Archive for the ‘Misc’ Category

Big Blue Saw: A Machine Shop for Roboticists!

Monday, November 17th, 2008

A challenge many roboticists and experimenters face is finding a way to get custom metal parts built for their projects. Not everyone can afford to invest thousands of dollars into tools, which is where Big Blue Saw can help. They specialize in custom laser cutting and waterjet machining, and allow builders to place small orders to avoid the high minimum order amounts that most local shops charge.

Big Blue Saw founder and fellow roboticist, Simon Arthur, has been kind enough to give our community the ‘heads up’ when Big Blue Saw is offering specials. We wanted to let all the ‘bot builders out there know about their current sale!

Announcing: Big Blue Saw’s pre-Thanksgiving Sale

From November 20 to November 25, 2008 Big Blue Saw will be having a pre-Thanksgiving sale. Customers will receive quantity discounts on parts made from select materials.

* Aluminum 5052 alloy, 0.08″ thickness
* Aluminum 6061 alloy, 0.125 inch (⅛”) thickness
* Cold roll 1018 carbon steel, 0.125 inch (⅛”) thickness

Any order of less than 10 parts will automatically be eligible for a quantity discount.

Many of you are visiting our website for the first time due to the buzz around the web about this sale. This is an excellent opportunity to try our services — you can order just one small part, and save on the setup charges.
About the materials
Aluminum 6061

One of the perennial favorite materials at Big Blue Saw, the 6061 alloy of aluminum features excellent strength and light weight. It is weldable and has good corrosion resistance. This alloy is a true “aircraft aluminum” and is often used in airplanes and spacecraft.
Aluminum 5052

We have recently added 5052 alloy aluminum as a new standard material here at Big Blue Saw in order to meet the needs of our customers who needed an aluminum alloy that is much easier to bend and form than 6061. It also has good weldability and excellent corrosion resistance.
Cold roll 1018 carbon steel

This carbon steel helps in situations where you need greater strength than aluminum can provide. It has good weldability and will wear better than aluminum.


What’s that R2? Timmy’s stuck in the well?

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008

That’s right, now you can own your very own little R2-D2 Interactive Astromech Droid!

We got to open one of these little bots up to roam around the office, and he is awesome! R2 responds to various voice commands, can patrol around autonomously using sonar sensors, and even has a built in drink holder. This is one of the most advanced toys we’ve seen yet, and will surely make a great holiday gift.

Pololu Custom Laser Cutting Service Rocks!

Friday, October 3rd, 2008

Creating custom parts for your bot can be a daunting task. That is, if you don’t know about Pololu’s Custom Laser Cutting Service. I recently needed some custom parts created for the upper torso of one of my bots for Mech Wars, and after look around a bit I decided to try out their service.

I have to give my highest recommendation to this service provided by the great folks at Pololu. I personally can’t afford a CNC or Laser Cutting machine, but now I don’t need to. I sent in a 2D CAD file of my design (they can also create one for you from a drawing), selected what type of plastic I wanted it cut from, and they got back to me promptly with a price quote which made my jaw drop. Extremely affordable, prompt and courteous service, and the results were fantastic. Again, I can’t recommend their service enough, it should literally be considered another tool in your toolbox. If needing a custom part for your project ever held you back, look no further.

Here are some pictures of the parts I ordered (Click to Enlarge):

Here’s the assembled upper torso with Airsoft guns mounted.

And here’s the frame of the Mech, Hagetaka, put together (for the most part, needs a lot of work and a paintjob):

The Parallax Scribbler Robot is in the house!

Friday, October 3rd, 2008

We’re proud to now offer the Scribbler Robot from Parallax, which is a fantastic choice for the beginner enthusiast. This versatile little bot is aimed at ages 8 and up, but is flexible enough for even a more advanced enthusiast to enjoy. This robot offers a variety of demo programs that come preloaded as well as a Visual GUI based programming option and a true text based Basic programming interface. This means that while the robot will work out great of the box, it won’t be something you will quickly outgrow.

Now offering ‘Roids for your Robot: Dynamixel EX-106 Servo

Monday, September 29th, 2008

We’re not kidding.  Your robot will actually start talking deeper and be drawn to your local gym.

We are of course, talking about the new Robotis Dynamixel EX-106 servo. This is the most ridiculously strong actuator we have seen outside of the industrial realm, boasting nearly 1,500 oz-in of torque. We’re pretty sure when Skynet goes live, the first order of business will be securing a stockpile of these servos to build an army of bone-crushing robots with. Use with caution, as these servos are literally very dangerous.

Trossen Robotics announces their new Educational Division

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008

Trossen Robotics has announced the launch of their new Educational Robotics Division. Building upon the knowledge and experience they have gained as a premiere US distributor of robotic kits and components, they have hand picked the best robotic kits tailored specifically for classroom use to create a one stop shop for educators using robotics in education.

