junkbot

Salvius: A Humanoid Robot Born from a Junkyard

Salvius: A Humanoid Robot Born from a Junkyard

These days you can find and buy your very own robot from any number of companies (ROBOTIS, KumoTek, Honda, etc.). However, they can cost in excess of $12,000 or more and typically rely on specialized software to function. Back when I was a kid, 20 years ago, my friends and I would try to build our own […]

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Maker Faire Detroit: Big Scary Robot interview

Maker Faire Detroit: Big Scary Robot interview

The countdown to Maker Faire Detroit is down to T minus 3 days, and we’re hoping you’ll come out and play, learn, and be inspired with us on July 31 and August 1 at The Henry Ford. Among the over 250 projects that will be at the Faire is the Big Scary Robot (BSR) from […]

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Bipedal walker made from old TVs and other junk

Sam Togo (Togolese Republic, Africa) is building this humanoid robot, mainly from old TV parts. He hopes to inspire other kids in his country to embrace science and technology through his work. [Via Trossen] Homemade robot

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Junkbot student videos

As a summation assignment for the CD scrounging, battery pack and junkbot project, students made videos showing their junkbot. In the videos, which were made on whatever equipment they had available to them, they were to show the ‘bot, explain what they did to make it and explain a bit about how it works. Part of the project was a writing assignment had them write about their Junkbot and tell about what they learned in the project. Not all of the students put the videos online, instead emailing them in. Having the videos online definitely creates a better, more lasting record.

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CD drive scrounged junkbots

After exploring the innards of our CD drives, students in my robotics class are coming up with some clever junkbots. Here are a few of the first ones, more to come as they evolve.As the school year begins, how do you help students understand the basics of electricity, manufacturing, and creating original devices? As a student, what are the best projects for the start of the semester or school year to get you excited to go deeper and learn more?

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Lockwasher’s motor art

Lockwasher’s motor art

We’ve posted about artist Lockwasher’s awesome robots and rayguns and other items made from found objects. Here are some pics from his Motor Art collection. Motor Art [via Low-Tech Magazine]

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