Making a robot can be an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s the perfect combination of creativity, engineering and problem solving. However, if you’re just getting started in robotics, it can also be overwhelming. To make things easier for those who are just starting out, we’ve put together some tips and tricks to help makers bring robots to life! From the basics of assembling your robot to software implementation, these pointers will give you everything you need to get started on your robotic adventure!
We’ve always prided ourselves on the resonant quality of O’Reilly titles amongst our readers, but we didn’t mean literally. This Japanese maker found that they generated the best sound when building a book xylophone. Apparently Japanese paper is too moist and returns more of a thud. But O’Reilly books are just right. And the varied […]
If the ccTLD is correct, this remarkable CrazyFlie micro-quadcopter project originates from the South Pacific island nation of Niue. The video reports a 20 gram weight, a 4.5 min flight time using the battery on the underside of the board, and a 12×12 cm footprint. [via adafruit]
The amazing Meredith Yayanos, of Coilhouse (my hands-down favorite art/culture actual-print zine), posted news of these awesome mini versions of kinetic sculptor Theo Jansen’s now-iconic Strandbeests. They’re 3D printed, already assembled, and available for sale by Shapeways. Sweet. They’re not that cheap, at 106 bucks a pop, but hey, it’s art, it’s future tech, it’s […]
From Huai-Ti Lin, Gary G. Leisk, and Barry Trimmer from the Departments of Biology, and Mechanical Engineering, at Tufts University. ScienceNOW has video of the model organism, and the model behavior, that inspired this impressive means of locomotion.
You know those wire-actuated sky cameras they use to capture aerial footage of sporting events in large stadiums? Turns out that type of motion-control platform is called a “wirebot,” and our fabulous guest author Riley Porter has just posted a very cool Arduino-based build of a small scale wirebot motion control platform on a PVC frame.
The Carnegie Mellon Robotics Club built this Vibratron instrument as part of their ambitious RobOrchestra project. It looks awesome! I hope they go on tour soon. You can check out their website for more details, and some video demonstrations of the mechanisms involved on their YouTube channel. [via I Heart Robotics]
The official word about this Victorian house that has a secret garage is that it was created by Beausoleil Architects as a way to comply with building housing codes. I’m not buying it though- I think that it’s actually just a cover for a large, house-sized robot that needs to be fed cars periodically.
