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!
From the MAKE Flickr pool: Mr. Tentacle submitted this image of his six-legged robot, Hexateuthis – “the 6-legged land squid”. The design uses 18 Lynxmotion servo motors controlled by a Pololu Orangutan board (with an Atmega168 at the helm). Throw in some sleek cabling/chassis contrast and you’ve got yourself one fine piece of machine. Hexateuthis […]
The Truth device, by Sean Montgomery: By measuring changes in skin resistance (similar to a lie detector test) this device can help the wearer know when he is getting closer to the truth. The baseline or “average truth” is displayed via an RGB spectrum on the side leds. When instantaneous skin conductance exceeds the average, […]
NewScientist has some nice short science videos on YouTube, including this one surveying various research projects in animal-inspired robot motility. Especially check out the last bot, M-Tran, a “self-configuring mobile robot.” Robots inspired by animals – Link M-Tran – Link
Here’s a monster version of the bristle bot, one made from a PS2 controller – Link. Related: HOW TO – Make a Bristlebot a tiny directional vibrobot … – Link.
We’ve covered Chris Conte’s bio-mech art in the past. Wired has put up a nice gallery of his work with some background on Chris (he’s an artificial limb designer by day!) and his work. Creepy Cyberpunk Fantasies Come to Life – Link Related: The sculptures of Christopher Conte – Link
Some new stuff from SparkFun here are a few of the items I thought were interesting… RFL Robot. This is a amazingly agile and low cost wirelessly controlled robot. The RFL robot by Active Innovations has four specially designed, independent, high-torque motors for driving, throwing, and generally being mean. We are happy to be the […]
Named after the United States Bowling Congress’ (USBC) former testing facility employee Harry Lawrence, this computerized bowling robot is part of a two year study of bowling ball motion and how new technologies can influence and effect lane conditions and scoring in the popular sport. Pretty crazy video with details on the motion tracking aspect […]
