Dennis Hong’s 7 species of robot
TEDxNASA speaker and Virginia Tech professor Dennis Hong describes the robots that he and his students are working on. [Via Fay]
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!
Here come the stylish Scandinavian flying spycams
ScanCam is a Norwegian semi-autonomous quadrotor drone that lives in a little mailbox-like home to keep it from the harsh elements and to recharge it. Botjunkie: The quadrotors can launch, recover, and recharge themselves at their huts (or “hangars” I guess), and when it snows (which I hear it doesn’t do once or twice a […]
Make tracks with some PVC pipe and bike chain
Let’s Make Robotics user robodevil built these good-looking Homemade tracks for their robot, using some extra bike chain and a piece of plastic pipe.
Telerobotic Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots
Just when you thought Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots couldn’t get any cooler, makers Zachery Shivers and Anne Flinchbaugh go ahead and add a bunch of servos, a custom controller board, and some fancy sensor-laden wireless watches from TI to allow you to control your robot remotely. As an entry to the Texas Instruments Co-op Design Challenge, the souped-up game uses sensor readings from a pair of Chronos watches worn by each opponent to control their respective robot.
Remote controlled lawn mower: then and now
Advertisement, circa 1960: “One day, by simply speaking into a microphone, you may be able to control an electrical ‘gardener’ to mow the grass, cultivate the flower beds, trim the hedges and do other yard work. And all the while you’ll be relaxing in the shade.” That day is now (with a joystick instead of […]
Slink-O-Matic machine automates Slinky-play
Jim Sellers (Oregon, WI) built this lovely Slink-O-Matic Slinky-playing machine. Why? Why not? D’uh. It “slinks” a slinky for you, at times when there are no stairs and you just have to… Also useful in determining whether one is in the northern or the southern hemisphere. Due to Coriolis forces it will “slink” from right […]
Sterylite6000, a shoebox robot
On Let’s Make Robots: This clever walking robot by George Collins of Sherman Oaks, CA, that uses a plastic shoebox as an enclosure. Sterylite6000 is a large and somewhat unusual robot. Originally it was designed to use only six servos. This worked resonably well, but did not get good ground clearance on the back legs. […]