The coolest robot I've ever built!

We turned a boring Alexa Echo device into an animatronic robot! Isn't this what we really want from our technology?
Support us on Patreon with a $3 contribution!
/ workshopnation
Link to build instructions at Hackster.io:
www.hackster.i...
Plans for the animatronic eyes, designed by ‪@WillCogley‬:
www.instructab...
The face-tracking Person Sensor:
usefulsensors....
The 3D printing studio I used in Tbilisi-these guys are awesome!
/ 3dworkshop.ge
Featured tools:
Brymen BM235 Multimeter: amzn.to/3Wk5s22
Ferrule Crimping Tool Kit: amzn.to/3hbu64I
Elenco Hook Up Wire Kit: amzn.to/3DSArYH
Wiha ratchet bit set: amzn.to/3IKZS1X
Deoxit contact cleaner: amzn.to/3IO2pIz
Wire strippers: amzn.to/3m31cn9
Solder: amzn.to/3GFXAiF
Amtech flux: amzn.to/3DSLbGo
Solder iron tip cleaner: amzn.to/31TjH6w
Production tools:
Sony A7Siii (main camera): amzn.to/3pWAeyM
Samsung S10 Plus (overhead camera): amzn.to/3ET8H7u
Aperture 300D Mk II COB light: amzn.to/3T0B5e8
Sennheiser wireless lav mic: amzn.to/3IK0YuS
C-stand: amzn.to/3GKMfxM
Be sure to check out our retro computing Instagram channel: / circuitlords
Thanks for watching!
#workshopnation #robot

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks everyone for such wonderful feedback-I'm really blown away by the comments here! I'm already working on what comes next. Many of you have asked how you can support the channel (thank you!), so I'm including a link to my Patreon page here: patreon.com/workshopnation Thank you, thank you, thank you for watching! Onward to the next project!

[@tikimillie]

Not a big fan of the realistic eyes, maybe theres some more cartoony options? Friendlier? Maybe some more scifi looking ones? Silver with a cut in design maybe?

[@a1ien970]

Hey Workshop Nation, you can pin this comment so more people can see.

[@meowchat6175]

You should focus your energy on things that matter not this pointless waste of time. You seem very immature for a very old man...lol

[@mimicro83]

Everything that man has made, any innovation, has been used against the people, it will be the same with ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ROBOTICS, DARPA ALREADY OWNS ALL OF IT AND IS DESTROYING PEOPLE, THE NEW AGE, THE NEW WORLD ORDER is coming, and people will be slaves nothing more or less, with the fact that these CRIMINALS no longer need people, ..... I believe in God, the Father almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, tortured under Pontius Pilate, crucified, died and was buried; descended upon hell, rose from the dead on the third day; ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

[@kh9242]

You could’ve used prosthetic glass eyes used for people who’ve lost their original eye

[@trymoto]

The production of this episode is that of a 5M+ channel. wth Thomas. Splendid

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you, Dmitry!

[@albizu]

Right? What the hell.

[@johnjriden]

I literally couldn’t agree more. I never seen any of this came to the comments to express the exact feeling..!! I’m still in the middle of the episode. Haven’t checked out any other of his continent yet but if any of it is half as this this channel is going to be big.!!!!

[@drewmichael4014]

@@johnjriden His CONTENT will soon span the CONTINENT!

[@johnjriden]

@@drewmichael4014 hahahah and then THE WORLD.!!☝🏻☝🏻

[@20motu08]

I just cannot believe how professional this entire video looks, how amazing this production quality is 🤯

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you!

[@thunderhawk7095]

Vin😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😂😂😂

[@xenn4985]

"it wasn't just a world of computers, it was a world of computer creatures" genuinely stunning

[@Holphana]

I heard "a world of computer software" which I appreciated more. He talks about different unique personalities even though the "creatures" all do the same thing. That is a world of computer software to me.

[@Mazda626gtturbo]

And with that I hit the like and subscribe buttons.

[@trashcan7340]

Beginning of the end of humanity

[@eugenijusjutinskas3563]

NE JEI SUGALSOSIT KAS MOKA CIULPTI IR GYMDITI

[@miguelbranquinho7235]

@@trashcan7340 Humanity will eventually change, that much is sure.

[@dhyaneshparekh]

That "Yessss" at 17:24 is what creativity thrives for and I guess creativity, curiosity and such paranoia are few remaining some things which standouts humans from machines

[@superviro]

The servo noise is what gives it it's charm. Most of the robots from TV and movies as a kid moved with buzzes and chirps and beeps and boops. I think it's awesome. Well done!

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you, Superviro!

[@Skorpeonismyrealname]

Such as R2 and 3PO in Star Wars. Even the most minute movement they make has some sort of sound effect. They have moving parts. Parts that might take a few cycles to get to speed and move because intertia.

[@markschroeder5559]

Lucas tried to fix those annoying sounds for Star Wars later release but the technology just wasn't there to remove them outtatha film.

[@itsmesandman]

Yes exactly, it does give wall-e character vive, which touched millions of hearts.

[@ThomasBurns]

@@itsmesandman thanks for watching, Saran!

