technabob » motor

many bags do not look alike: self-propelled suitcase can drive itself through the airport

technabob — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:10:50 +0000

Now I’m not one to pack a ton of stuff when I travel. As a matter of fact, if it doesn’t fit in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of me, it’s not going with me. On the other hand, I certainly know my share of people who would like to bring their entire closet with them if they could. This suitcase is for those people. Or people who like to travel with a couple of cinder blocks wherever they go.

This ridiculously expensive polycarbonate hardshell suitcase features electric motors in the wheels that can pull the bag along the floor at up to 3 miles per hour. Now don’t get any funny ideas about loading this thing up with 70 pounds of cargo and sending it hurtling through airport security to clear the way. That’s because the suitcase will only engage when you’ve started to set it in motion, it’s got at least 15 pounds of load, the handle is pulled out, and the case is tilted at just the right angle. Of course, you could always hack one to do your bidding without any of those checks and balances enforced. Me, I’d like to connect a remote control to one and see what sort of havoc I could wreak.

If you’ve got $1300 (USD) burning a hole in your pocket, give it to me. You can use next $1300 to buy one of these completely unnecessary bags over at Hammacher Schlemmer.

persistence of vision led clock gets a major upgrade

technabob — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:30:21 +0000

This amazing wall clock can display intricate animations thanks to the optical phenomenon known as persistence of vision (POV). Using a small spinning “blade” covered in red, green and blue LEDs, along with sophisticated microcontroller circuit, this clock can dynamically change its look with just the push of a button.

The clock comes with a wireless remote that lets you flip between a variety of different display modes, including traditional clocks, modern digitals, 3D animations, and even a Pac-Man mode. And with the optional upload module, you can load your own custom animations onto the clock face.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The latest version of the clock offers a significant upgrade over the original 2-color version, adding a full RGB display and enhanced animation capabilities. It can even do real time math to convert square pixel graphics into the cartesian coordinates needed to display along the blade’s circular path.

The RGB POV Clock should be available from Innovative Device by the end of the year.

altered electric skateboards for real speed demons

technabob — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:38:14 +0000

Back when I was a kid, I tried to get on a skateboard a couple of times. But just about every time I did, I couldn’t manage to build up enough momentum to ride for more than a few seconds without wiping out. Up until now, there was no other choice for me but to pick up a video game controller and live vicariously through Tony Hawk.

Then along came Altered with their crazy self-propelled electric skateboards.

With models ranging from the off-road capable Green Machine 2.0 to the more traditional looking zebrawood Big Dream, each board has a unique personality.

Most models run on a hefty 36-volt rechargeable battery pack, which powers a belt-driven electric motor. While you’re in motion, you can adjust your speed using a wireless handheld throttle control.

The high-end (600-watt) models can hit 19 to 20 MPH without breaking a sweat, while the entry-level Wombat (250-watt) tops out at 12 MPH.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Prices range from $599 to $799 for the beefy 600-watt models, with the 250-watt Wombat selling for just $399. Altered just recently took the wraps off their 2009 editions and expects to start shipping most models before the holidays. You can check out the full line over at Altered Electric Skateboards.

robophilo: humanoid robot for under $500

technabob — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 05:15:13 +0000

RoboPhilo is a compact personal robot that offers a level of sophistication you usually don’t find in robots for under $1000, let alone in one that costs less than 500 clams.

The humanoid ‘bot comes “ready to walk,” which means you won’t have to spend hours putting together the intricate servos and wiring that might have to with other hobby robots.

The 13-inch tall robot has over 20 individual servos for controlling the head, legs, arms, and other joints, so can be programmed to do some pretty complex moves.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can choose to program movements with your PC, or with the included multi-function wireless remote.

The $499 RoboPhilo is available just in time for the holidays from the RoboBrothers online shop.

[via Robots-Dreams]

annoying neighbors? take ‘em out with this paintball tank

technabob — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 22:19:27 +0000

(Sub)urban warfare has a new face, and it goes by the name of Paintball Panzer. The pint-sized tank has a turret-mounted paintball gun which lets you fire rounds of paint ammo while keeping you safe and sound from the tomatoes and eggs which may be thrown at you in return.

