Dynamo Rover Rolls Along, Sans Batteries

Kids seem to have unlimited energy sometimes. And what better way to capture that energy by making Dynamo Rover with them. This human-powered bot was created by Instructables user masynmachien. One of the two servo motors acts as a dynamo, converting muscle power into electricity, which runs along a wire to the other servo and makes the bot move. The bot is adorned with cornstarch-based playcorn, a light craft material that gives it a bit of personality and fun color. You can even steer the rover by cranking the dynamo in reverse, using a system that reminds me of the cheapest R/C cars of my youth:

Inspired by toys from the times that remote control largely relied on mechanical solutions, I made the backwards movement into a steering action. By making one wheel run forwards only and cleverly positioning the other wheels, you can still go straight forwards, but moving backwards becomes turning, almost on the spot.

[via Hacked Gadgets]