[@JestarPhoenix]

My god, it's been a long time since i did watch a video fully without skipping parts, the entire video was amazing, no sponsors, no fake or overcomplicated stuff, no epileptic montage, just raw passion and skill at it simplest form, a very nice breath of fresh air from the usual KZbin content, thank you

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you so much for watching, and for the kind words!

[@deadpianist7494]

only famous channels gets sponsors :)

[@RobSoRandom]

I wish I had the patience I bet it was awesome I just went str8 to the outcome.

[@leftcoastfunk]

I literally skipped so much of this video. So much filler trying to make it look and feel more like a mini-documentary than a cool tech build video. The outcome was super cool, but holy crap this was like maybe 7 or 8 minutes worth of interesting content in a 19 minute video. Like...I don't need to have a literal 20 second video montage of city where you bought the CRT screen smh, or a short history of said CRT screen for that matter. Is this guy trying to put himself out there as an amateur filmmaker or a cool DIY tech maker, or what? Pick a lane

[@JestarPhoenix]

​@@leftcoastfunk​ *IMO* I feel like you are taking for granted the reason why this video has been made up in the first place by going straight for the outcome. Watching step by step the machine being built and the reason why while having a bit of story literally makes the charm of this video, the same charm in amateur/documentary videos: it's alive, it have a soul, you can relate to it. This a simple, passionate work of love, not a tutorial, a tiktok or a 5 minute craft video.

[@Melvin420x12]

"I want a machine that feels like a character in the story of our lives". That right there, that's it. You've hit the nail on the head sir.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you, Melvin!

[@vincent21212]

but we got ads instead. The companies asked: "You know what would be genius? Ads. How do we get more ads on their eyeballs, all the time, 24/7? Also, any ideas on how to extend the day to 25 hours, so we can serve up another hour of ads?" I'm sure NASA and the DoD are working around the clock trying to figure out that last one. America is ads. It's the ADS epidemic

[@JeremyWolf-s8o]

​@@ThomasBurns that's awesomeness Thomas your an entrepreneur man that is so cool I'd like to buy the same one if you could make more I'd buy one from you that would be so cool I grew up watching flubber and there is a cool robot in that movie too yeah man robots are cool. You did a magnificent job! 👍✌️

[@mrbones9332]

"Sorry I forgot about you, Tobor." "Are you kidding? You just saved me! I'm freeeeee!"

[@winterfoxx9851]

I haven't watched Sharkboy and Lavagirl in probably 12 years

[@travel4yourself]

​@@winterfoxx9851 ?

[@midgetman5701]

@@winterfoxx9851same and this comment just unlocked memories of watching it like everyday

[@VengeanceYT21]

I’m freeeee

[@Rexorazor]

OMG lol 😂😆 people actually remember that cheezy movie!?

[@infinitenex8165]

I like how the eyes dont immediately look at you, but move around and blink in a very natural way.

[@ThomasBurns]

I spent a lot of time working on the “wake up” sequence for the eyes. Because it’s the first moment of contact with the user, it’s just such an important moment. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!

[@athensroja]

@@ThomasBurns Pin me! Pin ME! PIN ME! *PIN ME!*

[@blokwar2703]

​I imagine programming it to look around/ignore face sensor at random intervals during and after conversation would make for even more natural ​feeling conversation. Great job! @@ThomasBurns

[@ThomasBurns]

@@blokwar2703 thanks for watching, Blokwar!

[@ThomasBurns]

@ Thanks for watching, Mr. t!

[@sharvil7]

This literally looks like a tv show like something you watch on discovery channel etc, really great production quality

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you, Sharvil!

[@awesomeferret]

I'm surprised that he wasn't insulted by that comment. It's not very difficult to outperform Discovery. Most KZbinrs in this genre do.

[@awesomeferret]

@multorumunum if you consider the intent of the "compliment" then yes. If you consider the outcome, it's not always as clear. I know I would be offended if someone said I should have a Netflix show, since Netflix used to be known for good quality, but is now notorious for bad quality content. So, if you hear that from someone who is aware of the modern state of Netflix, then you can reasonably assume that they think you content is trash. I agree that this doesn't apply nearly as much with Discovery. All I'm really trying to do is get people to analyze how some compliments can be interpreted as insults if you base them on outdated criteria. I almost regret saying anything since the Discovery Channel still is pretty good.

[@awesomeferret]

@@jamesmcmanus oh, I never thought it wasn't intended as a compliment.

[@LouestLou]

How much did all of this cost I'm curious 🤔

[@EngineeringMindset]

This was really interesting to watch, great build Thomas, well done. Impressive.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much!

[@noob2414]

yo my favourite channel

[@vapls2148]

@@ThomasBurns i would love to have one i have one of those crts black and white too. if it were possible could you make me one? i dont have a 3d printer and neccary parts (:>)

[@midprogramming]

@@ThomasBurns Now integrate an LLM into it

[@AiVaultGuy]

its not that hard to build this with all the tech we have today

[@cl00x3r]

that eye movement is alive, it was the lacking part of all the humanoid robots that ever build. u have surpassed the uncanny valley congrats

[@mysticmarble94]

Your channel deserves 10x the sub count it has right now. The content quality already surpasses many of the big channels. I'm fortunate to have stumbled upon yours.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you so much!

