vacuum

Behind the Build: Vacuum Table

Behind the Build: Vacuum Table

I have one of the coolest bosses in the world. I love to make things and he pretty much lets me make whatever I want then pays me to do it. He also has a hobby; he likes to work with leather. So when he got his hands on a leather cutting drag knife for our lab’s Shopbot he asked if I could build him a vacuum table to hold sheets of leather securely on the machine I was happy to comply. But the project turned out to be a real design challenge.

My Vac-U-Formative years

My Vac-U-Formative years

When these images showed up on Gizmodo, Oh Gizmo! and then started making the email rounds, long-dormant neural pathways lit up like a 60s Christmas tree, the kind with bulbs so big and hot they could roast chestnuts. It was under such a radiant Christmas tree that I found that exact same Mattel Vac-U-Form kit […]

Roomba’s roots

Roomba’s roots

By way of BotJunkie comes this robot vacuum, the Dustbot, sold by Tomy in 1985. I’d never even heard of it. The broom and dustpan is not, apparently, how it does its job. That’s just for a little light entertainment while it attempts a little light vacuuming. Tomy Vacuuming Dustbot Had Edge Sensors In 1985