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!
Well, really we’re looking to attract robot enthusiasts, but robots won’t be turned away. If you’re a member of a hackerspace or school robot club sign up to participate in the meetup right here and join robot fans around the world. Everyone who registers will get a free PDF download of MAKE’s Volume 34–which just so happens to […]
We are excited to announce that MAKE’s Volume 34 is here and on sale now. The new issue is filled with 21 projects and includes a special “Robot Uprising” section filled with half a dozen robot projects and profiles of robot makers. The cover features Eric Stackpole, one-half of the inspiring OpenROV project, a maker-made underwater robot with a great story behind it. There’s also a project to build your very own CoffeeBot, a simple, programmable robot with a perky personality. There’s even a project to turn a tube of Blistex into a small linear actuator, a robot-ready mechanism for creating straight line motion.
Calling all robots and the people who love them: MAKE is hosting its first International Robot Meetup Thursday, April 25, in the MAKE offices and live on Google+. Joining us on a special Google+ hangout on air at 6pm will be David Lang and Eric Stackpole, co-founders of the OpenROV underwater robot project; Judy Aime’ Castro, […]
I’ve already shared some images of combat and humanoid robots from RoboGames, but there’s a lot more to see than just that. Here’s a slideshow of “the rest”, which there was quite a lot of.
Humanoid robot competition is one part of RoboGames that seems to be dominated by Japanese roboticists. Lem Fugitt, who runs Robots Dreams, has been involved with the humanoid robot scene in Japan for nine years, and tends to bring a few “professional” Robo-One players with him on his annual trip to RoboGames. We spoke with him about how he got involved in the Robo-One scene and how 3D Printing has started to benefit the builders.
Despite the large number of categories of robots here at RoboGames, the resounding sounds of metal on metal and cheers from the crowd keep drawing us back to the combat arena. We were immediately surprised by the variety of locations and backgrounds these teams come from, whether it’s a High School from across the country, a local engineer working in his garage, or a robotics team from Brazil.
Imagine the carnage that ensues when you pit two 200+ lb. robots against each other, often with weapons that spin at around 3500 rpm. The noise level and adrenaline both run high as they bang away at each other. Intern Coordinator Sam Freeman and I are at RoboGames to witness not only the combat, but all sorts of other robotics events as well. We only got here a little while ago, but have already been fascinated by the great stuff we’ve seen.