[@bayzano]

Right?

[@hapsti]

100x

[@angellestat2730]

10x more would be 65k, 100x more would be 650k. I would said that 5 more projects like this and this channel could reach 5m subs easy.

[@oliivioljy9700]

Humanity needs more of such people creating madness in joy. This great idea could be refined in many different directions, but for children, for example, in shopping centers, this would be a memorable moment in their lives. A talking interactive robot would be something, but now they always require a questioner, i.e. they are one-way with a waiting attitude. And those movements in the eyes are quite exciting. Those eye irises could have been made with buttons of different colors.

[@Sanji-doseting]

The editing , storytelling and the value all together this is a master piece.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you, Sanji!

[@sergiokorochinsky49]

Sanji, you used the same two words I came here to write: storytelling and editing. The video has the same creativity and skill than the robot itself. I am so glad this video found me.

[@ThomasBurns]

@@sergiokorochinsky49 thank you, Sergio!

[@ssssssiiiiiiuuuuuuu5257]

@@ThomasBurnsvery very well designed robot build, I want more of these videos of the future were you inplant gpt and give it a full working body Can u if possible create a turtorial to create this or something close to this project so we can try it our selfs Cheers

[@abhinandanyadav3106]

This is like a National Geographic Episode. The work put into this, the narration, everything is just amazing!

[@John-mf6ky]

I was thinking the same thing! especially considering how many subscribers they have, the quality is top notch.

[@matkap.]

Please help me find the song playing at 4:36. Shazam can't find it and this song sounds very familiar to me but I can't find it. I'm sure I heard it in a play or movie, but I can't remember. I am about to go crazy. Please help.

[@jp-hh9xq]

Very high production quality. Loved it.

[@judet2992]

This is why Codsworth is such a loved companion in fallout 4. He’s just a fun guy who trash talks in a classy accent while mowing down raiders, he gives off similar vibes to this little guy.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks for watching, Jude!

[@Manwithplan.]

Absolutely he’s not just a robot or a butler, he’s a friend

[@ArcYT]

And the fact the canon character that voices Codsworth hates the thing and regrets voicing it (not the real actor, just the character. the actor Matt Berry loves it)

[@davidfromgeo]

6:13 It's fascinating how a pair of gray balls can feel so lifelike just because they're acting like human eyes. As soon as the eyes opened, that assembly felt "alive" to me.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for watching, David!

[@privatemale27]

The eyes made this fall in the uncanny valley range for me. Pretty neat though. Especially the eye tracking. CRT vocal match is retro cool. I think the AI component is what I need for more of the "alive" feeling.

[@k0b128]

@@privatemale27 I was worried I'd have that feeling as well but the fact that it looks off to the sides sometimes and doesn't just stare at you constantly made it really natural for me. And honestly I like the jitteryness, it makes it feel like an organism that has flaws and not something that's purely logical. Very cool!

[@kibbycabbit]

And it feels harder to power down!

[@davidfromgeo]

​@@ThomasBurnsNo problem. And congrats on winning the algorithm lottery!

[@nervisenergi]

In a world where you skip through videos to get to the ending, I found myself watching every second of this well thought out and entertaining program.

[@quartiermeisterf9875]

Its your decision to do that. I don't

[@bricknolty5478]

@@quartiermeisterf9875 some channels fill their videos with junk to hit a 10-12min run time.

[@teonyi]

Who does that lmao

[@Faefaxi]

Lol skipped 99 %

[@freshair9133]

i feel like we all have an intrinsic interest in the future to an extent. the only species who can plan ahead with forsight. we should be called future seers. we use fiction to promote ideas until they become reality and inspire the next

[@ThePyroSquirrel1]

my favorite part is the CRT mouth, it feels so retro futuristic in a way that makes it feel more alive. Its hard to explain but i love how it looks!

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you!

[@therealabid]

I believe its the blue flat line separating the tv to look like 2 cute lips the curve of the tv makes the blue line curve slightly making the mouth look like its slightly smiling. It is so subtle but really makes the robot feel warm and friendly

[@PrabinKumarRath-kf1rv]

There are 2 things amazing in this video: The project itself, Background music! Looking forward to the future versions of this robot.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you, Prabin! Working on MkII now!

[@matkap.]

Please help me find the song playing at 4:36. Shazam can't find it and this song sounds very familiar to me but I can't find it. I'm sure I heard it in a play or movie, but I can't remember. I am about to go crazy. Please help.

[@matkap.]

Please help me find the song playing at 4:36. Shazam can't find it and this song sounds very familiar to me but I can't find it. I'm sure I heard it in a play or movie, but I can't remember. I am about to go crazy. Please help. @@ThomasBurns

[@mohamedchikhaoui2463]

@@matkap. The song is ave maria, But the version used seems to be a little bit modern-ish. There exist many wonderful version, the closest that I could find : Ave Maria, Op. 52 No. 6, D. 839 · Barbara Bonney · Geoffrey Parsons

[@AxiomApe]

The “Ave Maria” part was ethereal and beautiful. Like a moment finally arriving that you’ve waited a long time for.

