A new "beta" release of Calypso is now available: version 0.9.06.

What's a beta release?

Beta releases offer early access to new Calypso features that are still in development. When you purchase Calypso, you receive a download link for the latest stable release, currently 0.9.05. You can try out a beta release by following the instructions below. You can always switch back to a stable release if you need to. Beta releases are more likely to contain bugs, but the cool new functionality they offer makes it worth giving them a try.

How to Try Out the Beta Release

To try out the new beta release, first quit Chrome if you have it running. Then run Calypso, go to Home -> Settings -> Update Calypso Now, and select the beta version 0.9.06. You can always switch back to the stable 0.9.05 release if you need to. When running the updater, make sure that you have no other tabs open in Chrome, so that the Chrome window closes when the updater quits Calypso.

Coolest New Feature: Walls

The most significant new feature in Calypso 0.9.06 is the addition of walls to the map layout. Walls have predefined shapes and include doorways of known dimensions. Walls contain special symbols called "ArUco markers" that allow Cozmo to recognize each wall and its doorways. Walls can be used to construct custom environments for Cozmo, but even more importantly, they serve as visual landmarks that allow him to be sure of his location. When a map contains both rooms and walls, seeing the walls helps Cozmo figure out where the rooms are.

Visit this page to learn how to build a shack for Cozmo using a cardboard box and some wall templates we provide.

New Language Features

• The "visit" action visits a room, and the "visiting" predicate is true when Cozmo is located within a room. These features were present in 0.9.05 but they are much more useful now that walls are available. When entering a "visit" or "visiting" tile, you can now choose from a list of current room names instead of having to type in the name by hand.
  
  
• Scores can now have names, e.g. "Time" or "Successes", which are shown when the score is displayed. To name a score, put the pencil on the score tile (e.g., "red score") and press the Y button. Score names are displayed next to the score tile.
  
  
• You can now start execution on a specific page by going to that page, putting the pencil on the page number, and then running the program in the usual way ("back" button on the game controller, Backspace key on the PC keyboard, or Delete key on the Mac.) If the pencil is not on the page number then execution will begin on page 1, as before.
  
  
• In simulator mode, the robot can now speak. It uses the Google Chrome speech API. And other characters, such as the cubes and the charger, can now speak either in simulator mode or when running on the real robot, using the Google Chrome speech API.

• The "look" and "lift" actions now accept "and then..." modifiers. (This was announced in Calypso 0.9.05 but a bug made the feature inaccessible.)
  
  
• The "NOT" decorator is smarter now: entering a "NOT" tile immediately takes you to a menu where you can choose the item to be negated. Backing out of the menu cancels the "NOT" rather than leaving a stranded NOT tile behind.
  
  
• Actions that suspend the rule interpreter, such as "grab", "express", or "move ahead <distance>", are now displayed using a tile with a serrated right edge. This helps make clear which actions cause suspension and which do not. Actions such as "play" normally do not suspend, but adding an "and then..." modifier will cause suspension. The shape of an action tile like "play" now changes when an "and then..." modifier is present, to reflect this change in behavior. Actions that execute immediately and thus cannot suspend, such as "+score" or "glow", and actions that always suspend, such as "grab", don't need an "and then..." modifier and do not offer one.

World Map

• When Cozmo begins a "move toward" or "visit" action, the path he's planning to follow is now displayed on the world map.
  
  
• In simulator mode, you can now click and drag objects in the world map to move them around while the program is running. You can use this to make Cozmo chase a cube or marker. You can also change a cube's orientation by right clicking on it. (Previously you could change its color but not its orientation.)
  
  
• You can now zoom/pan/rotate the world map: left trigger in the world map ("move camera") allows you to zoom/pan/rotate the map using the game controller sticks and shoulder buttons. There are mouse and keyboard equivalents as well. See the button help in the top left corner of the display for details.
  
  
• New toggle-able "follow mode" in the world map keeps the robot centered in the map while the terrain moves past it.

Known Limitations

• Templates are currently available for making only two small walls. Additional templates will follow.
  
  
• The path planner can get stuck if Cozmo is too close to an object ("Start Collides" error) or if there is an object on or very close to the goal location ("Goal Collides" error). The next release will have solutions for these problems.
  
  
• Sequencing of multiple "say" actions is not yet working as desired.