Technabob » turret http://technabob.com/blog Cool Gadgets, Gizmos, Games and Weird Science Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:00:07 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Talking Portal 2 Plush Turret Doesn’t Hate You, Just Wants Your Hugs http://technabob.com/blog/2011/12/02/talking-portal-2-plush-turret/ http://technabob.com/blog/2011/12/02/talking-portal-2-plush-turret/#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:31:37 +0000 Shane McGlaun http://technabob.com/blog/?p=75554 Portal… series, you will be very familiar with the turrets that hang around trying to kill you. ThinkGeek has a new plush turret that talks to you and looks like the real thing – if it were soft and squishy. We have seen]]> If you are a fan of the Portal series, you will be very familiar with the turrets that hang around trying to kill you. ThinkGeek has a new plush turret that talks to you and looks like the real thing – if it were soft and squishy. We have seen homemade turrets like this in the past, but now you can own your own.

portal 2 turret

The $35 plush turret stands 14.5-inches tall. It gets power from three AA batteries and has a glowing red eye. It can talk and has little sayings that are just like what the turrets in the game say. The turret also has motion detection and will utter different phrases depending on what happens.

When it detects motion it says things like “There you are,” Preparing to dispense product”, “Target acquired” and a few others. If you knock the turret over it will say “critical error”, “I don’t hate you”, and a few other things. When the turret doesn’t sense motion for 30 seconds it will say “Are you still there?” How can you resist?

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2011/12/02/talking-portal-2-plush-turret/feed/ 0 Mechatronic Robot Tank Built by Father-Daughter Team Looks Bad-Ass http://technabob.com/blog/2011/09/16/mechatronic-robot-tank/ http://technabob.com/blog/2011/09/16/mechatronic-robot-tank/#comments Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:00:08 +0000 Conner Flynn http://technabob.com/blog/?p=67335 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
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]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2011/09/16/mechatronic-robot-tank/feed/ 0 Kronos Props’ Portal Turret Doesn’t Hate You http://technabob.com/blog/2011/05/09/portal-prop-turret-by-kronos-props/ http://technabob.com/blog/2011/05/09/portal-prop-turret-by-kronos-props/#comments Tue, 10 May 2011 04:06:09 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/?p=55743 Portal-mania continues to sweep the land, and I have to give mad props to Ryan Palser of Kronos Props for his entry into the Portal… fray – an accurate replica of the turret from the games. Ryan’s 38-inch tall prop turret replica is actually based on the turret from]]> Portal-mania continues to sweep the land, and I have to give mad props to Ryan Palser of Kronos Props for his entry into the Portal fray – an accurate replica of the turret from the games.

portal prop turret by kronos props 1

Ryan’s 38-inch tall prop turret replica is actually based on the turret from the original game, and as such, he has designated it as a “version 1.0″ or “classic” turret. Either way, it’s pretty damned awesome. While it doesn’t fire killer lasers, it shoots off some more gentle optical ones, and has motion-activated audio that can detect when someone enters the room. It actually has 17 audio tracks to choose from and randomly picks one when a test subject enters the room. It can also play the Portal theme as a bonus.

portal prop turret by kronos props 4

It took Ryan and his wife Dena months to put together this turret, and all their hard work really shows. They built it from styrofoam, Apoxie Sculpt, Bondo, wood, custom molded components, as well as a custom electronics circuit and various other parts. And lots of white paint.

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My favorite detail has to be the Aperture Laboratories laser eyeball. It’s simply a masterpiece. Check out the complete build gallery, including 99 photos at Ryan’s Portal turret Flickr album.

[via The Tanooki - thanks, Holly!]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2011/05/09/portal-prop-turret-by-kronos-props/feed/ 5 Tf2 Full-Scale Sentry Gun Lands at Valve Hq http://technabob.com/blog/2010/12/10/team-fortress-2-full-scale-sentry-gun/ http://technabob.com/blog/2010/12/10/team-fortress-2-full-scale-sentry-gun/#comments Sat, 11 Dec 2010 01:34:48 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/?p=44744 Wouldn’t you love to work in an office where they have a sentry gun in the lobby? Well, the guys over at VALVE now join those elite ranks thanks to this full-size Sentry Gun from TF2.

team fortress 2 sentry gun weta valve

The gun was lovingly assembled by the guys at New Zealand’s extraordinarily talented WETA Workshop (the same WETA that does effects for movies like Lord of the Rings, Avatar and District 9). The gun is based on the Level 1 Sentry Gun from Team Fortress 2, and it actually can detect movement, track from side-to-side, light up and make authentic sounds.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Unfortunately, it doesn’t actually fire rounds, but I can dream, can’t I? Hopefully, they’ve got a Level 3 model in the works. I want my guided rockets.

[via YouTube]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2010/12/10/team-fortress-2-full-scale-sentry-gun/feed/ 0 Get Off My Lawn: Paintball Turret http://technabob.com/blog/2009/02/28/get-off-my-lawn-paintball-turret/ http://technabob.com/blog/2009/02/28/get-off-my-lawn-paintball-turret/#comments Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:24:46 +0000 Alisha K. http://technabob.com/blog/?p=9710 real… home security: a paintball turret. It took two years to build this bad boy, and the finished product can]]> Some people go in for a regular ol’ security system, the kind with panels and codes and alarms. And you could do that, sure. Or, you could put together some real home security: a paintball turret.

tb pbturret

It took two years to build this bad boy, and the finished product can fire up to 34 balls per second. Per second. Also? It’s portable. You can carry it in a backpack and wreak utter havoc. Or, just admire it on the Internet. That’s probably safer.

Want to build your own? The process is well-documented for paintball-loving DIY enthusiasts everywhere.

[Inventgeek via hackaday]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2009/02/28/get-off-my-lawn-paintball-turret/feed/ 3 Remote-Controlled Paintball Turret is Ready for Action http://technabob.com/blog/2008/04/08/remote-controlled-paintball-turret-is-ready-for-action/ http://technabob.com/blog/2008/04/08/remote-controlled-paintball-turret-is-ready-for-action/#comments Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:33:00 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/?p=2015 Do you hate most of your neighbors like I do? I was hoping to get my hands on that paintball-firing robot so I could deal with them, but it turned out that was a one-of-a-kind deal. So it gave me a little thrill when I realized I could surround my property with an arsenal of remote-controlled paintball turrets to keep them at bay.

remote control paintball gu

These wireless paintball turrets are just what the doctor ordered when it comes to taking out your aggressions from afar. The EMT Wireless Paintball Sentry Turret comes with everything you need to send paintball pellets flying while you sit safely in your living room (or behind a bunker). While it’s designed primarily for use by scenario-based paintball enthusiasts, I don’t see any reason you couldn’t put one in your cubicle at work.

The $1959 setup includes the paintball turret, a substantial tripod base, CO2 tanks, a color CCD camera with video transmitter and a wireless remote with a nice little 3.5-inch monitor (or a 7.5-inch upgrade pictured above) so you can aim at your unsuspecting victims. The controller’s joysticks pan and tilt the turret, and can fire up to 400 paintballs with the push of a button. The whole rig runs on rechargeable batteries and CO2, so you can use it anywhere (although there is a slight up-charge for weatherproofing).

Upgrades include a high resolution camera ($299), virtual big-screen goggles ($429), a 1000-ball hopper ($189) and other custom quoted options such as a night-vision scope, extended range transmitter and more.

[Two grand too rich for your blood? Be sure to check out the wired version of the turret, which costs a measly $1399.]

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