[@ThomasBurns]

What a beautiful sentiment. Thank you!

[@kgftech3495]

Very old

[@mrquenya]

it sounded like an angel

[@arianoneves1]

Can you please send a link to this music? its beautiful..

[@Digiloog]

Hope you’ll get an answer. I also like to know who performed this version of Ave Maria

[@webduno]

This felt like the start of a movie, and the production quality is really movie-like also

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you so much for watching, and for the kind words!

[@matkap.]

Please help me find the song playing at 4:36. Shazam can't find it and this song sounds very familiar to me but I can't find it. I'm sure I heard it in a play or movie, but I can't remember. I am about to go crazy. Please help.

[@steamfire]

@@matkap.ave Maria

[@decourter]

You’re not only an engineer but also an artist, from your projects through your video production.

[@ohnegative9526]

Bro we all grew up imagining building robots like this and you are living the dream. Bravo. You've got some crazy passion I think I lost a long time ago.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@HazySkies]

I've seen many AI entities like Ameca that try their hardest to imitate the human form. But there's something about the simplicity and unusual-ness of this one that gives it so much character. Especially the oscilloscope "mouth" interface and exposed eyes. It seems odd, but it also seems more... trusting like this. A lack of a complete face and it's visual vulnerability genuinely makes it seem less threatening or deceptive as there's little to hide; at least appearance wise.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for this comment. I couldn’t agree more. The more human-like the machine is, the more it tends to freak people out. Thanks so much for watching!

[@sojuxxxcigs]

Absolutely, uncanny faces are a great way to look into this. An almost human face is scarier than a monster in a lot of cases.

[@matkap.]

Please help me find the song playing at 4:36. Shazam can't find it and this song sounds very familiar to me but I can't find it. I'm sure I heard it in a play or movie, but I can't remember. I am about to go crazy. Please help. @@ThomasBurns

[@Solid.Worlds]

I want for AI robots in the future to be like the astromechs in Star Wars. Like, they don't even need to speak English they should just beep and whistle. I like the progress and technological advancement with more humanoid robots like the Tesla Bot and such, but robots don't really need to look like us or look modern and fancy and perfect.

[@edensound403]

@@matkap. At 3:58 when the sound starts it sounds like Ave Maria to me. There are a lot or "covers" of the song so I'm sure you'll find one you like.

[@chimaera6234]

This is one of the coolest things ive ever seen. I wish i had the knowledge to put something like this together

[@gustavogallegos3661]

X2

[@wetfraggle]

Would love build instructions

[@dh2032]

@@wetfraggle your messing with CRT, high voltage stuff, very high voltage stuff ☠☠☠☠☠☠, as far as I could see, it was a sort of direct and dirty pick one of the horizontal or the vertical, scan line input to the tube, mix as audio feed from something you don't mind blowing up, and that is? I woujld of like to see a more software driven version, with no hacking around very high voltages being needed, myself, but a very cool looking prop, for any film or tv show?

[@honestjoe7940]

@@dh2032 That wouldn't be very Anakin Skywalker though, booooooooooring

[@FerreroMan]

I really want to study whatever is needed to do this

[@CheetoSenior]

The video quality and storytelling is on point

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks for watching!

[@AfkBxndit]

sup

[@Kikext]

ah i see, un hombre de cultura aswell

[@STICKOMEDIA]

Fr

[@junnatha]

Right u r señor

[@peterpoznanski7541]

I am blown away! So well presented! Glad there are people out there that spend their time pondering and building such projects! Hope this individual decided to have kids - we need smart people like him to have children!

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for watching, Peter!

[@theseusswore]

im loving how theres creators who have such a high production level even with such a low subcount on here more often, such a gem

[@hololinked]

Personally I like the servo sounds and even the jitteriness - I think it matches the overall look / personality of the little guy. Very cool!

[@ThomasBurns]

This is good feedback-thank you!

[@holdenkoschik3796]

@@ThomasBurns ill second that. makes it feel like the portal series

[@midwesternwelds1197]

Yes the jitter and the servo action genuinely makes it seem alive and maybe a little on edge definitely gives personality. I want him!

[@AiVaultGuy]

its not that hard to build this with all the tech we have today

[@hololinked]

@@midwesternwelds1197 Yes! “On the edge”, perfect way to describe him.

[@jordanmntungwa3311]

Time for a modern day rendition of all those movies that inspired you to build this guy.. You've truly recreated that magic and fantasy that those films had

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you, Jordan!

[@Sk8rdad420]

Just dont let Disney remake them and cram "The message" down our throats again.

[@what-about-mike83]

Thanks

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for your support, Mike!

[@what-about-mike83]

@@ThomasBurns first time I've ever done this on youtube and we need more like you doing this.

[@SachinJames89]

Not only did you make a cool looking robot but also a high quality feature documentary about it... 🤖🤖

[@jordanmntungwa3311]

Yeah that intro showed me this is some discovery channel level shit

[@Random-zc6zk]

If this video was made in 80s this would be a sci-fi movie. Great job

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you!

