Technabob » mechanical

Batman Grappling Hook Gun Created at BYU

Shane McGlaun — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:00:18 +0000

Of all the gadgets and gizmos that Batman uses to fight crime, one of the ones I always thought was most interesting was his grappling hook gun that he can fire up onto ledges or the top of buildings to climb. If you’ve ever wanted to have that sort of grappling hook gun, some student engineers at BYU have created one that actually works. The students dreamed it up based on what Batman uses.

The students created their grappling hook gun for an Air Force competition. The device the team created uses a launcher to shoot a grappling hook as far as 90 feet in the air. Once deployed, the system uses pulleys, and other tech to automatically pull the user up the building or other surface with little effort.

The contest the team will be participating in gives them 20 minutes to demonstrate the tool and then train military representatives on its use. The goal of the competition is to get three people up a 90-foot vertical incline while carrying 300 pounds of gear each. The device designed by the BYU students is able to climb 30 feet per minute. Check out the video above to see the system in action.

TJ* Animatronic Puppet Puts a Robot Head on Your Desk

Technabob — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:30:22 +0000

If you’ve ever wanted to play with animatronics, here’s your chance to do it without breaking the bank. This low-cost robotic head is the perfect combination of plaything and educational toy.

Designed by Jeff Kessler, TJ* is an animatronic puppet you can easily control. TJ*’s mechanical eyes can move up, down, left and right, and his mouth can move open and closed too. The mechanical puppet is controlled using a programmable Arduino circuit, so you can make it do whatever you want.

TJ* is made from laser-cut MDF wood and three drive servos, and can also be covered with a paper “skin” so you don’t have to stare at his skull if you don’t want (though I think it looks cool that way.) Jeff is also working on an upgrade which will let you add LED eyeballs to TJ*. Now all we need is a metal skin, and we’ll have our own desktop Terminators!

Pricing for TJ* starts at just $50(USD) if you already have an Arduino, and at $120 for a complete system with the Arduino Uno controller and puppeteer’s joystick. For $10 extra, you can request a plastic version of TJ* instead of MDF. Drop on over to Kickstarter and get your pledge in by this Saturday April 14th, if you want to get in on the action. Jeff expects to start shipping out the first batch of TJ* robots this June. Down the road, he’ll also be releasing an upgraded ($200) version of TJ* with the ability to move the corners of his mouth and his brow up and down.

Rube Goldberg Machine Sets World Record

Conner Flynn — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:30:59 +0000

We’ve seen all kinds of crazy Rube Goldberg machines, but this one is breaking records (and bursting balloons.) In fact Purdue University’s Society of Professional Engineers and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers broke their own world record this past Saturday with a machine that has 300 steps. The previous record was 244 steps.

Not content with breaking their own record, this machine is also pretty compact. They were able to get it so compact by creating rotating contraptions that fold out only when needed. Yes, this is a lot of work just to blow up and pop a balloon, but that’s the whole point of a Rube Goldberg machine.

It took the team over 5,000 hours to build the machine, and in the end it did things like peeling an apple, juicing an orange, toasting bread, making a hamburger, changing a light bulb, loading a CD and sharpening a pencil before it reached its balloon-popping goal. Check out the video above to watch it all happen.

[via The Awesomer]

Drawing Apparatus Turns Turntables into Spirograph Robot

Technabob — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:00:26 +0000

Turntables can certainly be used to make art – but I usually think of them as a tool for auditory creation, not visual so much. Not so in this project, which transformed a couple of ordinary turntables into a drawing machine.

Designer Robert Howsare created the decidedly low-tech Drawing Apparatus using a pair of old record players, whose platters have each been connected to a hinged wooden armature. This arm has a Sharpie on the end of it, which draws geometric patterns as the pen glides along the surface of the paper.

I’m duly impressed by the unique, Spirograph-like shapes this thing ends up drawing as the turntables go round and round. It looks like each turntable is running at a different speed in order to vary the geometry and create unique artworks with every play.

I only wonder if there would be some way to keep the needles on the records so it could play music at the same time. I’m guessing the wooden arms would quickly derail the needle. Still, it’s a pretty cool effect, and the sound it makes as it goes around drawing is kind of mesmerizing on its own.

