Technology

VR Kitty Brushing System

VR Kitty Brushing System

Taylor Veltrop created a controller for a NAO humanoid robot using a treadmill, Kinect, Wii remotes, and a head-mounted display… and demonstrated it by brushing his cat remotely. This is the culmination of my last year’s work. I control the robot’s arms through the Kinect and Wii remotes. I control the robot’s navigation through the […]

How-To: Fold-Up Fresnel Reflector

How-To: Fold-Up Fresnel Reflector

Uwe Oehler has written a simple program that prints out fold-up paper templates for the conic sections that make up the reflective surface of a Fresnel mirror. Cut the templates out of cardboard, cover the cardboard with aluminum tape, fold up the sections, and apply them to a flat backing. Even the relatively simple, five ring, 59% coverage reflector shown in the video will burn holes in construction paper under modest sunlight.