[@bangujangID]

Exactly right?! haha

[@NorthbayRomania]

​@@bangujangIDyeah

[@bingus9360]

The cinematography, the media cut-ins, the monologues, made all this feel like a Netflix doc

[@ThomasBurns]

This comment makes me smile-though Netflix is many, many levels above where I’m at. Thanks so much for watching!

[@stonynotdusty]

I prefer to Netflix... not fake actors making something boastfully.

[@leftcoastfunk]

funny, these are the things that annoyed me the most about the video. Be an amateur filmmaker, or be a cool tech/DIY workshop, being both at the same time is kinda weird tbh. Super cool outcome though, I really like the robot

[@edwardkipp4911]

​@@ThomasBurnsnow you need to connect it to a Roomba so it can drive around!

[@tauket2]

The retro screen is what makes this thing really cool looking

[@pariscloud2907]

The low speaker hum is neat imo. Makes it feel alive, like watching a pet breath while it's sleeping.

[@muddymaker3721]

This is the sort of stuff that inspires the youth of today to build tomorrow's tech, inspirational, well done.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you!

[@albedesigns]

Absolutely! I definitely want to try to make something as cool as this!

[@solrgroovy]

Superior creation. Bravo

[@scott12at]

What an incredible project and talent you are. If you ever put these into production I'd buy one in a heart beat.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you, Scott!

[@ibrahimthasleem9242]

Yes count me in too ill buy this anyday

[@ebnoxsuscamaria1443]

Me too

[@lt19999]

I would love to buy one as well !

[@Chleosl]

This, in the other hand, really reveals the importance of eyesight and mouth movement, expression through face for human communication. That's how our brain evolved.

[@ThomasBurns]

I agree with you 100% on this. So important!

[@terry083000]

Ave Maria edit was so clean at 3:57, massive props to the attention to detail

[@robotswithryan8348]

It could have been a scene in a movie it looked so good!

[@googlygamer1295]

I saw the thumbnail and instantly got hit with nostalgia it looks exactly like the robot that max never finished creating in shark boy and lava girl its eyes are even the same!! This video is awesome and props to you on creating such a cool, unique robot with personality it almost gives me faith in ai

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@ViniciusVetor]

What a production, what a creation! Hope to see your channel growing as it deserves. Please keep this kind of content, we want more!

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you so much for your support!

[@amber.mp4]

i for real thought that the robot was CGI when i first saw it. the eyes were so uncannily human-like, fast, and responsive. it's creepy as hell in a beautiful way somehow.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for watching, Amber!

[@chrismanning5232]

I think it's that the eyes move in discrete steps rather than fluid motions, much like human eyes

[@JetJockey87]

​@@chrismanning5232actually human eyes don't make fluid motions. They make saccadic movements, which are exactly what the robot is doing. However when our eyes do it, they do it at a slow enough frequency that they're imperceptible to our... Perception. A lot of early Virtual Reality science has determined the appropriate speed to move objects across your field of view for the movement to occur within the blink of an eye (sub 400ms should suffice for most interactions). What I believe is missing here that makes the eye movement head into uncanny valley territory is that human eye movements make small corrections even when focusing on a fixed point, this is called Autokinesis, it's the involuntary movements of your eye muscles and without it, you get the unnatural feeling of a non-natural resting state which makes you feel nervous.

[@JeffGeerling]

@@chrismanning5232 Yeah, I think the big difference could be in a few years, as human sensors get more responsive, cheap motors get better, and microcontrollers can get even faster... the motion could get smoother even for hobby projects!

[@pixelcroissant]

As a tinkerer, 3d printer, and someone who lives in their workshop - this video brought a tear to my eye - it's so well done in countless ways - Ride the wave of success this video brings!

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you, Mark!

[@chrispearson2329]

This was AMAZING. It really brought back the allure we had in the past of the future of robots. I loved it

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for watching, Chris!

[@christophercox4437]

If you made a kit to build this I would certainly buy one.

[@ARCE_ANGELS-en4pg]

same i would have it in my room sitting on my end table so i could talk to it i really like this robot i think it is so cool better than alexa

[@dooburt]

Agreed. If you can kit this... take my money. I imagine getting those little television screens would be a huge problem though...

[@Txdps001]

@@dooburt I just found several on EBay for $20-30!

[@comedyreliefguy5112]

@@dooburtJust use cheaper modern screens for diy!

[@alwayscurious413]

D

[@NishantSingh-zx3cd]

The jitters, and the static noise add to the retro-futuristic feel. Just figure out to connect alexa to chat-gpt and you have a personal robot.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@chpsilva]

I second that. The 50/60 Hz hum from the power supply and the servos jitter compound its personality, leave it as is. The only concern I have is safety: that exposed flyback makes me anxious, try to build some isolation around it.

[@akhtaredroos]

You're a genius. The idea of using a CRT to display an analog sound signal and pairing that with animatronic eyes that track your face is awesome. Waiting to see what's the next iteration of this project going to be. I probably might order one from you 😜

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you, Akhtar!

[@alfonsoaguilar9612]

Waiting for it to be available for purchase.

[@JakesOutdoorLiving]

Critical race theory?

[@sunrays1279]

CRT stands for Cathode Ray Tube here not critical race theory.