[via Abitaire via Architizer]

Kinect-a-Sketch Updates an Old Classic

Conner Flynn — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:30:43 +0000

What if you could play with your Etch-a-Sketch by simply moving your hands in the air? That would be pretty awesome. What once might have seemed like magic is now a reality. The Kinect-a-Sketch merges Etch-a-Sketch technology with gesture recognition.

This project comes from the folks over at Waterloo Labs. The system lets you control the Etch-a-Sketch by standing in front of the Kinect. You just use a huge pencil or your hand to control the Etch-a-Sketch and draw what you want.

The video explains it much better than I can. The main thing is that you can draw onto the Etch-a-Sketch by drawing in thin air! How long will it be until Microsoft teams up with the toy company and offers us a retail version? I would buy that in a heartbeat.

[via Geeky-Gadgets]

PriNXT Fully-Functional LEGO Printer Built By 14-Year Old

Jack Kieffer — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 16:00:28 +0000

You’re the big man in the house when it comes to fixing technology. The remote stops working, you have the ingenuity to change the batteries. The printer stops working, you use your problem solving skills to determine that there is a lack of paper. Well, I hate to burst your very large ego bubble, but a 14-year old has built a fully functional black and white printer out of LEGOs from an NXT set. This device, as dubbed by the creator, Leon Overweel, is called the PriNXT.

Leo’s PriNXT LEGO Printer is powered by just three motors: two that move the felt tipped pen laterally, and one that moves the pen off of and onto the paper. This device can print images onto paper, but Leo says it takes over three hours to get a substantially-sized image on there, and that the resolution is very low.

Despite the fact that you won’t be using the PriNXT on a daily basis, it’s an impressive feat that a mere child could build this incredible creation that would have been deemed black magic only a couple hundred years ago.

This is an amazing NXT creation, but if you’re still looking for more LEGO goodness, you’ll want to jump on over to the Twin Lens LEGO Camera and the life-size LEGO Batman for more. Or, you could help me build the box car I’m working on. It’s going pretty well so far – I just need to add the chassis and wheels. Merely finishing touches, if you ask me.

[via The NXT Step via Make:]

Contributor Jack Kieffer owns Cool Gizmo Toys, a blog that rants about random geeky products.

Lineær Clock Design: Time on the Line

Range — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:00:19 +0000

Everyone knows that time is supposed to be linear (at least the way that we experience it), but our usual representation is circular, since the watch face and clock face were designed for the convenience of returning their hands to the 12 o’clock position, not necessarily usability. This clock takes time and represents it in a more linear fashion with a minimal facade which conceals a rotating scroll that indicates the time.

The Lineær Clock was designed by Audun Ask Blaker. The clock features no illumination or digital displays, and promises a very quiet-running mechanism. Some people will say that it’s too minimal, but I like the fact that you can easily and quickly tell the time with it, and it doesn’t take up much space.

From the looks of this illustration, the overall mechanics behind it don’t seem too complicated either.

It’s a cool time-telling concept, but for now, it’s just that – a concept. Only time will tell if the Lineær clock will ever be produced.

[via Yanko Design]

Round-the-Clock Concept Watch is Aptly Named

Conner Flynn — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:00:34 +0000

You don’t see very many watch designs that truly stand out. At least not many that are affordable. Mostly they are all just wristbands with a slab of dial attached. And even the more unusual designs are simply different displays set into a traditional watch face. This Round-the-Clock bracelet concept watch is different and the name is very appropriate.

This interesting concept comes from Körös Benedek and features three analog bands that travel 360 degrees around it’s surface. Individual bands have the hour, minute and seconds on them. You get the correct time by reading the break in the middle of the bracelet as the bands move into position.

Should it ever become a reality, it would be made from materials like stainless steel, plastic, and rubber. Too bad we can’t buy one right now. I’m sure they would sell very well.

[via Yanko Design]

Manifold Clock Makes Art out of Time

Hazel Chua — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:30:36 +0000

The only thing that’s constant in this world is change. Thus, it makes sense that even something that’s used to tell the time isn’t constant in itself. In this case, it’s the Manifold Clock.

These quirky timepieces will display the time as an constantly evolving artwork on your wall. The fact that it does so with bright, lively, and vibrant displays is just one of the major features of its design.

Both hands of the clock are connected with a flexible surface made from Tyvek. The movements of the clock are based on the mathematical notion of Riemann surfaces, including the log(z) function.

