors detect the signal from the infrared remote controller; however they are also a part of his reflective IR vision system. This vision system consists of a pair of IR emitters (diodes) within his nose, which transmit IR light in the forward direction. When there is an obstacle ahead, this light reflects back (depending upon the surface) and is detected by the IR sensors within the dome head.

The Roboraptor audio sensors consist of a pair of electret condenser microphones located near the jaw hinges. The hardware and software are capable of distinguishing the side the sound came from, and move the robots head toward that direction. Whilst repairing the robot, I noticed that the main circuit board has a pair of presets that determine the audio sensitivity level. These were factory-set to approximately mid-point, and not doing a good job because in order for him to register sound, one had to make very loud noises. I set these to maximum sensitivity and it made a big difference to the robots responsiveness. I also changed the microphones to bigger more sensitive ones and installed them where his eyes were. Now he is able to detect just the tiniest amount of sound, which makes it more realistic like a real living creature. Interestingly, I noticed it has an automatic level control (ALC), so when it gets very quiet the gain increases, and just the slightest amount of sound will trigger him. However in continuously noisy environments its ALC keeps the gain low.

Price/eBay

If you are buying brand new, then you are in for a great treat because it is a huge amount of electronic and mechanical engineering for so little money. In the pre-used market, there are some things one needs to consider and check for. This robot has many plastic linkages that transfer the motor drive to different parts of the body movement, and they can break in the hands of children or misuse. Since replacement parts are generally difficult to obtain, broken units will not be worth much more than spare parts. Even if you could find the parts, you then have the time-consuming job of dismantling the robot. Therefore a broken Roboraptor on its own would be worth ten to twenty pounds. A unit in good working order together with the remote control would obviously be worth much more, and a unit in mint condition with the original packaging even more.

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