Homework-o-bot

Audrey brought home some school work she did around "inventions". Her invention is a Homework-o-bot that contains both a Math-o-maniac and a Math-o-matic. Can you tell which subject's homework gives her the biggest challenge?

My dastardly plan is working - my geekdad activities are rubbing off on Audrey!

Click on the image for a larger version.

Two-Legged Robot Walker

The Christmas list I gave to Carol contained mostly electronics hobby stuff, including a couple of servos and a Lynxmotion SSC-32 serial servo controller. The servo controller allows one to exercise complex control over multiple servos (32 of them with this board) via simple commands sent over a serial port.

So I had three available servos, a servo controller and an Arduino and I wanted to build a walking robot. Hmmm. I'd need to use one servo for each of the two legs but then I need a way to vary the traction of the legs so one can move forward on a return stroke while the other moves backwards on the power stroke. A moving weight should do it!

I didn't have any small hardware for attaching servos to stuff on hand. Nor did I have any good materials for the chassis. So I made the chassis out of cardboard in which I cut holes for the servos and I used thin steel craft wire to tie the servos in. I also used the wire to strap pencils to the servo horns as legs and as a boom to hold the swinging weight. Add a couple of rubber bands to hold the chassis in the desired shape and the electronics and batteries in place and viola: a humorous hack of a robot!

After a few minutes spent programming the Arduino to send the desired commands to the servo controller, it walked! Sort of.

It may not be pretty, but it's the first robot I've built completely from scratch.

Click the image to see the video.

New Author!

[John here. Audrey has taken an interest in writing. She started by writing a contract with Charlotte wherein Charlotte agreed to be Audrey's servant for a week and in return Charlotte got to use the special spoon for breakfast every day. Then Audrey wrote a contract in which our neighbors agree to release their children from slavery. Here is Audrey's first blog post...]

Hi I am audrey a school girl. I love to read. Do you? I like to scare my sister. Do you like to scare your sister? Well, I have some funny stuff to tell you! Once, I scared my sister to death with her own halloween costum! Is this funny? If it is I like you! Oh hi methot's and grandma and grandpa and ma and pa and aunt bettsy and aunt trisha! This is my blog and I love you aunts and grandmas! Oh and grandma, I just wanted to thank you for the mcdonold gift card. Bye bye!