I believe in miracles! Where you from, you hexy thang?
February 5, 2010 10:28 PM Subscribe
A hexapod robot is a mechanical vehicle that walks on six legs. Since a robot can be statically stable on three or more legs, a hexapod robot has a great deal of flexibility in how it can move. And how it can move!
I think I linked to something similar before (probably a previous competition), but it must have just been in a comment somewhere
posted by delmoi at 10:33 PM on February 5, 2010
posted by delmoi at 10:33 PM on February 5, 2010
Yeah, The one in my delicious links was from '08
posted by delmoi at 10:34 PM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by delmoi at 10:34 PM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
(specifically, eight hexapodable robots to do my bidding. 48 little footies of doom)
posted by mrzarquon at 10:35 PM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by mrzarquon at 10:35 PM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
There's something faintly but deeply creepy about things with more than four legs. Must be hardwired.
posted by gottabefunky at 10:36 PM on February 5, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by gottabefunky at 10:36 PM on February 5, 2010 [3 favorites]
Oh cool. I remember the one delmoi linked to.
It reminds me a bunch of Keepon but it's kind of the philosophical opposite isn't it.
posted by hattifattener at 10:42 PM on February 5, 2010
It reminds me a bunch of Keepon but it's kind of the philosophical opposite isn't it.
posted by hattifattener at 10:42 PM on February 5, 2010
> It reminds me a bunch of Keepon but it's kind of the philosophical opposite isn't it.
The keepon is amazing! Too bad they are $30,000 a pop right now.
posted by mrzarquon at 10:49 PM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
The keepon is amazing! Too bad they are $30,000 a pop right now.
posted by mrzarquon at 10:49 PM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
That's fun, but I'm somewhat more partial to this six-legged robot (yt).
posted by chimaera at 11:03 PM on February 5, 2010
posted by chimaera at 11:03 PM on February 5, 2010
So you're saying that hexapodia is the key insight?
posted by Justinian at 11:11 PM on February 5, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 11:11 PM on February 5, 2010 [3 favorites]
I'm favoriting this just for the title, but I'm going to have nightmares of creepy spider-bots dancing on the pulpy mass of my meatsack corpse.
Seriously. I love robots and those things doing that pedipalp-waving kind of thing trigger the arachnophobia in me worse than a pillowcase full of tarantulas. There's just something wired in my hindbrain that lights up every time I see more than four legs attached to one creature that knows how to use them.
posted by loquacious at 11:26 PM on February 5, 2010
Seriously. I love robots and those things doing that pedipalp-waving kind of thing trigger the arachnophobia in me worse than a pillowcase full of tarantulas. There's just something wired in my hindbrain that lights up every time I see more than four legs attached to one creature that knows how to use them.
posted by loquacious at 11:26 PM on February 5, 2010
Six? Time to ramp this up, by an order of magnitude. I give you the 24 legged robot!
posted by hellojed at 11:41 PM on February 5, 2010
posted by hellojed at 11:41 PM on February 5, 2010
All the ones with different heads on them just remind me of the head from The Thing. Dancing. My brain is honestly uncertain what to do with that image.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 11:50 PM on February 5, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 11:50 PM on February 5, 2010 [2 favorites]
Now we see how the Mi-Go gives brain cylinders the power of locomotion.
posted by JHarris at 12:12 AM on February 6, 2010 [5 favorites]
posted by JHarris at 12:12 AM on February 6, 2010 [5 favorites]
dancing dancing dancing bzzt YOU WILL BE ANNIHILATED PUNY HUMAN
posted by koeselitz at 12:56 AM on February 6, 2010
posted by koeselitz at 12:56 AM on February 6, 2010
Ahh good, the mechanical headcrabs I ordered are coming along nicely. I don't remember asking for dancing, but I suppose they have to do something during downtime.
Also, come the robot uprising, our newly-sentient masters will find this video, and we'll pay for it.
posted by sysinfo at 1:11 AM on February 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Also, come the robot uprising, our newly-sentient masters will find this video, and we'll pay for it.
posted by sysinfo at 1:11 AM on February 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Some of the motions are setting of the EUGH SPIDER! alarm in my head. Especially when that one reared up and presented its forelegs like fangs.
posted by stavrogin at 1:32 AM on February 6, 2010
posted by stavrogin at 1:32 AM on February 6, 2010
I'd vote the dancing disco ball for president, it's just so upbeat and full of hope.
posted by Elmore at 3:12 AM on February 6, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Elmore at 3:12 AM on February 6, 2010 [2 favorites]
Hmmm, cute, yet creepy at the same time. I'm conflicted. The whegs are kind of cute, too, but the autonomous ones start to head towards the creepy end of the scale a bit.
posted by dg at 3:26 AM on February 6, 2010
posted by dg at 3:26 AM on February 6, 2010
They would be so much cooler if they did the "robot dance".
posted by Solomon at 4:11 AM on February 6, 2010
posted by Solomon at 4:11 AM on February 6, 2010
ZentaOlbaid is doing some incredible things with ant-like and spider-like robots. The dancing moves don't interest me as much as the motion: his spider has three distinct gaits and can use arms for locomotion or manipulation. New models have added gyro stabilized control for more fluid walking gaits.
