3D Printed Arduino Robot Arm Launched on Kickstarter

This is a project that I have been a part of for a few weeks. It is a low cost robot arm primarily for STEM and hobby.

We have taken it to kickstarter in order to get the ball rolling.

This has a been a fun project, because, like a software, it moved incredibly quickly. We went through multiple designs in a matter of days. And we had basically the full product in a couple of weeks.

Support the project on Kickstarter so we can get a very versatile and low cost robot into the hands of kids everywhere.

3-D Printed Microservo Robot Arm

This a project that I took on to create a simple robot arm for kids camps and classrooms. This arm is controlled by an arduino and uses 3 microservos. While it currently does not have a gripper that will be added soon. I will also be completing the kinematic model so that I can implement a positional controller into the arm.

When fully completed I will release the designs and likely produce a few as kits.

In the demo below I was controlling the arm through a keyboard.

Precarius Stacking Game

Precarius is a game a designed to be a game to learn how to build stuff and have fun. It was something that I created when I was bored. I am moving toward manufacture and intend to ship at the end of the summer of 2014.

"Precarious" Engineering Game

"Precarious" is basically the reverse of "Pickup Sticks" or "Jenga." Instead of taking pieces away until the tower falls, players add pieces until the tower falls.

Players build from the two "foundation" blocks attempting to create an unstable structure that will force the other player(s) to cause it to collapse while not doing so themselves. The stucture is "collapsed" whenever any piece other than the "foundation" blocks touches the tabletop. Since there are limited pieces, players must make the structure become precarious quickly in order to win before the game becomes a draw from lack of pieces.

It is a lot of fun to play because it can either be very strategy intensive, for the expert, or just a pastime, for the average player. Changes in the arrangement of the "foundation" blocks changes the difficulty and type of structures. It can even be played alone to set records of highest tower or most pieces. It is incredibly versatile.

I am planning to begin building game sets and probably selling them on Etsy. I'll add a link when I'm ready.

"Whop" robot toy

The Whop was a toy that I made for my baby niece. A project that started as a robotic pet turned into an oversimplified walker. It is incredibly soft and cuddly and when the antennas are touched it walks forward with a simple waddle. I will probably return to this project to make it a full blown automation but it is still awesome as is.

       

Longboard Electric Illumination Concept

This project was an attempt about a year ago to implement electro-luminescent lights into long boards, skate boards, and even snow boards. Below are pictures of the first quick proof-of-concept. 

 

BEAM Tank Robot

This is about as basic as any of my projects get but it was still fun. It simply uses the whiskers as contacts to turn one side or the other on and off based on what the robot hits. the hardest part was probably taking the tank apart and then using it's battery pack for power. I'm adding in a few more complicated circuits which is why the top is off in the picture.