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!

Recap of #hackPHX: Arduino Hackathon @HeatSyncLabs

Recap of #hackPHX: Arduino Hackathon @HeatSyncLabs

Friday night kicked off the #hackPHX Arduino hackathon at HeatSync Labs, the Phoenix area hackerspace. Everyone gathered to form 10 teams that included one Arduino newbie, one veteran, and one entrant with “hackerspace” skills (3D printing lasering welding sewing, whatever). They would have use of the entire hackerspace, an on-site designer from sponsor Cynergy, and whatever they could find at local hardware stores. Oh, and one more thing, they had to use our secret ingredient: The Shieldbot from SeeedStudios, developed by Colin Ho is a shield robot for Arduino that has five reflectance sensors, two DC motors and a 3.7V lion battery.

Continue Reading Jacob Rosenthal4
Bartendro Make me a Drink

Bartendro Make me a Drink

MAKE’s next issue is about to head to the printer and will hit newsstands April 23. In it, we’ll feature the “water-to-wine cooler” project, a device created by drink makers Robert Kaye and Pierre Michael of Party Robotics that seems to turn water into wine. Apparently fascinated by fluid dynamics and automatic alcoholic beverages, the duo has now launched a campaign for Bartendro on Kickstarter. Bartendro uses peristaltic pumps and CNC milled parts that they say precisely dispenses cocktail and after cocktail within one mililiter of accuracy

Continue Reading Stett Holbrook
Challenge the Kids, Challenge Yourself

Challenge the Kids, Challenge Yourself

I had twenty-four kids to walk through a detailed robot kit build. I thought we’d get through the physical build in one or two classes, and have two classes to play with the circuit and make the robot do different things. Boy, did I mis-judge things. By the end of the first class, we had barely managed to finish the first two steps of the build. I went home and collapsed for a bit. I was exhausted and not a little bit panicked.

Continue Reading Andrew Terranova20
Robots to the Rescue

Robots to the Rescue

The aim of DARPA’s Tactically Expandable Maritime Platform is to link shipping containers to form whatever shape you desire – useful for emergency helicopter landings or creating platforms for crane use. The GRASP Lab at UPenn, which is famous for their use of quadrotors, has taken the lead on research for the project.

Continue Reading Eric Weinhoffer8