Trossen Robotics has been committed as a business to helping robotics advance in the US and the new Education Division is another step forward in their continuing efforts. Matt Trossen, founder, explains their focus, “We saw that one of the major stumbling blocks for educators interested in integrating robotics into their classrooms was the fragmentation of all the products and information. Our goal is to be a top notch aggregator for teachers. To create a single comprehensive storehouse of products, guides, and information.” Matt also comments on the future of the division and goals for robotics in education, “We will continue to integrate curriculum and project manuals into the site for educators to use. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for educators to research, choose, and integrate robotics into their curriculum. This is the way we as a company can help keep US schools cutting edge which is as important now as has ever been.”

Offerings from Parallax,  Robobuilder, Robotis, Lego Mindstorms, Robotics Connection, VEX and many more are displayed in an easy browse format. Educators are informed of exactly what each kit brings to the classroom, what difficulty and scope of work is involved in the projects, and what their students can expect to bring out of the learning experience. Ordering from the same source also saves educator’s time and valuable education dollars.

What do robots bring to the classroom? Robotics is an exciting field of science that brings mechanical, electronic, and even software engineering together. Skills ranging from physics, mathematics, mechanical design, soldering, programming, logic, and teamwork are built as a foundation of knowledge that has limitless potential. Students get to see the results of their work in a tangible, physical application of science as their projects come to life.

Trossen Robotics cordially invites educators, students, and parents alike to visit their new Educational Division.

Download the PDF version of this announcement here.

The Crabfu Challenge Winners Announced!

Wednesday, September 17th, 2008

The infamous Crabfu issued a challenge to our Community just over a month ago. In his words:

The challenge:
To bring a bunch of hardware the illusion of life and character. This is NOT about AI or fancy software or hardware. It’s not to achieve real character or personality, but the ILLUSION of it. Autonomous robots can enter too, but this isn’t a contest of the smartest robot, but a smartest “looking” and “moving” robot could win. This is about the art of breathing some charm into a bunch of electronics. So the goal is simple, the most characterful robot wins.”
Well just over a month had passed, and after much deliberation and consulting with fellow animators, the winners were announced.


Third Place: Robot Piggie
Creator: Jagged




Second Place: Delfigelo
Creator: Pladoh




First Place: Darwin
Creator: jes1510




“Thanks everyone for participating, and congrats to the winners. Regardless of who won what, I hope that this little competition inspires robot builders to add some charm to the machine, and shows the importance of visual creativity & emotional impact!

-Crabfu”

Matt Bauer joins the Mech Wars fray, debuts new Mech Combat Platform Software

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008

Matt Bauer, the man behind one of the top Robo-One class humanoid robots in the United States, Rook’s Pawn 3, sat in on the initial pitch and discussion of the Mech Wars event. He was intrigued, but when I asked him what he was planning he kept pretty quiet and simply said he’d release it when it was ready.

Well, Matt did not disappoint. He recently debuted his custom Mech Puppeteer Combat Platform, which is a very slick looking GUI built specifically to control Matt’s soon to be announced Robonova based robot for Mech Wars. Take a gander at the layout and you’ll see what I’m talking about:

Mech Puppeteer Combat Platform
Click to Enlarge.

The buttons light up, weapon systems have animated safety switch features, and a video feed with targeting reticle is built in. These controls are keyboard mappable and Matt is working to make this software as modular as possible and available for public release. Here’s a video showcasing some of the features:

And here’s a short video showing the built in safety features and weapon system of the software:

I personally can’t wait to see what Matt has up his sleeve as far as his actual Mech. If the quality of his software and Rook’s Pawn 3 is any indication, Mech Wars participants are going to be facing some fierce competition from him.

Little Drummer Bot

Friday, September 12th, 2008

“Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new robot to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest parts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To build this electronic thing, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum.”

I’m so clever I frighten myself sometimes. Lame parodies aside, the Yellow Drum Machine project we found over at Let’s Make Robots! certainly impressed us. This neat little bot autonomously navigates around and bangs on objects to make various beats and rhythms. The creator Fritsl is in the process of creating a step by step guide for building your very own Yellow Drum Machine, with the first steps already posted. Check out the preview video below to see the little guy in action:

In need of a caster for your robot project?

Thursday, September 11th, 2008

A good caster can be a hard thing to find. I remember at times searching high and low only to end up settling for something I found at Wal-Mart. Look no further! Pololu has produced a line of omnidirectional casters that should fill this void in your robotic parts collection. Each caster comes with hardware and spacers different mounting options. Choose from  3/8″, 1/2″, 3/4″, and 1″ diameter varieties.


Click to Enlarge.

Check out our entire line of casters!