The Funtrak Mini Paintball Tank is a scaled down version of a real tank, featuring a motorized drive system, and a tread drive that lets you maneuver through the roughest backyard obstacles. It’s got a built-in roll cage and engine firewall, and is actually certified for use on the road — in the UK, that is — I have a funny feeling that they wouldn’t let one of these on the street here in the States.

Just like the real world, phony weapons comes at a hefty price. The Paintball Panzer will set you back £8,000 (about $14,400 USD). Each tank is custom built, so you might have to wait up to three months to get yours.

[BornRich via Crave]

mirror answers the question: is that a weave?

technabob — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 14:23:18 +0000

I first told you about artist Daniel Rozin’s cool interactive mirrors about a year ago. He’s now showing off his latest creations at New York’s Bitforms gallery. Here are a couple of my favorites:

The Weave Mirror uses 768 individual strips which are woven together into a grid. As passersby walk in front of the work, motors adjust the woven strips to change the greyscale intensity of that particular X/Y coordinate on the grid. When you step back, it forms the illusion of a real-time mirror.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Rozin also showed off his Peg Mirror which uses 650 angled dowels which each rotate to reflect different greyscale values.

The exhibition continues through October 8th, 2007, so if you happen to be in the New York area for any reason, be sure to stop by Bitforms to check out these amazing works. The gallery is located at 529 West 20th (between 10th and 11th) in the city’s Chelsea neighborhood.

[wemakemoneynotart via Boing Boing Gadgets]

best hard disk clock ever

technabob — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 04:02:31 +0000

In my travels, I’ve seen a few clocks made from old hard drives. They’re typically made by stripping out the guts of an old hard drive, slapping a cheap $2 clock mechanism through the platters, then call it a day. On the other hand, here’s a hard disk based clock hack that really is an engineering marvel.

A couple of builders from Germany painstakingly dissasembled an old 5-1/4″ hard drive, recalibrated the motor to run at a speed that lines up the drive precisely with marked hour indicators, then modified the head mechanism to move in 60 step-per-hour increments to indicate minutes.

For some reason, they weren’t able to get the motor to turn at exactly 24 rotations per day, instead turning 32 times, and quickly skipping the four “hours” between 12 and 1 on the dial.

Incredibly, the entire device is built from recycled parts (note the old power supply unit that serves as a base). Other than the electronics which control the speed and sequence of actions, the hard drive mechanism remains pretty much unchanged from its original state.

You can read more about the complexities of this very cool build here.

[via Hackaday via CrunchGear]

daniel rozin’s circles mirror reflects, distorts reality

technabob — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 00:33:47 +0000

Artist Daniel Rozin has been creating mind-blowing interactive artworks, combining computers, video cameras and mixed media since 1999. One of his more recent works was this hybrid digital/analog mirror which reflects images from passers-by using a huge grid of rotating circles.

Daniel’s Circles Mirror is an amazing combination of mechanical and digital technologies. By using a radial gradient from black to white, each of the 900 overlapping discs rotates to create the illusion of shades of grey.

Rozin create custom software to convert the digital images captured by a video camera into data which could be used by the motors which rotate the circles.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Be sure to check out Daniel Rozin’s other interactive works. If you’ve never seen them before, they are really quite amazing. Daniel is represented by bitforms gallery in New York if you’re interested in any of his works.

technorobot: the paper automaton

technabob — Fri, 04 May 2007 03:19:35 +0000

Sure, you could go spend hundreds of dollars on one of those fancy robot kits, or you could be a cheap bastard like me, and pick up one of these.

At just 12 bucks, you can’t expect much. The TechnoRobot kit is a do-it-yourself robot that’s made mostly out of cardboard and held together by scotch tape. A cheapie motor, some plastic gears and some rubber bands help the ‘bot to mosey along.

TechnoRobot certainly isn’t going to win any awards for looks, but it’s really meant as a way for kids to learn a little bit about the basics of robotics.