The PETMAN robot was developed by Boston Dynamics with funding from the DoD CBD program. It is used to test the performance of protective clothing designed for hazardous environments. The video shows initial testing in a chemical protection suit and gas mask. PETMAN has sensors embedded in its skin that detect any chemicals leaking through the suit. The skin also maintains a micro-climate inside the clothing by sweating and regulating temperature. Partners in developing PETMAN were MRIGlobal, Measurement Technology Northwest, Smith Carter, CUH2A, and HHI.
Speaking of alternative approaches to 3D printing, with so many “delta-bot” approaches cropping up here or there, this is a great time to learn more about what it means to make a real “delta-robot” — and I am learning a lot from this maker from the UK: 3D Printed Delta Prototype by Jeden.
The last working delta robot I created was completed last August, nearly six months ago. I didn’t have access to a metal shop, so I relied on my dremel to do all the work and because of this it was made entirely out of hangers and tupperware. I hacked a multitude of plastic household objects and to-go boxes into actual moving robots… which was how I had expected to create the whole army of such deltas. That is until I met everyone at the budding hackerspace last summer and learned that 3D printers are now desktop sized.
I’ve come a long way since then. Now having figured out how to make 3D models of the parts I need, I’m printing my robots like a more civilized maker. I’ve also departed from relying on hobby parts for the joints due to my friend Mark’s ingenious idea to implement ball bearings into the design. This allows the robot to be free of heinous amounts of nuts and screws as well as any additional bought items.
Making use of the now open and booming SYN Shop, I ordered my own grey and optic yellow PLA to use on their delicious Replicator 2. If you are in need of PLA and want more color options than the Makerbot store has to offer, I suggest looking at this website. At $33 a kilogram I give them a thumbs up : JustPLA.com
Over the period of this week my model has evolved radically… but I’ve finally gotten each piece finalized to the point that I can assemble a fully functional delta robot. The first of such I completed just last night. It isn’t perfect yet… but that’s ok. It feels good to be making progress on this project again… and to have a new delta in the family. It’s name is ‘Jeden’, after the Polish word for ‘one’. =]
Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!
Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!
The Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, interactive art, and design with your 3D printer! If you’ve made a cool project that combines 3D printing and electronics, be sure to let us know, and we’ll feature it here!
DARPA’s Autonomous Robotic Manipulation (ARM) program is developing software, hardware and sensors to enable robots to semi-autonomously grasp and manipulate objects in unstructured environments (meaning, “outside of a laboratory”) with human operators providing only task-level instructions. For example, rather than dictating step-by-step every movement a robot makes, a human can give DARPA’s ARM robot a high-level command like “Open the door” or “Screw in the bolt.” Performers on the ARM program have already demonstrated success using one arm and hand to manipulate objects. Now DARPA is having teams test two arms and hands on tasks that require bimanual manipulation, like the robot changing a tire shown in this video. If DARPA is successful with grasping and manipulation, while also making robots more adaptable to changing environments and driving down the cost of production, robotic manipulation systems can be applied to a wide range of potentially dangerous Department of Defense applications, including defusing improvised explosive devices and searching bags.
Virginia Tech College of Engineering researchers have unveiled a life-like, autonomous robotic jellyfish the size and weight of a grown man, 5 foot 7 inches in length and weighing 170 pounds, as part of a U.S. Navy-funded project.
The prototype robot, nicknamed Cyro, is a larger model of a robotic jellyfish the same team – headed by Shashank Priya of Blacksburg, Va., and professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech – unveiled in 2012. The earlier robot, dubbed RoboJelly, is roughly the size of a man’s hand, and typical of jellyfish found along beaches.
The Original Egg-Bot! – Deluxe Kit! – The Eggbot is an open-source art robot that can draw on spherical or egg-shaped objects from the size of a ping pong ball to that of a small grapefruit– roughly 1.25 to 4.25 inches in diameter (3 – 10 cm).