The craziest thing is that he programs it in Excel. That's worthy of a Daily-WTF.
posted by autopilot at 5:16 AM on February 6, 2010 [3 favorites]
The craziest thing is that he programs it in Excel. That's worthy of a Daily-WTF.
posted by autopilot at 5:16 AM on February 6, 2010 [3 favorites]
Germany has so pwned us in the field of electronic music and boogie-dancing bug-bots.
posted by drlith at 6:45 AM on February 6, 2010
posted by drlith at 6:45 AM on February 6, 2010
Hee! I am so pleased by the one that did the Smooth Criminal lean...
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 7:19 AM on February 6, 2010
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 7:19 AM on February 6, 2010
Some of the scripted movments were probably inspired by the mating behaviour of jumping spiders.
posted by quoquo at 8:10 AM on February 6, 2010
posted by quoquo at 8:10 AM on February 6, 2010
DISCOBALLBOT FTW!!1
posted by humannaire at 8:21 AM on February 6, 2010
posted by humannaire at 8:21 AM on February 6, 2010
Nobody else got BSG rage watching this?
posted by mustard seeds at 8:25 AM on February 6, 2010
posted by mustard seeds at 8:25 AM on February 6, 2010
Now is the time when we dance on sprockets.
posted by moonmilk at 9:04 AM on February 6, 2010 [8 favorites]
posted by moonmilk at 9:04 AM on February 6, 2010 [8 favorites]
Now is the time when we use our sprockets to dance.
posted by Babblesort at 10:10 AM on February 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Babblesort at 10:10 AM on February 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
A friend of mine is always working on improvements for this four-legged fellow
posted by Karmakaze at 10:34 AM on February 6, 2010
posted by Karmakaze at 10:34 AM on February 6, 2010
I want one with a Dalek's top half on it. AM-BU-LATE!
posted by permafrost at 10:55 AM on February 6, 2010
posted by permafrost at 10:55 AM on February 6, 2010
Oh. Great. "Ant-like robots." That's the best idea since some bright spark invented the flesh-eating robot, with which it will one day inevitably be combined. I can already imagine a silvery river of robot death ants pouring silently into the bedroom of . . . well, to be fair, I imagine that every night, so don't go by me.
The hex robots are cuter than they are scary, to me -- except the one with the grinning red-mouthed cartoon stuffed head. I'd kick that thing across the room out of pure reflex, then have to spend a year's salary settling the inevitable lawsuit with the robot's creator.
posted by Countess Elena at 11:11 AM on February 6, 2010
The hex robots are cuter than they are scary, to me -- except the one with the grinning red-mouthed cartoon stuffed head. I'd kick that thing across the room out of pure reflex, then have to spend a year's salary settling the inevitable lawsuit with the robot's creator.
posted by Countess Elena at 11:11 AM on February 6, 2010
All of these robots appear to be based on a similar body-frame... what is it ?... is it something purchase-able?... how expensive?.. can I make one ?
posted by jmnugent at 1:32 PM on February 6, 2010
posted by jmnugent at 1:32 PM on February 6, 2010
Polystyrene hipster cowboy's dispassionate shimmy killed me.
posted by Sys Rq at 1:42 PM on February 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Sys Rq at 1:42 PM on February 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Thanks, loquacious, I have a new motto:
Metafilter: a pillowcase full of tarantulas.
posted by Araucaria at 2:15 PM on February 6, 2010
Metafilter: a pillowcase full of tarantulas.
posted by Araucaria at 2:15 PM on February 6, 2010
Answering myself:... looks like it might be a LynxMotion kit ... starts around $1000 .. .not to shabby for something that would totally freak out the neighbors. Throw in some Arduino or a tiny wireless cam and you've got a pretty sweet sentry-bot. (hello halloween costume)
posted by jmnugent at 3:10 PM on February 6, 2010
posted by jmnugent at 3:10 PM on February 6, 2010
Yeah, I did some grinnin' && noticed one or two of those 'bots wuz in drag!
posted by Twang at 5:40 PM on February 6, 2010
posted by Twang at 5:40 PM on February 6, 2010
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posted by mrzarquon at 10:32 PM on February 5, 2010