The Manifold Clock is a Product Design project from Studio Ve, that’s based in Tel Aviv, Israel. The project is currently up on Kickstarter, where almost half of the $15,000 has been reached by interested contributors, with about 1 month to go. If you’re interested in getting one of these gorgeous clocks for yourself, then a minimum pledge of $45 is needed.

Trax MkII Concept Watch is Militaristic and Easy to Read

Hazel Chua — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:00:41 +0000

Remember that futuristic concept watch I told you about yesterday, FOUR? It had all the makings of a great watch, except that it was way too complicated for my taste.

Watch designs featured by Tokyoflash are usually extremely complicated, which makes reading the time off of them – which happens to be the main purpose of watches, by the way – more difficult than necessary. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised when I chanced upon the Trax MkII Concept Watch.

The watch was designed by Peter Fletcher from the UK, and draws on obvious military themes as its inspiration. That’s pretty much apparent as it uses tank-like treads to tell the time. Unlike other watch displays that flash a series of LED lights and leave all the time reading interpretation up to you, the Trax MkII tells it like it is: with good, old-fashioned digits.

As the time changes, the numbered treads move into position. Just read the numbers found between the LED illuminated brackets in the middle to know what time of day it is – in military time, of course.

On the design, Peter explains: “I wanted to come up with a watch design based on driven belts. The first thought that popped into my head when thinking about belts was caterpillar tracks and what caterpillar tracks are usually attached too. So I decided to use tanks as an inspiration for this watch concept.”

Execution of this particular design will require a fairly complex mechanism to be built, but if you’d like to see it produced some day, be sure to cast your vote over on the Tokyoflash design blog.

[via Ubergizmo via Geeky Gadgets]

LEGO Great Ball Contraption Lives Up to Its Name

Conner Flynn — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:00:23 +0000

If you love LEGO and have the time, you can build yourself a machine just like this one. It’s totally useless, yet totally amazing and mesmerizing. One warning though. This likely was super expensive to make.

We first showed you this LEGO Great Ball Contraption about a year ago, but this video is much better quality and heck, it is still mind-blowing so it’s worth another look. It scoops up mini soccer and basketballs, then dumps them into a truck which drives over to a rotating ferris wheel kind of thing where the balls take a ride over to an elevator then…Just watch the video. There are too many cool things going on.

It was built by a guy known as akiyuky, and it truly is hypnotizing. You just can’t stop watching it. I just love it. Akiyuky, I salute you. I raised a fistful of bricks to you good sir and look forward to your next creation. What’s that you say, you’re already working on an update to your Great Ball Contraption?

[via geek]

Buy a Whole Houseful of Robots, Just $55k!

Technabob — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:00:23 +0000

How many times in your life will you have the opportunity to buy an entire set of life-size robots to take over your home? Well, if you happen to have $54,900 (USD) lying around gathering dust, now is your chance.

Robot builder Florida Robot built all but one of these robots, which include C-3PO, R2-D2, B9 from Lost in Space, Bender and a couple of others. Robby the Robot was already built by Fred Barton, but he modified it in order to “motorize and computerize some of his systems.” Apparently in need of some extra space in his house, these robot’s creator has put the entire robo-menagerie up for sale on eBay.

As you can see in the video above, both Robby and B9 light up in sync with audio tracks from a classic episode of Lost in Space, called “War of the Robots.” C-3PO, on the other hand, seems a bit more dignified. He’s got an awesome shiny vacu-metallized finish, and his eyes LED light up when someone approaches. Despite the fact that he’s supposed to be fluent in over 6 million languages, this 3PO isn’t talking, though.

And if that’s not the only droid you’re looking for, R2 is up for sale too.

He’s completely motorized, and can be driven remotely. His dome turns, his lights work, and he even makes all sorts of appropriately droidly sounds.

Now Bender, on the other hand. He seems too busy smoking and drinking to utter a word or even move. Still, he looks pretty cool just lazing around – though you might want to keep an eye on your valuables.

Last but not least in this awesome robo-collection are these boxy ‘bots who are inspired by an image on a 1958 issue of Fantastic Universe magazine, featuring a pair of robots sitting on a bench, waiting for the bus to come.

They’re also mechanical, and their heads move back and forth and eyes blink when a motion sensor detects someone approaching. They’re also completely charming.

Wow. I am so not adding that song to iTunes. That’s what you get when you let robots sing, I suppose. That and Mr. Roboto. I think all robot videos should actually be set to ELO’s Mr. Blue Sky.