[@purphexyon]

​@@JakesOutdoorLiving🤦🏻‍♀️

[@corporealghoul]

You are a genius. This was very entertaining. And the city you live in is absolutely stunning.

[@itsjust_thai]

this is the kind of thing that inspired my curiosity as a kid. the sheer amount of emotional nostalgia I felt from this video was overwhelming. thank you this is amazing.

[@vespaesian]

this is simply brilliant

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@kanto1971]

Really want to see the GPT version ! You have done a wonderful job !

[@souravagrawal4175]

I think he used simple parts to build something really cool and his way of presenting the video is even better, music, shots from tiblisi city, its just so nice to see someone putting real efforts.

[@ThomasBurns]

@@souravagrawal4175 Thanks for watching, Sourav!

[@knatspray]

This has become one of my favorite KZbin videos that I’ve ever watched. The fantastic editing, the production level camera work, and the awesome concept. It takes me back to Old KZbin.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you for watching!

[@sol666]

I have studied hardware design but it still puts me in awe how easy he made the whole thing look.

[@ThomasBurns]

Hahaha there wasn’t space to include all the missteps, but trust me, there were many. :)

[@nerdinator2807]

The Ave Maria section blew me away. Watching your videos repairing Soviet technology brought back lost memories of visiting a USSR museum as a child. Thank you for preserving and loving what others consider scrap, and sharing your passion with the world. I hope you see more success, but please know that your work is deeply appreciated by those that have seen it. Truly amazing work.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you so much for watching, and for the kind words and support!

[@lukecresante]

Only 40 seconds in and not sure I will watch the whole thing but wow... what an intro. I was not expecting the level of storytelling for what seemed like a robotics video --- hats off!

[@Egg-Thor]

This is incredible! I can't help but imagine how alive it would feel by using it together with a large language model like LlaMA, capable of running it locally, and capable of specifying a character for the robot to play! Maybe even using something like elevenlabs to convert the text into a natural human sounding voice like I've already seen some people do in conjunction with local LLMs. As AI progresses, I feel like this is only the first step, and soon we will see implementations like the one in this video which feel incredibly alive.

[@ThomasBurns]

I agree completely, Hector! There are two big challenges with moving it to an LLM: 1) I don’t want the user to have to interact with anything other than the voice (I don’t want them to have to navigate an operating system, for example), and 2) I have to find a way to minimize delay between the user’s voice prompts and the machine’s response. The speech-to-text and text-to-speech conversions I’ve seen were prohibitively slow. Any thoughts on this?

[@JTheSpearman]

First of all, what an amazing project. It is truly amazing. Do you know how many milliseconds of delay you think are tolerable for a human to interact with. I would love to help you try and implement a llm for your robot.

[@ThomasBurns]

@@JTheSpearman Thanks for watching, Joergen, and for your offer. The faster the response, the better. I think the slowest acceptable response would be around 1500 milliseconds after the user stops speaking. Do you think this is possible?

[@JTheSpearman]

Not sure, I have personally experimented with LLMs. However, it is more experimenting than actual building code for a product. I know that it's very popular to integrate openAI API with whisper ,11even labs, and pvporcupine. I have heard that it is supposed to be easy to integrate, but I have not implemented it myself. Out of my own interest I am currently looking into similar things. Will keep you posted if I am able to produce something with low latency.

[@Egg-Thor]

@@ThomasBurns 1) Of course, you'd have to integrate it with something like a speach to text, feed it to the LLM, and have the LLM transform it's response back to boice using elevenlabs. You'd also need some way to detect when you've stopped speaking and automate it so to feed what you said to the LLM. 2) Yeah the delay is the problem. For just text inference it depends a lot on hardware and model size, but you can achieve quite good speeds with mid-high and especially with high tier graphics cards, especially on smaller models. But like you said, it's the delay from text to voice that's the problem. I haven't personally experimented with it, but I do imagine that it's fairly slow, and most importantly, you have to wait for the whole message to generate before transforming it into voice, which slows down the process significantly. Ideally, you would have a program that reads the output as it's being generated in real time, but such programs for AI inferenced voices don't exist yet since the inference is still too slow for such an implementation. Maybe a compromise/workaround would be to just use one of those robotic basic text-to-speach voices that exist right now (like the ones these home assistants use, or like the one google translate uses) instead of the AI voice replicators, since that would be much faster. And using those you probably COULD make a program that reads the text in real time as it's being generated (maybe by doing it in chunks, converting each section, and replying as the rest of the text is being generated). I do think all the pieces are there right now. Local LLMs with the right hardware settup can be very fast, voice to text exists, text to voice exists (even if it sounds more robotic than human). Someone just needs to be smart enough to put it all together.

[@DigitalicaEG]

For the eyes, you can use human colored contact lenses on the spherical eyeball and cover it with a thin layer of epoxy.

[@ThomasBurns]

Oooh that’s a great idea! Thank you!

[@amike1030]

To make it feel more natural, while it "watches someone cook", you could have it get bored in a sense, and either close its eyes, or have its eyes move around the room and then blink back to the user? I dont know how hard that is. But this kind of project is so unique! Love it sooo much!

