Create Teeny Tiny Solar Insect Robots
One of the great things about these little bots is that you can make them from scavenged materials. Use parts from broken electronics and bring them back to life as little robots!
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!
Twitchie Scorpion
I made this scorpion toy with a Twitchie Robot Kit. I’m really afraid of scorpions where I live in Arizona, so I thought a friendly toy would help me get used to them. I made his plush body from some fabric I had around, aiming to make him look like an Arizona bark scorpion, which are tan/yellowish/translucent. Twitchie is Arduino powered and comes pre-programmed, so it’s an excellent kit for beginners in robotics, because no programming is required! You can download and modify the code if you want, and it’s pretty light on the soldering, too. I’d recommend Twitchie for young makers (boys & girls, too!) interested in robotics or moving plush toys. You can buy the Twitchie Robot Kit in the Maker Shed:
http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKTET2
Music is “At the Crack of Noon” by Shuutobi, http://shuutobi.com
A get well gift for robots
A few weeks ago I made this get well gift for a good friend of mine, Gareth Branwyn. I took a few pictures, and a quick video, just to document it prior to shipping it off to him. I wasn’t sure if I should post about it, but then I talked with him today and he asked me to post it up on MAKE. So here it is! I hope you all like it as much as I liked making it.
Super Awesome Sylvia’s Mousey the Junkbot
Super Awesome Sylvia builds the ambitious Mousey the Junkbot project by our very own Gareth Branwyn from MAKE v02 Ever wanted a pet but your parents wouldn’t let you? Why not try Mousey the Junkbot! Today we’ll be highlighting the build for this little light seeking bot, from spare parts and an old computer mouse. […]
Safe-cracking robot “brute-forces” high end lock combinations
Although the authors seem to be a bit vague about the important detail how long did it take, the robot they built to autodial the combination lock is interesting and fun to watch. [via Hack a Day]
Pencil-balancing robot
For all your pencil balancing needs! This video shows a robot balancing a standard pencil based only on visual input from two “dynamic vision sensors”. These sensors do not rely on a constant background, as shown when rotating the platform during operation. [Thanks, Haroon]
IBM’s Watson wins Jeopardy practice round AGAINST Ken Jennings!
Well, we’re screwed… IBM’s Watson supercomputer won a practice round against Jeopardy champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter and raised a lot of questions about the capabilities of artificial intelligence. Watson, a four-year effort by IBM, was quicker on the draw, didn’t fall prey to emotion and had a voice that could be confused for […]