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Monthly Archives: March 2011
Robot door-opening tool
“Robots to the Rescue” (Technology Review, March 29, 2011): Some experts also question how helpful robots would be after a nuclear plant disaster. Something as simple as a locked door could prevent a robot from doing its job. Is it … Continue reading
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Tagged door opening tool, fukushima, robot, robotics, teleoperated robotics, TOR
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TOR Systems List
This picture identifies the major systems for the TOR. (TOR stands for Tele-Operated Robot.) Here is a preliminary parts list. 1. Arduino Microcontroller for input/output interface between communications and motor/servos. Easy to find, only $35. 2. Wireless Camera available on … Continue reading
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Tagged arduino, diy, microcontroller, robotics, servo, tele-operated robot, teleoperated robot, TOR, wheelchair motor, xbee
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Robot arm studies
As I get closer to designing a teleoperated robot that I can actually build, I wanted to experiment with different robot arm designs. Hence I took the re-design of a couple days ago and made several re-designs out of it … Continue reading
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Tagged robot arm, robot arms, robotics, robots, teleoperated robots
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Robot re-design
The elbows-back manipulator arms of the previous version always make me think of Fozzie Bear going, “Waka waka!” The design was taken from a space robot and doesn’t really work on a ground vehicle, so I replaced it with the … Continue reading
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Tagged fukushima, remote operated vehicle, remote operated vehicles, robot, robotics, rov, teleoperated robots
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Japan Solar Energy Graphics
Sometimes it seems that nuclear power advocates are attempting to insinuate that Japan doesn’t have enough land area to use solar energy in place of nuclear energy. Here’s what the solar panel requirements actually look like. Per person: [Calculations: Electrical … Continue reading
Robot Arm in Sketchup
This design is based on the first iRobot photo shown here. Sketchup, by the way, is not for CAD, it’s for quickly illustrating concepts. Sketchup can draw smooth curves as in the iRobot photo, but boxes are of course faster … Continue reading
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Tagged arduino, fukushima, irobot, robot, robot arm, robotics, sketchup, sketchy physics
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Edison and His Inventions (an 1894 book review)
While prowling in the local Half Price Books, I came across this book. This is not a reproduction of an 1894 book, it is an original, and it only cost me $25. I feel pleased. Here’s the title page, which … Continue reading
Here come the robots
Daily Mail: Pictured: The robots called in to help prevent nuclear meltdown at Fukushima plant As I suggested a week ago:
The Nuclear Renaissance is dead and Moore’s Law killed it
Ramez Naam runs the numbers and finds that in ten years, while that nuclear power plant in your backyard will still be unfinished, solar power will have become cheaper than coal power: Smaller, cheaper, faster: Does Moore’s law apply to … Continue reading
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Bottle Cap Buzzy Glow Toy
Take a plastic bottle cap and make it buzz and glow. Flip it over and here’s the internals: The bottle cap I have in mind is the plastic one that comes on top of one-gallon water jugs. The 3 volt … Continue reading
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Tagged bottle cap, diy, led, motor, product design, sketchup, toy
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