The Eggbot is super adjustable, and is designed to draw on all kinds of things that are normally “impossible” to print on. Not just eggs but ping pong balls, light bulbs, mini pumpkins, and even things like wine glasses– with a bit of work. See the photos above for some examples of personalized golf balls, christmas ornaments, light bulbs, and (yes) eggs.
The Eggbot chassis is made of tough fiberglass, with integrated heat sinks for the included motors. The pen and egg motors are high-torque precision stepping motors, and the pen lift mechanism is a quiet and reliable servo motor.
The Eggbot kit is easy to assemble in a couple of hours, and only requires a couple of basic tools like miniature Phillips-head and flathead screwdrivers. No soldering required. You’ll also need a recent-vintage computer with an available USB port (Mac, Windows or Linux), plus internet access to download assembly instructions and necessary software.
This is a Theremin being played badly by the little robot arm on the left… (above)
…and this is the Raspberry Pi driving the robot that’s “playing” the theremin! (below)
Here are more details of Gordon’s visit, which I enjoyed reading:
M-Shed is a pretty interesting place in its own right – a nice little museum exploring some of the history of Bristol, and as someone who lived in Bristol for a few years it was nice to have a look at some of the exhibits. It does warrant another trip too, it’s quite a nice little gem of a place. I left Bristol just over 10 years ago and all that area was just in the process of being re-developed at that time and the whole area looks quite good now too. (On both sides of the floating harbour!)
So the Maker Faire is basically just a bunch of folks showing off and hopefully trying to get others enthused into their projects – there are some commercial companies sponsoring the event and it was good to see Pimoroni – makers of the Pibow case for the Raspberry Pi there and chat to the chaps, as well as a few other small companies selling components and embedded processor boards (e.g. Phoenoptix, Soldersplash) as well as Element 14 and many others. (Sponsor list here)
There were also lots of enterprising individuals, and of-course lots of non-computer/electronics makers too! Bronze casting, knitting/weaving, pottery/clay work, soft-drink making – something for absolutely everyone.
The Bristol Hackspace took up a lot of space in the middle and were demonstrating many varied and different projects – from old pen plotters to their BBC Micro connected to a Raspberry Pi sending & receiving tweets!
Here is my second pass at running my Trossen PhantomX MKII with a Raspberry Pi. I’ve finally decided to give it a name…. “Charlotte.” It’s called “Charlotte.” It’s running a custom c++ port of the Phoenix software developed by Jeroen Janssen, Kurt Eckhardt and Kåre Halvorsen. All the Inverse Kinematics are calculated on the fly using the law of sines on the RasPi. This version is all floating point and standard math libraries are used. Communication to the servos are done with a USB2AX created by Nicolas Saugnier and using a modified Robotis Dynamixel SDK. Power to the servos is provided by the Robotis SMPS2dynamixel. Remote Control is handled by a USB XBee module and Arbotix Commander.
With the BionicOpter, Festo has technically mastered the highly complex flight characteristics of the dragonfly. Just like its model in nature, this ultralight flying object can fly in all directions, hover in mid-air and glide without beating its wings.
This was the first drink the robot bartender – later in the night dubbed “Six Mix-a-Bot” – ever poured. Taken (graciously, by Maya) at my birthday party. Check out more on this contraption here: dsz123.net/Projects/RobotArm/
Lick-Wilmerding High School, a college preparatory, co- educational day school serving approximately 460 students in San Francisco, CA from grades 9-12 seeks a part time Computer Science/Robotics Instructor. Founded in 1895 as a technical arts school, and tuition free until 1972, Lick-Wilmerding has a long history of welcoming and supporting students from all walks of life, and prides itself on being a private school with public purpose. At LWHS, a diverse student body, faculty, and staff in all its forms is central to what we believe constitutes an excellent education, and we are institutionally committed to ongoing and reflective work in order to further define and articulate this complex and worthwhile vision of our school.
The average part time teacher workload is 36 students, the students are motivated, and the compensation is generous.
Successful teaching candidates will have a keen interest in working with high school students, and know that teachers at the high school level serve as role models and educators both inside and outside the classroom. Flexibility and a sense of humor are required.
