Getting started with Poppy Project

This document is divided into two parts, the first part adresses Poppy Project Questions at large, and then How to get started : download, code and create with Poppy project!

The Poppy project

Poppy is the name of a project that provides several open-source tools to enable the creative exploration of interactive robotic morphologies in science, education and art:

  • A complete open-source 3D printed modular robot platform. Currently, the main version of the platform is a humanoid robot, which modularity allows projects using only an arm, the head or the legs. It is also made to be hacked and transformed into other shapes, such as multi-legs or wheeled or even flying creatures. This robot platform contains itself hardware (3D printed skeleton + Arduino based electronic components) and software components (PyPot library, simulator). Each component can be used separately.
  • A web platform allowing users from multiple disciplines to share and discuss about their projects, ideas and creations based on Poppy components.

What are the open source licences used ?

All the technological development work made in the Poppy project is freely available under open source licenses. Only the name usage “Poppy” is restricted and protected as an international trademark, please contact us if you want to use it or have more information.

How do I connect to the community to ask questions, share my projects and contribute?

This forum is where action takes place. Come discuss here with the community.

Where can I find a simple example of how to use PyPot programming library?

How can I become an active contributor of the project ?

Is it possible to not speak english on the forum ?

YES it is

Where can I find HD images of Poppy which I can reuse to illustrate texts/slides/articles about Poppy?

Where is the roadmap of the project ?

The Poppy project history

The Poppy project is born in 2012 in the Flowers laboratory at Inria Bordeaux Sud-Ouest.
It was initiated during Matthieu Lapeyre’s PhD Thesis surpervised by Pierre Yves Oudeyer. At the beginning, the development team was composed by Matthieu Lapeyre (mechanics & design), Pierre Rouanet (software) and Jonathan Grizou (electronics).

This project is initially a fundamental research project financed by ERC Grant Explorer to explore the role of embodiement and morphology properties on cognition and especially on the learning of sensori-motor tasks.

More links on the project

Poppy Humanoid getting started

Poppy Humanoid is an open-source and 3D printed humanoid robot. Optimized for research and education purposes, its modularity allows for a wide range of applications and experimentations.

Poppy Humanoid project can be splitted into 2 parts:

  1. The code
  2. The hardware

HARDWARE

The hardware includes, the hardware designs, the list of components (BOMs) and how to assemble it.

Where can I find Poppy Humanoid hardware designs ?

Where can I find Poppy Humanoid BOM list?

https://github.com/poppy-project/poppy-humanoid/blob/master/hardware/doc/BOM.md

Where is the documentation to assemble Poppy Humanoid

https://github.com/poppy-project/poppy-humanoid/blob/master/hardware/doc/Poppy_Humanoid_assembly_instructions.md

CODE

The code includes, the source code (Pypot library), documentation, tutorials and a simulator.

Pypot

What is the PyPot Python programming library?

PyPot is a framework developed in the Inria FLOWERS team to make it easy and fast to control custom robots based on dynamixel motors. This framework provides different level of abstraction corresponding to different types of use. More precisely, you can use PyPot to:

  • directly control robotis motors through a USB2serial device,
  • define the structure of your particular robot and control it through high-level commands.

Where I can find the source code of Poppy Humanoid

Where can I find the documentation of PyPot Python library?

http://poppy-project.github.io/pypot/index.html

Where can I find a simple example of how to use PyPot programming library?

Is there a simulator for the Poppy Humanoid robot?

Yes. There is a simulator based on open-source V-REP software, which allows you to program a simulated Poppy humanoid robot with PyPot. And then you need only to switch a line of code to run it on the real robot:

Work in progress is also targeting use of Poppy in Gazebo:

2 Likes