Here are some handy tips on getting your idea for a robot into the real world by using simpler and easier to work with materials than say metal and formed plastics.
The High Altitude Slug Project
No, this isn’t some banana slug snuff project, the slug this uses is the Linksys NSLU2 wireless USB storage device. After a little firmware hacking you can convert your ‘Slug’ into a web server, streaming MP3 server, or eve a VoIP PBX!
Not to be outdone by others, these guys are planning on sending theirs up in a tiny R/C airplane attached to a weather balloon. The plan is to release it at 100,000 feet and have it fly home. On it’s way down the craft will take photos and make temperature and barometric readings. All this will be run by the 266MHz XScale computer in the NSLU2. Pretty darn impressive for a simple wireless USB port!
Soviet Computing Hardware
This is great stuff! Old Soviet calculators (mechanical, electromechanical, and all electronic) and home computers on display. Loads of pictures and info about them. The first pocket calculator (B3-04) looks a lot like an old Commodore calculator I once had. Could this have been a case of calculator espionage, or simply parallel design…
[via Boingboing]
Soviet Calculators Collection. By Sergei Frolov
[via Boingboing]
USSR Home-Computer
First Fridays Photo Success
Every first Friday of the month about 90 galleries in the downtown Phoenix area open their doors and let people mill about and have a look at what has been going on in the art scene. There are generally a few dozen people with tables set up in parking lots selling their goods. Hand bags made out of ties, laser prints of sketches, music, a locally produced horror film, and even a video game. Tonight my wife and I were there with a few prints and a couple of flats of bottled water.
Things went pretty well, we sold four prints (thank you!) and a bunch of the water. I’m going to restock and come up with a bunch more prints for next time.
I’ve made a page up with the photos that I sold, I’ll be adding more there as I select and have them printed. (you can also get to the page from a link on the right)
PDA Robots
I was looking at my old Palm III PDA and thinking just how handy it was in it’s day. I still think the handwriting recognition on it was the best.
I was thinking that something so useful shouldn’t be stuck in a box somewhere to be forgotten, it should be hacked and mangled until it can do something else! 🙂
I found this book, “The Ultimate Palm Robot“. Looks like to might have some useful info on how to interface hardware on to the Palm platform. Looks like it uses the Palm Pilot Robot Kit as the base for the projects. The holonomic drive system will turn just about any head. You can read a nice review of it here at the Gadgeteer. If your up for spending $300US on your little ‘bot your doing better than me!
For $85US there is the SVX 203C Robotic development system, but it looks like they might not be sold any more.
Finally, there is this clever little paper manipulating robot that uses a Palm III as it’s brain.
So it looks like if you do have an old Palm PDA you can still get some action out of it in the form of a robot.
The Old Bomb-in-the-Mouth Trick…
I saw this on the news and even before they said where it had happened I knew it was here in Arizona. Yeah, we have ‘special’ people here don’t we… I figure I’d blog this because a robot was used to ‘disarm’ the subject.
In searching for more info on the story, I ran across the following bits on info. Wikipedia has a nice entry on the subject of
bomb disposal, if your in the market for the latest in bomb disposal robots, the teleMAX looks very nice. Small and good at what it does. Two things I look for when I’m shopping for a robot. And finaly, there is even some vintage bomb disposal humor from WWII (I wish the scans were larger, some of the text is hard to read).