But I digress. If you’re ready to adopt this lovingly-built family of robots (or you’re readying your own robot theme park), head on over to eBay and check out the auction now. The seller says that local pickup is available in Clearwater, Florida, and I can’t imagine how you’d ship these.

Crypteks Flash Drive is as Secure as it Looks

Lambert Varias — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:00:24 +0000

Earlier this year, we featured a flash drive with a literally puzzling handmade casing, which requires the user to enter a 5-digit combination via a series of wheel locks to gain access to the flash drive itself. If you wanted to own your own modern cryptex but don’t have the skills to make one, this flash drive will make your inner investigator squeal.

(This article has been significantly revised because the whole “Cryptex” concept from The DaVinci Code flew over my head. My apologies. And now, we return to your scheduled programming.) The Crypteks USB drive doesn’t just have a mechanical lock like the DIY Cryptex drive. It has additional security features aside from the mechanical lock, like 256-bit AES hardware encryption, a read-only mode and the ability to set the number of wrong password attempts before the drive goes Men in Black and wipes its contents.

The Crypteks USB has already earned more than twice its target goal on Kickstarter. The fundraiser will still be up for 22 days, so sneak your way to its project page if you want to be one of the first to own a Crypteks USB drive. Those of you who want to play it safe with your money (but apparently not with your data!) can avail of the retail version when it drops mid-2012. My only complaint about this drive is that it’s USB 2.0-spec only, which is kind of disappointing considering the drive costs $130 (USD) for the 8GB version and $160 for the 16GB version.

[Crypteks via The Verge]

Analog Animated GIF Player: Old School Gets Even Older

Technabob — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 04:00:05 +0000

Despite the fact that the technology is ancient by digital standards, animated GIFs seem to be enjoying a bit of a renaissance. But beyond the thousands of pages of animated GIFs turning up these days on tumblr, there’s now a device which lets you view these primitive animated artworks without the need for a computer at all.

The GIF Player is a mechanical device which displays the images from an animated GIF by spinning them in sequence on a rotating disk. The machine was created by Pieterjan Grandry, and is based on a 19th century animation gizmo called the phenakistoscope.

It’s really a rather simple concept, in which images from the animation are spun in a circle below a window which only exposes a single frame at a time. With enough speed, the images create the illusion of movement.

The cool thing is that each animation can be printed onto a single record-like disc, so you could have an entire library of animations at your disposal with this.

While Pieterjan doesn’t provide build instructions for the GIF Player, I can’t imagine it would be that difficult to make your own. Heck, you could probably just hack one together using an old record player and putting that inside a box with a circular cutout.

[via It's Nice That & Coudal Partners via Laughing Squid]

Drill Bit Makes Square Holes, Round Pegs Upset

Technabob — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:00:49 +0000

It’s pretty hard to be impressed by a simple drill bit, but this particular one does something I’ve not seen before. Instead of cutting round holes, this special bit cuts perfectly square ones.

If you’ve ever tried to cut a square hole with a regular drill, you know this is next to impossible, and you usually end up resorting to getting a saw or a file out to finish the job. But this unusual milling bit from Japan’s Dijet can cut squares in metal like nobody’s business. Here, check it out in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Pretty amazing, no? It’s hard to tell exactly how it works, but it appears to have some specially angled carbide cutting blades on it which gradually whittle away at metal in 15 degree increments. At least that’s what it looks like in the diagram. I wonder if you’ll ever be able to walk down to the Home Depot and buy one of these, or if it’s only designed for industrial milling equipment.

[via bookofjoe]

Retro Flip Watch Puts the 1970s on Your Wrist

Technabob — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:06:06 +0000

If you grew up in the 1970s, you probably remember one of the most popular types of bedside alarm clocks had those little mechanical numbers which flipped over when the minutes changed.

I still think they were a marvel of engineering, and kind of miss the old clicking sound they used to make so you knew another minute had past. A few companies are actually making them again, and if this concept is ever produced, you could be wearing a flip clock on your wrist.

Designed by a guy named Gordon (sorry, I don’t know your last name Gordon, feel free to let us know), the Retro Flip watch is the perfect thing for those of you with retro design sensibilities.

