How to train your TJBot in Node-RED
The summer is almost over, and I’ve been enjoying the amazing weather in the Bay Area…maybe too much. One of my side-projects I’ve been working on has been creating Node-RED nodes for the TJBot. Wait…you haven’t heard of either? Node-RED is a graphical interface of nodes (there’s a whole community here). They’re written in Node.js.
And you haven’t heard of TJBot? It is a project fellow IBMers on the east coast developed and unveiled back in November. It’s an adorable open-source cardboard box powered by the Raspberry Pi, with a servo, LED, microphone, speaker, and uses six IBM Watson services. The team wrote a Node.js module (and other languages are being developed) and one of the goals is to encourage anyone, from kids to adults to develop simple applications that interface and make the TJBot come alive, while learning about APIs such as IBM Watson.
Now, I love to write Node.js code, but…I also love Node-RED and being lazy when I build stuff. So, I created nodes that wrap the functionality that the TJBot Node.js module offers.
Before you get distracted with all of these new things to try out, I have another project I’m working on over the next month. The project is combining a couple of goals I have on my list. I’ve trained TJBot to do a ton of things in Node-RED, and need to document them. I also want to create video tutorials to document just a few things you can do with TJBot in Node-RED.
So my challenge this month is to publish a video tutorial each day showing how to use Node-RED to train the TJBot.
Crazy? It sounded like a great idea at 2am the other night as I stared at the TJBot, and my crazy antics aren’t new. The only choice now is to go through with it and show the world the disaster as it happens.
Please join me each day throughout the month of August. Come back often to see what topics are added to the list below. To begin this week, just like every project, we need to discuss the foundation and fundamentals.
8/1. Setting up your TJBot and Node-RED
8/2. Wave
8/3. Shine
8/4. Pulse
8/5. Listen
8/6. Speak
8/7. See
8/8. Analyze Tone
8/9. Translate
8/10. Converse
8/11. Analyze Emotion
8/12. Identify Language
8/13. Identify Language and Translate
8/14. Spell Words
8/15. Identify Colors
8/16. Identify Objects
8/17. Shine Light Intent
8/18. Analyze Language Tones
8/19. Wave Intent
8/20. Be a Translator
8/21. Suggest A Lunch Spot
8/22. Take a Photo and Tweet It
8/23. Read Direct Messages
8/24. Play Sounds
8/25. Say The Color Game
8/26. Measure CPU Temperature
8/27. Say Weather Report
8/28. Speak Headlines
8/29. Send a Text Message
If you build something with these tutorials and Node-RED, send me a video so I don’t feel so self-conscious.