Position Specifics: Computer Science/Robotics (Part Time)
Lick Wilmerding High School is looking for excellent candidates for a part-time (40% time / 2 courses every other day) position in an Industrial Arts Department. The courses will focus on computer science giving students a solid foundation for programming while going beyond the virtual realm to program devices that interface with the physical world. We’re looking for someone who can program and build things. Experience a programing language such as Java, C, C++, Python, Processing or equivalent is highly desirable. Experience with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and / or other device programming is also very desirable. These classes will compliment and expand an existing electronics / digital fabrication program.
We are looking for teachers with a passion for design, craft and engineering, and are eager to critically and creatively engage students in the process of making. We are looking for colleagues who are kind, thoughtful, energetic, innovative teachers, and all-around “school people” who want to participate in and contribute to our vibrant department and community. We encourage risk taking in our teaching practice while maintaining high standards, equity, and clear expectations for all students.
dragonator uploaded full instructions on how to make this lamp on instructables for entering the UP! contest in the lamps and lights contest. Due to shortage of time and overheating problem, the robot arm doesn’t function properly. However if you do not plan to use this as a moving arm, dragonator has also designed parts to replace the servo’s and moving parts. So before dragonator figures out a working robotic arm you can skip most of the wiring and only use it as a lamp.
To make this lamp you will need a 3D printer, tools, accessories, electronics and a lot of time. First you need between 40 and 60 hours to get all the parts printed. To make your own personal GlaDOS look extra awesome, you will need to sand and paint the printed parts. This will remove most of the visible printing lines and give all of the parts the right color. After sanding, you have to prime and paint them. Then you can start with assembling the base and the body of GlaDOS and afterwards wire it up and mount it to ceiling.
Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!
Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!
The Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, interactive art, and design with your 3D printer! If you’ve made a cool project that combines 3D printing and electronics, be sure to let us know, and we’ll feature it here!
The HipsterBot has an H-type belt configuration for controlling the X and Y axes. What’s special about this is that there are two stepper motors connected together with one long belt. If the steppers move in opposite direction, they control the X-axis. If they move in the same direction, they control the Y-axis. Therefore, the need for a linear mapping from a cartesian coordinate system into an H-belt coordinate system arises. In the RepRap community, the X-axis is usually the axis where the extruder sits, note that this is not the case here.
The advantage to this setup is that (with a Bowden extruder) there are no moving stepper motors to add weight to the carriage, so the speed can be high. The disadvantage is that there is some elasticity in the belt.
Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!
Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!
The Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, interactive art, and design with your 3D printer! If you’ve made a cool project that combines 3D printing and electronics, be sure to let us know, and we’ll feature it here!
Finally a robot we can all relate to. This little guy’s name is HERB, and he lives at Carnegie Mellon University, where he’s been taught to separate the cookie from the creme. He might be made of servos and cameras, but clearly he loves one part of the OREO more than the other.
While it has been a longstanding tradition in mechanical and industrial design courses to task the student to create functional designs out of paper, cardboard, and balsa wood — it is a rare delight to see such a fully-realized project tackled with these “prototyping” materials. Created by Noklas Roy. Thanks to Nick Brewer for the tip!
When I gave a workshop at the School of Art and Design in Offenbach about building digital devices out of cardboard, the students asked me to build a machine as well. I always wanted to own a plotter – so I didn’t have to think too long about what exactly I’d build.
The cardboard plotter is made out of Finnish cardboard, which is very durable, but also easy to cut with a hobby knife. The axles and slide rails are made out of welding rod. Everything is connected with super glue, adhesive tape and tie wraps.
As an interface, I built two rotary dials and a switch. One of the dials moves the pen in y-position. The other dial moves the table under then pen in x-position. The switch lifts the pen or puts it on the paper. When I was done with building the plotter, I also compiled a little code book with coordinates for several drawings. They are written down as a list of numbers from 0 to 9, which makes it effectively a very simple digital storage medium for low resolution vector graphics.
You can find further hires images – also of the building process – in this album.
Printable catalog (PDF) or (EPUB)
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