Robot Uses Hot Glue to Climb Walls
A Climbing Robot Based on Hot Melt Adhesion” by Marc Osswald and Fumiya Iida from the Bio-Inspired Robotics Laboratory at ETH Zurich, was presented at IROS 2011 [IEEE Spectrum via Hacked Gadgets]
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!
Kinect Robots & Gadgeteer: Microsoft at Maker Faire (video)
See what Microsoft had to offer in their tent at World Maker Faire New York 2011. Microsoft sponsors Maker Faire and we’re excited to see them embrace the maker movement. Since bringing their Gadgeteer prototyping platform to Maker Faire last year, they’ve seen makers start using their .NET-programmable modular devices, inspiring them to make the hardware more widely available. Microsoft also brought their Kinect robots built on the Robotics Developer Studio 4 platform. They’re running a competition for robot concepts ($10K prize) built on RDS4.
Boston Dynamic’s PETMAN Robot
It’s not every day you get to see a demonstration of something that previously only existed in works of fiction. I’m sure we’ve all seen the clunky video of highly stylized humanoid robots like the Asimo or the eerily visceral quadruped Big Dog. Nothing will prepare you for the life like movements of Boston Dynamic’s PETMAN. The closest approximation would be the CGI animations of the robots from the 2004 blockbuster ‘I, Robot.’
Spherical Flying Machine
Developed by the research department of Japan’s Ministry of Defense, the Spherical Flying Machine is a first of its kind remote control vehicle that can perform a vertical take off and landing and has the ability to use its surface for locomotion.
Time Twister, a Lego Mindstorms Digital Clock
Hans Andersson, whose Tilted Twister was one of the first (if not the first) Lego Rubik’s cube solvers, created this elegantly engineered Mindstorms clock. [Via The NXT Step]
ComBots Cup, This Weekend! (Tickets Discount)
Our pals over at RoboGames are already…um… gearing up for another great robot bash-up next year and they want you to be there when the bolts burst and the wheels come flying off (’cause isn’t that what it’s really all about?). Once again they’re generously offering MAKE readers discounted advanced tickets to their 2012 games, their eighth annual international robot olympics.
Senseless Drawing Bot is Senseless
Combining a double pendulum, spray paint, and motorized wheels, So Kanno and Takahiro Yamaguchi created a Senseless Drawing Bot, which chaotically paints a gallery wall. See it in action below: [via Creative Applications] UPDATE: Check out this blog, where the artists documented the construction and testing of The Senseless Drawing Bot. More: Pendulum Pr0n Weekend […]