Technabob » cockroach http://technabob.com/blog Cool Gadgets, Gizmos, Games and Geek Stuff Sun, 27 May 2012 20:00:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 CLASH Cloth-Climbing Robot Cockroach: Headed to a Couch Near You http://technabob.com/blog/2011/10/10/clash-cloth-climbing-robot/ http://technabob.com/blog/2011/10/10/clash-cloth-climbing-robot/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:15:47 +0000 Conner Flynn http://technabob.com/blog/?p=69753 UC Berkeley has a history of creating insect-inspired robots for future humans to swat and kill and run from in horror. The latest is CLASH, a robot designed to speedily climb up vertical or near-vertical cloth surfaces. The key to it’s creepy climbing are it’s tiny little spiny toes, which grip the fabric.

CLASH Robot
In the video below, you’ll see how just how quickly the cockroach-like CLASH scurries up surfaces, making it hard to swat once it scares the bejeesus out of you while you are watching TV. It can move upwards of 24 centimeters per second.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The bot is 10 centimeters long and weighs just 15 grams, so the design definitely helps it to be speedy. The back two legs are passive and the legs are driven by a single motor that delivers a gait frequency of 34 strides per second. It’s a very impressive little ‘bot. Let’s hope it doesn’t escape the lab and reproduce.

[via IEEE Spectrum]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2011/10/10/clash-cloth-climbing-robot/feed/ 0 Brando Cockroach Necklace Flash Drive: Who Wants to Wear One? http://technabob.com/blog/2009/05/18/brando-cockroach-necklace-flash-drive/ http://technabob.com/blog/2009/05/18/brando-cockroach-necklace-flash-drive/#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 12:09:24 +0000 Lambert Varias http://technabob.com/blog/?p=13221 Brando, producer of gadgets that are mostly devoid of sense, is at it again with their latest flash drive, the “jewel bug necklace flash drive.”

cockroach flash drive 3

Look at all the shiny plastic. Brando is kind enough to include a chain so that you can make a necklace with the bug as its pendant, although why anyone would do so is beyond me.

cockroach flash drive 2

On second thought, it’s not half bad. But still, why a cockroach? Nevermind. If there’s one thing I can say about Brando, it’s that they’re consistent. Consistently weird. The jewel bug necklace flash drive is only available at 8 Gb capacity. It’s for sale for $33 USD at Brando’s online store.

[via Everything USB]

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