With regards to the physical side of robotics it is mainly a question of money.  The real work has to be in the AI as is demonstrated when any AI controlling the physical side of the robot is replaced with a human brain.  

Wish you the best with your efforts and maybe one day I will see a super ANN in action?

I will be sharing concepts and insights from time to time to aid the community, however. For example, the MyMate chassis design, which is based on the Curiosity Mars Rover. There are a number of excellent examples of this style of chassis already out there but I am aiming at making mine extremely robust, suitable for use on rugged and loose surfaces.

So, as I said, FidoBot is very much a prototype and much of that project will be made available to the community in time. I'm currently specing it out, acquiring hardware and considering features.

Here is one idea I will be implementing. When a wheel loses traction it will be set to free-wheel. This is to prevent bogging. If all wheels lose traction they will all lock and an emergency signal will be sent to 'Mother'. Note that all (six) wheels have independent drive, steer and brake (each has its own arduino nano).

FidoBot is a prototype of the MyMate series of autonomous robotic applications.

What is the "MyMate" series?   Is this something you are creating, or something you are following?

Is there a website or YouTube channel associated with this project?

FidoBot is a prototype of the MyMate series of autonomous robotic applications.

My honours degree is in AI. I've been experimenting with it for decades. 

Although I have no formal education on AI subjects I have over the years  read books by authors such as Patrick Henry Winston on AI and also kept up with books and articles on the latest research and discoveries on the functioning of human and animal brains.  So I think I am well versed on the subject matter.  I have also experimented with simple visual systems including trying to make depth maps using two cameras.

As for the practical applications of AI my knowledge amounts to knowing how they implement AI in simple games like chess and insect like intelligent behaviours in a robot.

Your little tag is:
The simplest solution is probably correct.

Another tag might be:
The simplest solution to a problem might be the best to use

I would put motion detectors all around the house that set off a recording of a nasty barking dog.  Maybe direct the sound to different speakers over time to give the illusion of a dog moving about the house?

Yeah, maybe not. He destroyed the Jupiter 2's navigational system. Don't need that in my apartment.

Hopefully, he's as emotional as this guy! 

Model B9

Cheers! ? 

Read 'fight' as barking to scare off a person and 'flight' as hiding when danger is perceived.

Posted by: @hunterogold

My honours degree is in AI. I've been experimenting with it for decades. But we now live in an era where tiny and powerful computers are cheaply available. And robotics is coming into its own. The average person can do things today that were virtually impossible three decades ago.

100% agree with that too!

Again, I'm extremely fascinated by this stuff, and look forward to any knowledge you may be able to share with us here :-)

Cheers!

My honours degree is in AI. I've been experimenting with it for decades. But we now live in an era where tiny and powerful computers are cheaply available. And robotics is coming into its own. The average person can do things today that were virtually impossible three decades ago.