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you, Aaron! We’re on the same page about this. It currently has a “drift-off sequence” where if it doesn’t see anyone for 15 seconds, it slowly closes its eyes (and the eyes roll up) and enters a dormant mode. But I think this could be expanded to include a “bored” sequence!

[@TomoyoTatar]

😂❤

[@lijovijayan]

You're inspiring us to be creative and make things that are more humane.♥

[@Volker_A4]

I love it. You absolutely nailed the feeling of those retro droids. I hope we see more development of these scrappy unique designs.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you, Volker!

[@ScriptsE99]

Imagine hooking chat GPT up to this thing and having it just chill in your room

[@MyN0N4M3]

You could hear and see ChatGPT getting dummer and dummer with every day

[@dbt4869]

​@@MyN0N4M3that's literally the exact opposite, also PROOF IT

[@MyN0N4M3]

@@dbt4869 You cant post links in YT comments, so how would I prove it? Google and you find the studies they did just this month or the ones from Stanford and Berkley recently

[@getfucked3559]

@@MyN0N4M3 You can just make your own and not make it retarded

[@ItsPoseidon]

Trust me it would be boring and bad even my Cozmo ai curious ai bot from 2019 has more personality the chat gpt

[@erenoz2910]

Clear boxes for electronics can be so important! When I was a little kid, my first GameBoy Color had a clear case and I could see the board as I played the games. That fascinated me so much at the time. It might have planted the first seeds in my head that made me want to study electrical engineering.

[@deaconyates2671]

You know clear housing electronics were developed for prisons. Guards could see inside without disassembling them. There used to be small b/w crt televisions that were the big thing for the cell block.

[@silberfarb-films2328]

Great stuff! And fantastic music throughout.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you! And thanks so much for watching!

[@1fast72nova]

I gotta admit that BW screen was a brilliant idea and you made it look so simple to get working. I'm amazed

[@malaypatel4014]

Video editing is so good. It feels so good to see.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@aris1869]

This feels like something in a sci-fi movie! Imagine: the characters find found footage of the early development of their now highly advanced and intelligent robot friend, and he gets to watch the old videos of his creator building him. As he watches, he’s moved… he was to young at the time to appreciate how much his creator loved him, but now, after all he’s been through and learned, he can understand and appreciate this, joy. Silently, he watches the last clips of the video play, and he blinks rapidly a few times. If he had tear ducts, he might have even cried. Quietly he whispers to the ghost of a man he’d learned too late how to love, “thank you, father”

[@DragonCMNDR]

Your write-up also makes me reminisce on "Zima Blue" from "Love + Death + Robots"

[@srinivasan2208]

😂 Having to see robots being emotional is fun and fantastic.

[@forresttrunn]

This was the comnent i looked for. Seems like the origin story of Alexa Tron.

[@charlievu5641]

have you ever watched shark boy and lava girl?

[@oShadowkun]

Its just alexa with a face aris! calm down lol

[@ShashankKumar18]

The TV ON signal can also be linked to Alexa led signal, that ways it won't be On always(showing a horizontal line) and switch is no longer needed

[@isaacdonley9874]

This is beyond exceptional, well done. Reminds me of Anakin building droids as a kid. Really excited to see more stuff like this!

[@mika4554]

I'm more scared of the cathode tv than the robot uprising

[@burnerzeroone-o8p]

yeh crts are essentially small glass claymores lol

[@cheeriosaregood920]

Nothing to be scared of unless you drop it face down or touch the tube without discharging it.

[@Alkatross]

The high voltage in the back is quite dangerous, but it would be hella impolite to stick your fingers back there.

[@k0b128]

@@Alkatross Impolite had me laughing. To the robot? Yes! For you ... catastrophic! The main reason I haven't started on my crt computer project, but after watching this I think I finally need to give it a shock! ... err shot!

[@mrrooter601]

@@Alkatross Honestly the CRT fearmongering is excessive. The ONLY way its really dangerous is if you touch ground with one hand, AND the fully charged live cap with the other. Most (non shite that are still kicking today) crts likely have the bare minimum that is a discharge resistor for the big cap. So literally not dangerous at all, as long as you are not sticking both hands in it while its plugged in and powered on like a total moron. Even then its only dangerous if you have one hand grounded so it goes through your heart, otherwise it will just hurt like ****. There is a reason there is a huge rubber cap on the only exposed part of the flyback. All the CRTS I have worked on I have tried discharging the caps with a screwdriver and wire before working on them. Ive probably done that hundreds of times, and only once did I get any sort of audible discharge (it was barely anything). Excessive stupidity causing danger should not cause people with half a functioning brain to be afraid. But nobody works with them anymore, so its just something that gets passed around in ignorance. I dont really blame people for it, but like, just know its really not true.

[@MrYabbie]

Thomas, your video and robot warms my soul. Your reminiscing of you growing up with technology as it evolved through fiction and the physical world brought back my own memories of being a child of that same era. Thankyou for that. And thankyou for creating such a tactile creature.

[@ThomasBurns]

@@MrYabbie Thanks for watching, Yabbie!