The watch would contain a miniature version of that 1970s flip clock, set into a cylindrical oval watch body with a curved face. While Gordon has offered up the concept in a variety of modern finishes, I personally love the one with the burled wood finish. I would actually buy and wear this watch if it were produced. Though I wouldn’t look forward to “falling back” this week when daylight savings time ends and you have to flip through all of the numbers again to set the watch back one hour.

While I’m not sure of the practicality of manufacturing a flip clock in miniature, show your support for the Flip Clock over at the TokyoFlash Design Blog, and maybe if it gets enough votes, they’ll actually produce it. For now, just look at the pretty pictures.

Ventura Sparc MGS Mechanical/Digital Watch Needs No Battery

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:00:31 +0000

I have seen a bunch of watches over the years that are mechanical action units where you don’t need to wind them and they don’t need batteries. These watches are the sort where the motion of your arms as you move around keeps the watch wound up. A new watch has surfaced that combines elements of that no-wind mechanism with a digital timepiece.

The watch is called the Sparc MGS by Ventura Watches. It has a LCD display on the face and above the watch face is another crystal that covers a little mechanical nano generator. The generator creates the power that is needed to run the watch when you move around.

It has a way to store the power that allows the watch to run for 45 days without moving. The face displays the time, date, and has dual time zone capability. It also has a LED backlight. The watch runs some sort of OS leaving the chance for upgrades open as well. The only bad part about his watch is that the black version you see here costs $5,500(USD).

[via WristWatchReview]

Mechatronic Robot Tank Built by Father-Daughter Team Looks Bad-Ass

Conner Flynn — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:00:08 +0000

This amazingly deadly robot was built by Robert Beatty and his daughters. Note to all of his daughter’s future suitors… Run! This thing is called Mechatron. It sports mecanum wheels and has a deadly electric gun mounted on top. It can move forward, backward, sideways, and diagonally. And it can do so while firing metal or plastic pellets at the same time.

Mechatron is a very useful forty-five pound robot that manages to be super agile. The colored LED light show beneath corresponds to which direction it is moving in and it also changes as it shoots, which makes for a pretty show.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

An Arduino Mega, Arduino Nano, 12 Maxbotix sonar sensors, 4 motors, Xbee radio, custom gun turret, Hitec Digital servos, MP3 Sound Board, lots of LEDs and more were used to create it. And metal armor plates of course. Another cool aspect of this bot is the old-school robot voice that it uses. This is one awesome creation. Robert and his daughters make quite a robotic team.

[via Arduino Forums via Robot Living]

Mario in a Box Runs the Wrong Way Through the Mushroom Kingdom

Technabob — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 15:28:51 +0000

While the post office would probably question the noises coming from inside this cardboard box, I’d be pretty thrilled to receive this mechanical Mario game in the mail if someone wanted to ship me one.

The side-scrolling Super Mario Bros. tribute was created by Adam Kumpf using the Teagueduino open source hardware platform, along with a few basic inputs and outputs. The game is controlled by the potentiometer on the side, allowing Mario to “jump” above and below the advancing obstacles on the belt below. Notice how it picks up speed the further you get into the level. Magnets behind each obstacle provide collision detection, and the box uses a servo to close if you bump into a baddie. No more game for you! Check it out in the video below to see it in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Ok, I know that Mario is running the wrong way, but dodging obstacles like that isn’t exactly how you play Super Mario Bros. anyway. It’s more like Spy Hunter. Just turn it on its side, change the icons, and add some bullets and oil slicks, and you do. Still, it’s a pretty impressive little creation, and you can grab the source code for making your own over at the Teagueduino discussion forums.

[via Reddit]

Swarmanoid Bots Use Foot, Hand and Eye Coordination

Conner Flynn — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 12:27:27 +0000

By all means you’ll want to avoid the Swarmanoid. As the name implies this is a swarm of robotic components that work together like, well like a swarm of bees would.

This is an impressive research project as illustrated by the latest Swarmanoid video, which won an award from the AAAI(Artificial Intelligence Conference) 2011 Video Competition. Put simply, researchers use a heterogeneous swarm of robots to achieve distributed mobile manipulation. You might liken this to various cells or nerves in your own body all working together and performing various tasks with the help of your limbs and brain.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The Eye-bot, the Foot-bot and the Hand-bot all work together to become much more than the sum of their parts. In the video it is given the task of finding and retrieving a book. Separately this might pose a problem for each type of bot, but together in the “collective” it can handle the task easily. It’s just a matter of exploring, finding the book and doing it.

[via Hizook]