DIY, do it yourself robot demonstrations are coming soon to PropellerCode.com. We here at PropellerCode.com com are working on designing low-cost robots with the budget in mind. We like the idea of being able to build nice prototype robots out of low-cost materials and random junk laying around. We may possibly even explore the idea of designing robots out of trash. Ideally the only thing you should have to spend money on when building your robot prototype should be some motors and electronics. Come back soon to see check the progress.
Uses for tiny flying robot bugs will mostly include reconnaissance missions for military and law enforcement applications. DARPA currently has incentives for creating these little machines for military purposes. The advantage of being so small is that it could enter buildings and houses and fly through the rooms and be equipped with full micro surveillance technology.
Cyborg insects with embedded Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) will run RC remotely controlled reconnaissance missions for the military, if its ‘”Hybrod Insects-MEMS” program succeeds. The HI-MEMS program hatched earlier this year at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency plans to develop cyborg bugs to patrol, gather intelligence, and carry out other significant surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
Some individuals are worried that these robot bugs could possibly be used in an invasion of personal privacy and a possible threat to civil rights. If the government starts using these robot bugs to spy on political activists that could lead to problems. However, there is little information about spy technology so we will possibly never know for sure.
So far experts say the technology isn’t quite good enough to produce such devices that actually function at a usable level. Most likely our technology will be there shortly, so we’ll have to just wait and see what comes out of it. Hopefully these little robot insects will by restricted to military reconnaissance, which would be a revolutionary way to perform investigations without risking the lives of our military soldiers. Crawling robots for reconnaissance are getting better, but a flying machine would greatly increase speed and access comparatively.
Here is a clip where Paul Merton is in China visiting Mr Woo who designs robots at his home out of junk and rubbish or whatever recycled junk parts he finds laying around. Mr. Woo’s robots are quite inventive, he even designed a 2 legged robot capable of pulling himself around in a rickshaw cart. However, most of Mr. Woo’s robots appear to be innovative, but fairly unconventional. Mr Woo is a rural Chinese farmer who taught himself to build fun kinetic robots. He has no money, no education, and no decent materials to work from but he ends up making pretty sophisticated and quirky-looking robots that can walk, pour tea, and best of all, pull a rickshaw. They are even quite hilarious, he gets great kudos for imagination. >D His wife hates it, but isn’t that always the case with every inventor?
