MAKE at RoboGames: Highlights
I’ve already shared some images of combat and humanoid robots from RoboGames, but there’s a lot more to see than just that. Here’s a slideshow of “the rest”, which there was quite a lot of.
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MAKE at RoboGames: A Discussion with Lem Fugitt about Humanoids
Humanoid robot competition is one part of RoboGames that seems to be dominated by Japanese roboticists. Lem Fugitt, who runs Robots Dreams, has been involved with the humanoid robot scene in Japan for nine years, and tends to bring a few “professional” Robo-One players with him on his annual trip to RoboGames. We spoke with him about how he got involved in the Robo-One scene and how 3D Printing has started to benefit the builders.
MAKE at RoboGames: Robot Combat
Despite the large number of categories of robots here at RoboGames, the resounding sounds of metal on metal and cheers from the crowd keep drawing us back to the combat arena. We were immediately surprised by the variety of locations and backgrounds these teams come from, whether it’s a High School from across the country, a local engineer working in his garage, or a robotics team from Brazil.
RoboGames: The Mayhem Starts Tomorrow
Tomorrow kicks off the 10th year of RoboGames, a three-day extravaganza of robots and technology. The dozens of competitions cover everything from line following and fire fighting to weight lifting and mech warfare.
Robot Puppet Party at Maker Faire
The Hello World Program would like to invite you to a Robot Puppet Party at the Maker Faire Bay Area next month. Hello World has been running for about a year, building a library of video tutorials on a variety of open source tech topics, narrated by handmade puppets. Guido the Python teaches the Python programming language, of course, while the robot Unique ID discusses robotics, circuitry and the basics of object-oriented programming. Currently under construction is a new fox puppet who will be in charge of HTML tutorials.
Let the RoboGames Begin
The 10th annual RoboGames, the “Olympics of Robotics,” comes to the San Mateo County Expo Center April 19-21. With over 50 events (everything from sumo wrestling, robot combat, fire-fighting, and ribbon climbing) and hundreds of different bots, there’s no better way to satisfy your love of robotics. Buy tickets before April 14th with coupon code “Maker” to get 20 percent off.
The DeltaMaker: Robot Meets 3D Printer
The DeltaMaker, a recent success on Kickstarter, is an elegant 3D printer built on a delta robot platform. Delta robots have been used for picking and packaging applications in factories for decades, thanks to their impressive speed and agility. The DeltaMaker uses MakerSlide aluminum extrusions paired with Delrin v-wheels on bearings to move quicker than normal printers; the Z axis in particular isn’t limited by the low speed of a threaded rod, so it can move just as quickly as the other axes.
I spoke with the company’s mechanical engineer, Zack Monninger to discuss their success on Kickstarter and what’s next.