Category Archives: Uncategorized

Grisbug: first concept

I’m sure everyone is familiar with hexbugs, which are selling for about $6. Well, I’m working on a design for a ‘grisbug’ which will aim for roughly the same price point but have expanded capabilities. I priced the ATTiny at … Continue reading →

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ATTiny Photocell/PWM demo

I wrote a little program and made a circuit for the ATTiny which enables a photocell to control an LED and a motor with pulse width modulation. Here’s the video: – And here’s the circuit diagram: And here’s the code … Continue reading →

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ATTiny 45/85 Pin Conventions for Arduino IDE Sketches

The main source for information on how to program the ATTiny using the Arduino IDE is found at the MIT High-Low Tech site. But I found the information on the pinouts rather opaque for the newbie (= me), so as … Continue reading →

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Thirty Year Old Predictions

From the cover: “Robotics. Today, they build Fords and Toyotas; tomorrow they’ll vacuum your floors.” “Cable TV. Soon your set will bring hundreds of channels into your home. And you’ll talk back!” “Computers. Football or horse racing, politics or Wall … Continue reading →

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Palpatine Pez Project (Incomplete)

This was an idea I had for Adafruit’s Six Second Video Challenge. I wanted to ‘upgrade’ a Pez dispenser to flash eyes and play music. Given how creepy red glowing eyes are, what better choice than an Emperor Palpatine Pez … Continue reading →

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Grisbot Design Studies

Would grisbot look nicer if the battery was enclosed? I was hoping that I could cut down on the acrylic, but it doesn’t look that way.

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Grisbot ‘light above’ demo

In the ‘light above’ mode, when a flashlight is brought close enough to exceed user-specified light intensity (a), the robot will turn in place. When the flashlight is brought close enough to exceed user-specified light intensity (b), the robot will … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Camelot 30K

Camelot 30K, by Robert L. Forward. Camelot 30K is a fascinating novel about a truly alien society of shrimp-like intelligent beings who live on an ice world far beyond the orbit of Pluto. If you like hard science fiction, you’ll … Continue reading →

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Grisbot One-Click Screen Flash Communications Demo

Instead of needing three buttons clicked in order to ‘flash’ data, Grisbot now needs only one click. The only ‘tricky’ part is that when the robot’s LED blinks, you have to click at the same time.

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Grisbot Idea Map

Based very closely on Mind Maps, the idea map is probably self-explanatory. I think up an idea for something grisbot could do, then another idea occurs to me, and I write that down with an arrow showing the lineage of … Continue reading →

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