Software, Assembly & First Life

Goal

J5 walks, talks, sees, and thinks. Tier 2 COMPLETE. First public appearance.

Day-by-Day Tasks

Day	Task	Method	Notes
1	Install ROS2 Humble on Pi 5	SD card image, apt-get	ROS2 + Nav2 + OpenCV + Open3D + Whisper + Piper TTS
1-2	Write/adapt Arduino firmware	Arduino IDE, Serial protocol	Servo control protocol: Pi sends JSON commands → Arduino → PCA9685. Motor control: speed + direction per side.
2	Test voice pipeline	Whisper STT → Claude API → Piper TTS	”Hey J5, what do you see?” → J5 responds with synthesized speech. Test latency, voice quality.
2-3	Test vision pipeline	OpenCV + YOLOv8 on Coral TPU	Object detection through Pi cameras. Face tracking → head servos follow faces.
3	Calibrate all 39+ servo positions	Python script, save to config	Map each servo to its neutral/min/max angles. Save as config file. This takes time — do it right.
3-4	Mount head on neck mechanism	Bolts through neck → torso frame	Last major assembly step. Route head wiring harness through neck.
4-5	Route all remaining wiring	Cable management clips (CF prints), zip ties	Clean up every visible wire. Through-holes in frame for hidden routing.
5-6	Paint	Primer → metallic base → clear coat	Multi-color prints skip painting. Remaining parts: primer → gold/silver metallic → chrome accents → clear coat. Mask carefully. Let each coat dry fully.
6	Load test: 100lbs flat ground → stairs	Sandbags, manual supervision	Verify CG hasn’t shifted with upper body weight. Spot the robot on stairs.
7	Full system integration test	Voice + vision + drive + arms simultaneously	”J5, pick up that ball” → J5 looks, reaches, grabs. “Go to the kitchen” → J5 navigates.
7	RaptorX: Final Tier 2 scan	RaptorX, full-color	Full-body scan of completed J5. This is your Tier 2 baseline.
7	Safety audit	Checklist	E-stop test, pinch point check, battery cutoff, RC override, obstacle avoidance, stall detection.

Skills Practiced

Software integration (ROS2, Python, Arduino firmware), servo calibration, painting, system-level debugging.

Print Queue

Complete — cosmetic touch-ups only.