Gizmodo: Projects

Roomba Maker to Develop DARPA's ChemBot Morphing Robots

Sean Fallon — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:35:00 EDT

Last year DARPA began the search for a company that could develop robots capable of squeezing through small openings and returning to their original size, shape, and functionality on the other side. Like most of DARPA's projects, the idea was way-out there. However, it appears that iRobot (the guys behind practical home robots like the Roomba vacuum and the Looj Gutter cleaner) have answered the call.

While it may seem weird that iRobot would work on such an ambitious project, it is important to point out that this is not the first time the company has been involved with a military device, and the type of robots they design make them as good a candidate as any. Whether they can actually pull it off or not remains to be seen, but they will have a brain trust at Harvard and MIT backing them up—so you never know. [Danger Room]

Robot Shopping Cart Cruises Streets, Bursts into Flames

Benny Goldman — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:00:00 EDT

Why the hell is a dismembered pair of legs walking around willy nilly with a shopping cart? I'll tell you why...To draw awareness to homeless people, and the cutthroat world of cart-pushing. It was designed in 1993 by a college student who thought the concept of using robots for hazardous jobs could be applied to the most dangerous job of all, being homeless. The student rigged the cart together using a bunch of bike chains and a couple car batteries. We're not sure it serves any practical purpose—might be better if there were hands to put things in the cart. One thing the artist definitely got wrong though: homeless people do not spontaneously burst into flames. At least not in New York, they don't. [GizmoGarden via Make]

International Dance Party: Instant Disco in a Box Creates Infinite Party Loop

Jason Chen — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:09:18 EDT

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.The International Dance Party looks like an unassuming flight box. But as soon as its radar detects people dancing, its motorized face drops to reveal two speakers running 600 watts of the world's best unfiltered Eurohouse and other assorted Electro Boogie. But really, it's hard to explain how incredible this machine is, unless you watch the video:

There's an LED sign that displays a message in 20 languages: That message is simply "Dance to Start the Party". And the more intense the party gets, the greater the effects, eventually culminating in a light show with disco ball, lasers, siren, ground effects and fog, creating an infinite loop of more fog, more techno, more siren, and therefore more dancing, and then the radar picks it up and then you've got more disco, and then more fog, and then more techno, and then more dance I'm so tired I can't stop partying my legs won't stop feeling the beat. After everyone collapses, the box returns to its docile flight case status.

International Dance Party! The full length video of this crazy and funny party machine! from Niklas Roy on Vimeo.

[IDP via Make, I love Jonah for sending this to me.]

Robotic Snap-o-Lantern, the DIY Gape-jawed Snapping Turtle Pumpkin

Charlie White — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 09:22:03 EDT

Make yourself a robotic mini-pumpkin just in time for Halloween by following the instructions from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories. The little gourd acts like an electrified snapping turtle, with his beady little LED eyes lighting up the spooky night. Only problem is, you have to have a hobby servo motor lying around and a couple of LEDs, but if you're electronically inclined you could cobble one of these together fairly easily and then download the firmware to finish it off. Just hook up the servo to a tiny pumpkin carved up just the right way, attach those LEDs, and you're good to go. Heck, you could have this little lantern's jaws agape and horrifying the entire neighborhood by Halloween night. [Evil Mad Scientist, via Slash Gear]

Samsung's SP-A800B 1080p DLP Projector Perfect for Death Star's Theater Room

Matt Buchanan — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 07:31:01 EDT

We bet Stormtroopers wouldn't mind crowding around Samsung's latest 1080p projector, the SP-A800B. It makes use of TI's newest DLP chip, delivering a 24fps film mode and a 10,000:1 contrast ratio. No price or street date, but since it's an "ultra high-end model targeted to the content creation industry and home theater," we're guessing the price will suit the audience. Two more snaps and full specs after the jump.

Panel .95" DMD 1 panel
Resolution 1920x1080
Light source 300W LAMP
LAMP Lifetime 2000 Hours
Brightness 1000 ANSI Im
Contrast Ratio 10,000:1
Color wheel6 Segment
Zoom/Focus Manual/manual
Input Terminal 2 x HDMI, Analog PC, 2 x Component, S-Video, Video, RS-232C
Lens shift O
Audible noise 25 dB
Power consumption 380W
Dimensions (HxWxD) 432x212x479 mm
Special features Dynamic Black 1080@24p Support
Chipset Scaler: STP10, DMD Controller: DDP3021

Beginner's Guide to Soldering or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Skin Burns

Jason Chen — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 18:20:16 EDT

A lot of the DIY projects we feature require soldering, which unlike soldiering, doesn't usually involve loss of life, but is still painful as crap. Instructables has a guide on soldering for beginners, which is totally useful if you didn't spend a semester soldering your fingers together because your female lab partner didn't know what she was doing (but managed to help you through the "math" part of the class). [Instructables via Lifehacker]

Self-Stirring LEGO Mug

Jason Chen — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:50:28 EDT

Using the power of magnetism, David Ye created a self-stirring mug out of LEGO, some magnets and a mug. We thought it would be some kind of weak 10-stirs-per-minute contraption, but the video actually shows that it's like a miniature whirlpool in there. We'd rig one up ourselves, but we're afraid we'd add too much power and end up sloshing burning coffee all over our faces. Which isn't all that much different from our current situation. [Instructables]

The Digital Newsstand

Jason Chen — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 15:20:10 EDT

This super-cool project by some dude takes an old newspaper box and hooks up a 17-inch monitor to it so he can get digital headlines every day. Inside the box he stores the monitor, a Mac mini, and speakers/subwoofer for some audio as well. Using AppleScript, he fetches the front-page news of various other newspapers from Newseum so he can get a quick view of what's going on every morning.

