I ordered some parts today to get some of the subsystems built.

Systems that are ordered are the Motor Controller for the main drive motors. I went with

http://www.robotshop.com/en/sabertooth-dual-2x32a-6v-24v-regenerative-motor-driver.html

2cm - 10cm Infrared Distance SensorDC-DC Power Converter 25WStep-Up / Step-Down Voltage Regulator S7V7F5HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Range Finder2.54mm JST Connector Kit

For the speech system I ordered

8 pin socket

18 pin socket

20 pin socket

28 pin socket

2n3904

10k resistors

100k resistors

47k resistors

.1uF capacitor

33pF capacitor

.47uF capacitor

250uF capacitor

Electret microphone

MSGEQ7

I already have the 8 ohm speaker, 2 pin screw terminal blocks, header pins, TTS256, speakjet, and lm386

As soon as the main lower chassis arrives, which should be late this week or early next week I will get that portion assembled and begin work on the robot's body frame and limbs.

I had an odd thought today about the grippers, and was considering using a padded finger tip with a very tiny magnet in it and a hall effect sensor. When the hand is closed the padded fingerip will "feel" the pressure and respond accordingly. If I use a rubberized pad, it will also give the robot some extra grip and mold around the object the robot is picking up. I will think more about this when the time comes.