Sparki: My New Favorite Robot
Arcbotics, makers of Hexy the Hexapod, have an amazing two-wheel robot in the works. Check it out and get one for yourself.
Robotics
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!
Six-Headed Lego GBC Module
Lego robotics engineer Akiyuki is rightly famed for his amazing Great Ball Contraptions (GBCs), including this sick 17-module arrangement he has in his home. One of his latest modules is this great 6-headed hydra that snags balls and delivers them to the next stage. I love it!
Pitches with Prototypes: FoldiMate Laundry Robot
Continuing our run-up coverage to MAKE’s 2013 Hardware Innovation Workshop is number three in our “pitches with prototypes” contest: the FoldiMate 5000 Alpha laundry-folding robot from co-founders Gal Rozov, Dr. Ted Selker, and Robert Ford.
Introducing the Fenn, a Touchy-Feely Robot
Ian Danforth has created a robot he hopes change how people, mainly children, think about and interact with robots. It’s called the Fenn. Ian, founder of Embodied AI, has written a children’s story about our contact with an alien planet and the creatures who live there. The Fenn is the robotic embodiment of one of those creatures. Ian and the Fenn will be at Maker Faire Bay Area this month.
DIY Robot Building, Circa 1956
Stuart “Mr. Retro” Sandler built a super retro robot from plans found in a 57-year-old copy of Boys Life he’d purchased from eBay. Stuart had heard about the robot as a teenager and wrote to the magazine for the copy of the plans. They sent him a photocopy but left out a couple of key […]
Pitches with Prototypes: Falkor Systems’ Pet AR.Drone
In the run-up to the Hardware Innovation Workshop (May 14-15), we’ll be introducing aspiring companies and makers competing in the “pitches with prototypes” contest. First up is Falkor System’s Pet AR. Drone. The product is still in development, but CEO Sameer Parekh imagines it as a personal drone for extreme sports photography. Doing a little BASE jumping? Let your drone follow you down while the camera rolls. He calls it “out of body” recording.
Cloning the DARwin-OP
Kansas City programmer Michael Overstreet wanted his own high-performance humanoid robot to experiment with, but was deterred by the $12,000 pricetag of an off-the-shelf DARwin-OP. Though a significant fraction of the cost is tied up in the top-of-the-line servo actuators the design requires to perform at spec, Michael believed he could build his own “clone” of the fully open-source design, at substantial savings, by 3D printing as many pieces as he could in fused filament, on home equipment.
