 |
Hamster Controls iRobot Create Vehicle
A hamster in a ball controls an iRobot Create; the Create is a hobbyist robot based on the Roomba platform. Take a look at the hamster ball robotic vehicle video:
(Hamster-controlled iRobot Create vehicle video)
The hamster controls the movement of the Create robotic vehicle by running in whichever direction he wants. The ball is loose on three rollers; an optical sensor measures the direction of the hamster ball and how fast it is moving. The microprocessor that controls the movement of the Create robot then moves the wheels according to the motion of the hamster ball.
I'm fascinated by the idea of animals (or aliens) being given robotic vehicles to help them explore. Readers may recall Garnet Hertz's cockroach-controlled mobile robot.
(Garnet Hertz's cockroach-controlled mobile robot)
I also liked the Terranaut fish explore land robotic vehicle, an art project that allows a Blood Parrot fish to go gallivanting across the countryside.
(Terranaut II by Seth Weiner)
As far as science-fictional predecessors are concerned, sf readers may recall the Martian perambulators used in Robert Heinlein's 1951 novel Between Planets to help Martians get around on Earth.
At the ringside opposite them a table had been removed to make room for a large transparent plastic capsule on wheels. Don had never seen one but he recognized its function; it was a Martian's "perambulator," a portable air-conditioning unit to provide the rare, cold air necessary to a Martian aborigine. The occupant could be seen dimly, his frail body supported by a metal articulated servo framework to assist him in coping with the robust gravity of the third planet.
Gamers may recall the Orz from Star Control 2; this race of aliens used an anthropomorphic exoskeleton to get around in when on land (thanks, Yossi).
Orz space marine in combat gear)
I can think of another example, but I can't find it on my site. Ocean-going aliens are helped by human beings with vehicles that help them get about and also help them to think and build things. Readers?
**Aha! Take a look at the skrodes from Vernor Vinge's 1992 novel A Fire Upon the Deep.**
From MAKE.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 3/5/2009)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 4 )
Related News Stories - (" Vehicle ")
Elon Musk STILL Wants To Make Heinlein's 1940's Speedster
'As she neared the barrier the car surged and lifted...' - Robert Heinlein, 1941.
Electric Vehicle Prices Will Drop To $2,890
'the human seats took up two-thirds of the room in each'
Tesla Model S And X Moves Toward KITT Knight Rider Styling
Now, that was a Pontiac Trans Am with some real style.
Gyro-X Self-Balancing Two-Wheeler Car
'Indeed, the gyrocar was a sight to make a man look twice.' - Kenneth Brown, 1911.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Current News
Flatcat Robot Recalls Both Heinlein And Simak
Sorry, you'll need to read the article.
Nuclear Batteries May Pack Inner Punch
'... the most super-valuable substance in the solar system.'
Elon Musk STILL Wants To Make Heinlein's 1940's Speedster
'As she neared the barrier the car surged and lifted...'
Mercury Capsule Ablative Shielding
'...a synthetic which air-friction would erode away.'
Heinlein And Russian Quail In Orbit
'No earth-hatched bird can learn to fly in that fashion...'
Listen Up, Coppertop - Wearable Device Turns You Into A Battery
'It's our way or the highway.'
Solar Powered Robot Cleans Up Solar Panels For Free
'... with large padded feet, who were apparently polishing their way the whole length of Rama's six artificial suns.'
Spot Arm From Boston Dynamics Picks Up Like Heinlein's Hired Girl Robot
'Anything larger than a BB shot it picked up and placed in a tray on its upper surface...'
Electric Vehicle Prices Will Drop To $2,890
'the human seats took up two-thirds of the room in each'
TIGER Ultimate Mobility Vehicle From Hyundai
'He admired the fast-plodding, articulated legs...'
Drones Communicate With Each Other Using Quantum Encryption
'the curious absent look of a robot talking on the TBR circuits...'
Space Construction Tools For Large Structures By OAC
'Mass-produced in the orbiting factories...'
SpinCare Electrospins And Shoots Wound Dressing
'Over her lacerated right shoulder he sprayed art-derm...'
Tesla Model S And X Moves Toward KITT Knight Rider Styling
Now, that was a Pontiac Trans Am with some real style.
Sophia Robots By The Thousands
'There is a built-in microphone that hears everything you say, and an electric brain that selects a suitable answer.'
Scaly-Foot Snail Works With Iron
'Micro-Scale suit tiles fabricated by genetically engineered metal affinity bacteria...'