[@akshitbhasin7322]

The amount of effort put up in this video is amazing and worth appreciation. You perfectly capture the idea of robotics and machinery we all grew up with. The fact that it is not 'perfect' but something that is jittery and 'robot-ish' is perfect. Its my first time watching your channel and very rarely do I comment on videos, but, this deserves applause and every bit of recognition it can get. Thanks for making this video to appreciate engineering and creativity meddling together to sum up a coll little project simple made for fun(the most important reason to do anything).

[@QTheDuck]

This project has made me realize how much I've been wanting to build my own little robot since I was a kid! I'll give it a go, taking all the time in the world it'll take me to make a version that I'm fully happy with. Thank you for inspiring millions of us! Great content!

[@CalebCWalker]

When the opera music began to play and the clips showing what people imagined the future would be like, It made me realize that we are only as far as we are today because someone dared to dream… bout made me cry. Well done this video is beautiful

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@MaxskiSynths]

I was hooked throughout this whole video

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for watching, Maxski!

[@pratikbharane4500]

This was wholesome and fascinating to watch. Nothing less than a shortfilm. Hats off to your creativity sir!

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you, Pratik!

[@STICKOMEDIA]

This was a masterpiece of a video... The production value, the speaking robot, everything about it was just amazing. I shedded a tear. You truly made my day.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@MikeJaun]

Exactly 😊

[@PatrickNshimiyimana-kg8yl]

welcome@@ThomasBurns

[@PatrickNshimiyimana-kg8yl]

welcome

[@what-about-mike83]

It really is, very high quality!

[@henaadlakha]

Seeing this being made me feel like a part of my childhood is complete. It is perfect! Kudos!

[@KeritechElectronics]

Roy Batty's final speech? That's the part where I cried. What a lovely project, with attention to detail down to old-school embossed labels. I only found you yesterday, but admire your work - you've got a lot in common with Adam Savage, I think.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks for watching, Keri!

[@torinveronesi9726]

This has got to be one of the best videos I've ever watched, we need more creators like you getting recommended to people's home page, everything about this, the robot, the production quality of the video, the concept, it's all amazing!

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you so much for your support!

[@BajkonurBobby]

This is like the best video… On, like, an existential level. Amazing in several ways. It’s childhood dreams come true, imaginary and practically. I genuinely love it.

[@helawn]

just wow... from the build to the video production, this is phenomenal. Would love to hear about your background and how you learned engineering and filmmaking!

[@nevmanna]

I watched this a few days ago and it still lives in my head rent free. Video, music, robot, EVERYTHING. So iconic and inspiring

[@ThomasBurns]

@@nevmanna Thanks so much for watching, Anna, and for the kind words!

[@reyesbenjamin1997]

Perfect music, perfect edition, perfect design, perfect creativity. Just discovered gold. Thank you for this video

[@N3tech]

This feels so reminiscent to one of the robots Adam and Jaime from Mythbusters would built. Incredible work!

[@Helyx525]

For the eye heat deformation, cant you just heat it up again and put the holder back in it?

[@frisuh1664]

This is genuinely one of the coolest things ever made

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for watching, Frisuh!

[@wakefulstate]

This is whimsical, nostalgic, outstanding, entertaining, educational, and inspiring. Thanks for sharing your work and skills!

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@dallasmed65]

This is so amazing. don't see content like this too often.

[@dawierdkid]

Hey, Dallasmed65!

[@naturalcauses1695]

Love the B-roll, love the music, love the pacing, love the set, love the script, even love the watch. Keep at it man, this channels going to grow quickly.

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for watching, and for your support!

[@pal_yur1ch]

Very inspiring video. You reminded me that I was fascinated by radio engineering when I was 10 years old. I did small children's projects, and then went to study to become a radio engineer. But, unfortunately, that sparkle in my eyes disappeared over time, and I no longer do it. It was very nice to watch your work, as well as the schedules of Tbilisi and the peculiarities of the Samgori market, which I myself have visited more than once. I did not expect to see this market here.

[@ThomasBurns]

@@pal_yur1ch Thanks for watching, Pal!

[@p5rsona]

I always dreamed of having a personal robot like this. the added animating eyes and mouth is so important to bringing it to life. nest step would be to add wheels and arms maybe. but even as is this is incredible, makes me wonder what the hell all those other billion dollar companies are doing not releasing something like this.

[@excessionary]

Beautiful cinematography, heart- touching nostalgia, and retro-optimism for the future of computers and robotics. I was worried about the lack of videos, but this is a wonderful project and was well worth the wait. Well done!

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you so much for your support!

[@YokieWartooth]

This is absolutely insane and I can't wait to see the updated version that uses genuine AI for interaction.

[@NightMgrInd]

I recently switched to electronics from software. I work for a large semi conductor company based in Germany. Your video is so inspiring and heart warming....pls continue your passion ...I am a musician too and what u do is also a form of Art meets science !

[@ThomasBurns]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@bobbyllama]

just wow. your video was recommended to me randomly and i'm so glad it was! i was blown away by both the production of this video and the content shown. youtube videos tend to be of a certain style and this was akin to something you might find being broadcast on tv. serious kudos for pulling off such a cool project. looking forward to seeing more in the future!

[@ThomasBurns]

Thank you, Bobby!