animatronic

StarBots Animatronic Kits: Another Kickstarter Success Story

StarBots Animatronic Kits: Another Kickstarter Success Story

By Ian Cole

Ian Cole

Ian is a co-founder of The Maker Effect Foundation, a non-profit group organized to amplify the effects of makers within their communities. The Maker Effect Foundation's programs include Maker Faire Orlando, and MakerFX makerspace in Orlando. Ian is also a board member of Nation of Makers, and a member of FamiLAB, Orlando's Hackerspace.

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What was the secret sauce in StarBots animatronic kits?

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Animatronics Kits for Learning

Animatronics Kits for Learning

By Michelle "Binka" Hlubinka

Michelle "Binka" Hlubinka

Michelle, or Binka, makes . While at Maker Media, she oversaw publications, outreach, and programming for kids, families, and schools. Before joining Maker Media in 2007, she worked at the Exploratorium, in Mitchel Resnick’s Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab, and as a curriculum designer for various publishers and educational researchers. When she’s not supporting future makers, including her two young sons, Binka does some making of her own, most often as a visual artist.

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I just stumbled across the Star★Bot animatronic platform kit out of the community of makers in Florida. It’s designed for kids to “create animatronic robots and learn microcontrollers, mechanics and papercraft.” Its Kickstarter campaign ends in a few hours! Pat Starace developed the kits at FamiLAB “Central Florida’s provider of space, tools, and community for creative technical learning and projects.” (All the organizers for the Orlando Mini Maker Faire met at FamiLAB.)

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Close Encounters of the T-Rex Kind

Close Encounters of the T-Rex Kind

By Karen Tanenbaum

Karen Tanenbaum

I am a technology researcher and designer; a Steampunk prop maker and costumer; a writer of both academic papers and blog posts; a voracious reader/watcher of science fiction. I am currently contributing to MAKE by writing about the Maker Faire. You can contact me via karen@makermedia.com

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The Maker Faire Bay Area brings in Makers from around the world, like 15 year-old Gabriel Diaz Yanten, who is coming all the way from Chile along with his animatronic dinosaur puppet, Anacleto. Anacelto is a 12.8 feet tall and 8.2 feet long T-Rex that Gabriel designed and built with the help of his uncle, a mechanic.

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Animatronic Peep Show

Animatronic Peep Show

By Sean Michael Ragan

Sean Michael Ragan

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

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The good kind. You know, with little marshmallow candies shaped like chicks baby birds. Built by Kyle Ringgenberg:

In the spirit of Easter, I’ve designed and constructed an audio-animatronic “Peep” Show. This is inspired by a long-running pun amongst of group of friends of mine. Total part count: 10 Servos, 29 LEDs, 1 Arduino, 1 Audio Decoder IC, 1 Push Button, 1 0.5 W Speaker, ~650 Lines of Code, 3 Sheets of Foamboard, 5? of Balsa Wood, 3? of Dowels, 25? of Wire, & 11 Peeps.

[Thanks, Rachel!]

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Billy Bass brain upgrade

By Gareth Branwyn

Gareth Branwyn

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. And he has a new best-of writing collection and “lazy man’s memoir,” called Borg Like Me.

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Here’s a Design News Gadget Freak column on using an ARM-powered processor (the MBED ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Dev Board) to make a Billy Bass animatronic fish speak and move as you wish. [Caution: mild cursing in the video.] Gadget Freak Case #150: Hotrod Your Billy Bass

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Giant animatronic Gomora costume

By Gareth Branwyn

Gareth Branwyn

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. And he has a new best-of writing collection and “lazy man’s memoir,” called Borg Like Me.

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Is it too late to order up one of these for Halloween? But it’d be kind of lonely bounding around in the parking lot while the party rages inside. How do you say: “Hey everybody, come outside and watch me kick Ultraman’s butt” in Kaiju? Gomora Giant Animatronic Monster Costume

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Incredibly creepy photoreactive animatronic, um, thing

Incredibly creepy photoreactive animatronic, um, thing

By Sean Michael Ragan

Sean Michael Ragan

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

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and has seven servos and several vacuum-formed pops. The rest is “plywood, paper clips, and popsicle sticks.” [Thanks, Matt!]

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