Robots, behind the veil
Matt Kirkland peels back our illusions about cute robot toys, via Bot Junkie. The machine inside the ghost?
Robotics
Making a robot can be an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s the perfect combination of creativity, engineering and problem solving. However, if you’re just getting started in robotics, it can also be overwhelming. To make things easier for those who are just starting out, we’ve put together some tips and tricks to help makers bring robots to life! From the basics of assembling your robot to software implementation, these pointers will give you everything you need to get started on your robotic adventure!
Make a LEGO Wall-E
The NXT STEP’s BlueToothKiwi made an NXT Wall-E; he’s shared instructions on NXTLOG. He also points us to the adorable Wall-E Joe Meno made out of LEGO – there are lots of pictures in his Flickr set. Bigger eyes! More: Disney intros new bots @ Maker Faire HOW TO – Build your own Wall-E robot
Increase the broadcast range of your RC car with some aluminum foil
This simple hack shows you how to increase the transmission range of any RC car by at least 50 feet by adding some aluminum foil to the remote control. Watch the video for the simple solution. [via]
Wave Synth 2.0 adds sound to watery chaos
The “WaveSynth 2.0” by Leo Peschta is a digital instrument that creates sound through the use of mechanical valves in a water basin and an array of sensors to detect the pattern and movement of the waves. The resulting data is sent to a computer which then synthesizes the data into a sound composition. Nice […]
Computer-controlled Airsoft gun
This site has detailed instructions on how to turn a Mini XM-177 Airsoft rifle into a computer-controlled, servo-actuated gun. Robot Airsoft [via]
Swashbot and G-Dog size each other up at RoboGames
There’s an old jargon term I love: “technical butt sniffing,” which is when two geeks size up each others technical mojo. This vid brings a whole new meaning to the term, as two bio-mechanical critters, one dog and one crab, try to determine who has more DOF. [via]
Amphibious snake-like robot “ACM-R5”
The creepy cool amphibious snake-like robot “ACM-R5” via jwz. Sea snakes live in water, and even terrestrial snakes sometimes show swimming on water surface. In fact, the mechanism of snakes’ propulsion is almost same both in water and on ground. An amphibious snake-like robot ACM-R5 takes advantage of this fact. It can operate both on […]
