After selling out completely over the Holidays, a new shipment of Arcbotics' Hexy the Hexipod has arrived in the Maker Shed. Hexy comes in kit form with well written documentation and tutorials which make learning complex robotics straightforward and fun!
Hi , here we go for a new hackerspace in Pitesti , Romania and we have already a place for working but we need money for tools
So we started a campaign on Indiegogo for financing this , maybe you can help!!!
Please like an share , you can help.
Hello again everyone, my name is chickenparmi.
As suggested by ChuckCrunch I am making this blog post to give you a brief explanation of my past experience/knowledge in robotics and all the things I have made. I will post all my old stuff in this blog and stuff that I dont think to be worthy of a robot post as to avoid post spam.
Today marks the debut of the bimonthly "editor's choice" hangout on air, live and online on Google+. This week MAKE editorial director Gareth Branwyn will discuss robots and the Rovera, a new Arduino-powered robot now available in the Maker Shed. As we typically do, we'll announce a special offer during the hangout. 
Arduino was conceived as an open source microcontroller for artists, designers, and others who aren't necessarily techie/programmer types. Of course, all sorts of makers have flocked to this technology because of its versatility. But in spite of its relative ease of use, there's still a barrier to entry for new users. Like kids. For that reason, BirdBrain Technologies' Hummingbird looks promising. They call it "pre-Arduino."
It's an Arduino -- you know, for kids. Or, as BirdBrain Technologies' chief robot design Tom Lauwers put it, a "pre-Arduino." It's never too early to get kids into robot building -- or so goes the thought process behind this nectar-loving kit. At its center is a custom controller that can be used to manipulate a slew of different sensors, motors and lights, a number of which are included in the box. Getting started is extremely simple -- don't believe us? Check the video after the break, in which Lauwers connects two wires to get the whole process underway.
The kit's also reasonably priced at $199 a piece. On top of the controller, you get a handful of LEDs, two vibration motors, four servos and light, temperature, distance and sound sensors. The kits are currently available through the company's site (click on that source link). Lauwers tells us that his company (which you may remember from last year's MakerFaire NYC) is working on a slightly more affordable option priced at around $130, which scales back a bit on the in-box components.
Check out a conversation with Lauwers -- and a pretty awesome cardboard dragon -- below.
Continue reading Hummingbird is a 'pre-Arduino' for kids (video)
Filed under: Robots
Hummingbird is a 'pre-Arduino' for kids (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Parallax Boe-Bot has long been used for teaching robotics to hobbyists and students. Earlier this year, Parallax took the idea behind the Boe-Bot and applied them to the Arduino to create the Robotics Shield for Arduino Kit. We in the Maker Shed like this kit so much that we worked with Parallax to have the chassis custom anodized in royal MAKE blue, just for you!
Between old Paro the robo seal and the original iteration of Keepon, we've seen plenty of adorable robots designed for therapeutic purposes. Romibo's creators have no qualms admitting that their own creation is following in those cuddly footsteps, but what sets their furry 'bot apart from much of the competition is a focus on (relative) affordability. For starters, there's the fact that Romibo is being offered up as an open-source project online, letting do-it-yourselfers build their own versions and contribute custom designs.
The company's also hoping families will get into the act, making sure that Romibo is "able to be assembled by a neurotypical child 10+ and a parent" -- and then there are the plans to offer up workshops to let folks build robots to be donated to special needs facilities. Once built, Romibo can drive around, blink its eyes, speak and move its antennae. Crack it open and you'll find WiFi, bluetooth, light sensors, an IR Proximity sensor, accelerometers and a big 'ole Arduino Mega. There's a certain amount of autonomous functionality (watch in the video below as Romibo's handler warns about it driving off the edge of the table), or you can control the robot via an iPad app. You can also use an SD card to help teach it some new words.
Continue reading Romibo therapeutic robot, eyes-on (video)
Filed under: Robots
Romibo therapeutic robot, eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If a seemingly infinitely programmable mini computer like the Raspberry Pi is just too... limiting, we've got good news: the Gertboard extender has started shipping. The $48 companion board reaching customers' doorsteps converts analog to digital and back for Raspberry Pi fans developing home automation, robotics and just about anything else that needs a translation between the computing world and less intelligent objects. The one catch, as you'd sometimes expect from a homebrew project, is the need for some assembly -- you'll have to solder together Gert van Loo's Arduino-controlled invention on your own. We imagine the DIY crowd won't mind, though, as long as they can find the fast-selling Gertboard in the first place.
[Image credit: Stuart Green, Flickr]
Filed under: Misc
Gertboard extender for Raspberry Pi ships to advanced tinkerers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 03:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Hexy is a robotic hexapod kit from Arcbotics. It’s a cute, cheap, easy and fun intro to advanced robots. It’s Arduino compatible, and 100% Open Hardware/Software.
Unless you were one of the over-500 Kickstarter backers who supported Hexy at $175 or higher, a Hexy kit is going to be hard to come by. But you’ve got another shot at it: we’ll have a number of Hexy kits for sale. $250 gets you:
On top of that, the makers, Arcbotics, will be on hand as well. Look for Arcbotics and Hexy in the smaller of the two Maker Sheds (the one embedded in the Arduino pavilion).
