Archive for the 'DIY' Category

This DIY transforming bot is an awesome project. Apparently it was created for a robotics class by “Kevmag 2000″. It’s roughly 12-inches tall and can go from a motorized truck to an upright, walking robot in mere seconds.

The bot is capable of righting itself if it topples over, flipping its legs around until it’s lying on its front and then pushing itself up with its arms. The arms flip around and back to move out of the way while in truck mode. Video below.
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It’s been clear to us for some time that as cool as i-Sobot is, he needs a vehicle. Apparently Prallplatte in Singapore thinks like us and so has combined several different hobbies to give i-SOBOT a Steam-Punk mobile attack platform.

i-SOBOT is now more badass than ever. Is it just me or does he have i-SOBOT looking like Predator?

[Robots-Dreams]

If you’ve been looking for a fun and easy project to complete to get your start in robotics, you might want to try out this Arduino Mothbot DIY project. The real perks here: it’s cheap and easy.

In fact, you’ll probably only need to spend about $80 to tackle this one. All you need are a nine-volt battery, AA batteries, some wood, a solderless breadboard, some screws, tupperware lids, a wheel and an Arduino Duemilanove. Why not give it a try then?

[Robot Living]

Wooden Robot warfare is not something we cover very often. But it exists. This rubber band firing robot is a ride-on robot that can be hand-cranked to close its fists, drop its chest plate and unleash some rubber band fury onto its enemies.

It’s more funny than scary however. I mean how scary can a hand cranked robot be? It is an awesome creation though and shows how robots in the 1800’s would wage war.

[Gizmodo]

This DIY project takes such common parts as a clock from IKEA and a fluorescent desk lamp, and turns them into a robot voice modulator so you can be your own Mr. Roboto.

This project may be difficult for some. It calls for laser cutting and some audio tech know-how. But the results are an awesome robot voice. It even features audio-in so you can plug in instruments, pre-recorded sounds, or anything else you want, and the pitch-shifting and vibrato buttons let you adjust the robot sounds.

[Gizmodo]

I’m sure you remember those little robots called bristlebots, right? They’re basically the head of toothbrushes connected to pager motors. But before they were pretty aimless, and now they’ve got some direction.

The bots are still the same, but now you can control them. In this version, the bot is instructed to turn around whenever it crosses the black line. Simple stuff, but it might make for amusement next weekend. Check out a video of these mini-bots in action after the jump.

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Here’s a pretty cool use of Legos. If companies don’t want to build robot iPod docks, then damnit, we will make our own. The creator actually built it about 2 years ago, and only recently decided that it was time to share it with the internet.

The dock is a cannibalized iPod mini dock, and the robot/base is a mashup of several lego kits. (The AT-AT on the right claw gives it away. And the LEGOLAND sticker which came with Lego Soccer.) More pics on flickr.

[Attichermit]

Carlos Owens wanted a giant metal robot of his own. One that would mimic his movements while he sat inside. So he built one. This 18-foot-tall, one-ton prototype is his second version. The first was made of wood. This version was started in 2004, and it’s cold hard steel with a system of cables and hydraulics inside that make it work.

As it is, it can raise its arms, bend its knees and apparently do sit-ups, but he wants more. Therefore, he’s working on two more prototypes to make it lighter and more maneuverable. Pretty awesome DIY project. Just please don’t kill us.

[Gizmodo]

This Power Mac G4 Cube robot is pretty cool. A modder from thinkingbricks “used a LEGO Mindstorms NXT kit and a Cube body to create a Cube-bot with both autonomous and remote control modes.” It doesn’t do much in the video, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t awesome. It makes us wish all of our devices could park themselves when not in use.

[TUAW]

This 6 in 1 solar kit can be built into a dog, boat, car, plane (static and moving), and even a windmill. Looks like a great way to learn a bit about robotics and solar energy. Only £13.00, which is odd because I don’t think they get much sun in the UK, so not very much play time with this thing.

[Red5]