Open Electronics has a nice tutorial on using your Arduino to send data to be saved into a Google Spreadsheet. I like this method not only because your data is immediately accessible anywhere you have access to Google Docs, but also it can easily be evaluated, graphed, and shared right from within Google Docs.
There have been a lot of developments over at Modkit since its introduction in MAKE Volume 25. The graphical drag-and-drop tool works in your browser now and allows you to program and control an Arduino and similar microcontrollers. You can still give the free tool a spin and test it out, but if you’re wanting to dig deeper and try some of the newer special features, you’ll need to sign up for the Alpha Club.
Last year, we ran a project series and contest to design and build CoasterBots, simple autonomous, programmable robots built from dead CD media (aka “coasters”). It was a roaring success. We had a lot of participants and some truly inspired project entries. Jameco Electronics, the sponsor of the campaign, also put together an awesome parts bundle with us.
The Twitchie Kit from the Maker Shed has been around for a while for a good reason; It’s really cool! The amazing life-like motion generated by the three Arduino powered servos brings an eerie realism to your bots, plushies, and animatronics. Since this kit is light on soldering and does not require programming we frequently recommend it to young makers and beginners in robotics.
Japan has always been on the forefront of cutting edge robotics. Its roots can be traced back 200-300 years during the Edo period when skilled craftsmen created automata (self-operating machines). Using nothing more than pulleys and weights they were able to make the Karakuri (Japanese automata) perform amazing tasks. Japans modern day robots can be […]
Well, sort of. In practice, the rings persist just long enough to make out a single letter. But you get the idea. Chicagoan Mitchell F. Chan’s THE INGENIOUS GENTLEMAN DON QUIXOTE OF LA MANCHA is slowly evaporating the text of Cervantes’ famous novel into the air, one letter at a time.
Watching an animated robot is certainly amusing, but interacting with a robot is an experience! you can make interactive robots with unique personalities out of many common toys using the EZ-B Robot Controller. Check out the complete tutorial in MAKE v27.