See it in glorious video after the jump.

– Jason Chen

Project Page [design on Deadline via Makezine]

How to Build a Tetris Shelf

Jason Chen — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:00:08 EDT

We've shown you those Tetris shelves a couple times over the years now, but they're still really, really expensive to the point where you'd have to live inside it in lieu of an actual apartment. Here's how you can build your own on the cheap.

Instructables' guide to building your own Tetris shelves costs you only about $85 in wood ($200+ if you buy good wood), plus some more in parts. You'll need equipment like table saws and wood glue, so if you don't have that you might have to find a buddy who does. Just be careful not to line them up horizontally or else you're going to have to start all over. – Jason Chen

Project Page [Instructables]

Pong, Anytime, Anywhere

Travis Hudson — Thu, 10 May 2007 18:00:39 EDT

As part of the ECE 476 Microcontroller Design course at Cornell University, two students have taken the game of Pong and added a new twist. This version of Pong can be played on any flat surface using two laser-sensing paddles and a laser projector that projects the Pong ball. The entire project only set the duo back $48. Hit the link below to get all of the nitty-gritty details about the game, how it works and even videos of the two designers—Adrian Wong and Bhavin Rokad—playing the game. Nice work guys. –Travis Hudson

Project Page [Via Slashgear]

DARPA on the Hunt for Morphing Robots

Louis Ramirez — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 09:23:12 EDT

Just when we thought the fight couldn't get any harder against our soon-to-be robotic overlords, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) decides to screw us over. They've issued a request for shape-shifting robots, bots that can "manoeuvre through openings smaller than their static structural dimensions." These so-called chembots would be like rats, which can squeeze their way into crevices smaller than their actual size. Essentially they want a T-1000. Yep, we're screwed. – Louis Ramirez

Squeeze Bots [New Scientist]

ASTRO Becomes First Robotic Satellite Repair Man

Louis Ramirez — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 15:15:14 EDT

Now that they're poised to take over the planet, robots are turning to outer space thanks to the folks at DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects) who have just launched their first satellite repair bots into space. Dubbed ASTRO, the repair bots are designed to patch up other satellites without any human guidance, instead they rely on GPS and laser sensors. Once docked with the ailing satellite, ASTRO uses a 10-foot robotic arm to fill the satellite with fuel and make repairs. Yet another job or metallic counterparts have taken from us. – Louis Ramirez

DARPA Launches First Repair Robot in Space [Gadget Lab]

Ravezooka Weapon Fires Sound, Not Bullets

Gizloco — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 11:53:22 EST

Rather than firing live ammunition, the Ravezooka shoots music. Confused? With a pull of the trigger, the Ravezooka emits sounds at different frequencies depending on the distance to the target at which you're aiming. Closer targets will cause the Ravezooka to emit lower frequency sounds while targets that are further away cause it to emit higher frequency sounds. Additionally, an LED spits out a beam of light to help your aim be as true as ever.

Ok, so the Ravezooka looks like one of those art school projects that kids do in order to express themselves. It doesn't have any megapixles of gigabytes to speak of, but the mere thought of shooting Travis with low frequency sounds is enough to get me very excited. – Nicholas Deleon

Ravezooka Project Page [ITP Winter Show 2006 via we make money not art]

Sign of the Apocalypse: Digitizing, Emulating the Sun

Travis Hudson — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 17:45:27 EDT

What you say? What is so special about artificial light? This is. Olle Essvik has developed the Sunclock. Basically it is a lamp that emulates the sun—at sunrise the light will illuminate lightly and gets more intense as the day goes on the then as the sun sets it will fade away.

What's even worse is that Essvik developed a mobile version. Instead of lighting up it just shows a yellow block that moves reflecting the sun's movement and position in the sky (jump to see the picture). Seriously, just look up or go outside.

– Travis Hudson

Digital Sun [WMMNA]

SIMveillance: Where Surveillance Cameras and The Sims Converge

Gizloco — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 14:25:45 EDT

SIMveillance is a project that takes a surveillance camera and transforms the recorded video into scenes from The Sims 2. It was recently demonstrated in San Jose, Calif., focusing on a public square where people went about their normal business. Unbeknownst to them, their each and every more was being recorded by the video camera and were instantly translated into Sims on a different monitor. Très cool, indeed.

Already, privacy activists are complaining that this is an invasion of privacy, yada, yada, yada.

The SIMworks Web site has a non-Youtube video of the project in action. It is, in fact, really interesting. – Nicholas Deleon

Project Home Page [SIMworks via we make money not art]

Dead Hard Drive DIY Projects

Travis Hudson — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 16:26:10 EDT

Alan over at Hacked Gadgets has compiled a list of the top five projects for a dead hard drive. A couple of which we have covered in the past but this is a nice comprehensive list for those tech junkies with some time to kill and a knack for taking computer components apart. Now I have some good ideas on what to do with my dead 120 GB Maxtor that still holds all of my ~~adult entertainment~~ educational movies. The list includes a hard drive laser oscilloscope, hard drive clock, hard drive speakers, hard drive generator and—my favorite—the hard drive wind chimes. Happy modding!

Top 5 Dead Hard Drive Projects [Hacked Gadgets]

Dremel Precision Modding Tool

Charlie White — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 08:40:35 EST

Take a look at this battery-powered modding tool—the Dremel Stylus is a hand-held device which is like a cross between a dentist's drill and a power screwdriver, and appears to be well-suited for all of those intricate hands-on projects. If you have some precision sanding or polishing to do around the house, or especially fine detailing, cleaning or engraving, here's the specialized tool for you. Looks pretty nice for $69.

Dremel introduces 'Stylus' for precision modding [Makezine.com]