Roony the prototype moon bot builds houses badly, is brothers with Jason Schwartzman

If this is all it takes to build a moon settlement then sign us up, we're completely qualified. To symbolize "humanity's first steps to inhabit space," some students from Malardalens University in Sweden have teamed up with artist Mikael Genberg to build a robot that can drop a small red cottage on the moon. The early prototype, dubbed Roony, is terrifying in its house-building flippancy (there's video of it after the break). It might be a bit of a rough start for the crew, but we can't fault them for vision: the "Luna Resort" project plans on being "one of the grandest art projects of art time" and hopes to inspire the rest of us boring humans to shoot other cool things into space -- like other humans.

[Via Robot Living]

[zoundsPadang Posted Apr 6th 2009 1:28PM]

That's a horrible idea, Roony. Go back to your dock and don't come back until you've come up with something better.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 6th 2009 3:37PM]

what is this?? a house for ants!? it needs to be at least.... 3 times bigger than this

[Saad the other one Posted Apr 6th 2009 4:16PM]

@waffles

You are too funny.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 6th 2009 3:52PM]

Ah - the cottage is yellow.
Shame.
If I moved to the moon, I'd want a red cottage at the least, not yellow.

[Downpour Posted Apr 6th 2009 1:38PM]

How are they going to get the 'guy who switches it on' up there?

[NBShermanator Posted Apr 6th 2009 1:39PM]

I'd LOVE to see a full size house like that pop up, lol- it would knock every other house in the vicinity down or away, lol
Like honestly? Did they even try? I could design that overnight with a robotics kit. I'll make a pop-up porta-potty too while im at it

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 6th 2009 1:48PM]

That might be a 'messy' situation.

I refuse to apologize, you left yourself open.

[Jakejd Posted Apr 6th 2009 1:49PM]

You fail.

There is no atmosphere on the moon.

[NBShermanator Posted Apr 6th 2009 3:06PM]

You fail
The moon has an atmosphere, it's just significantly smaller

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 6th 2009 3:28PM]

you all fail, most robotics kits like the RCX or NXT by LEGO even XBCs and CBCs do not have enough motor ports or servo ports to support that kind of configuration.

It wouldn't matter a tiny bit if there was an atmosphere or not because robots DON"T NEED GAS PARTICLES WHATSOEVER.

If these guys used sensors e.g. sonar, infra-red, touch sensors, cameras etc. Then this robot's programming would become extremely complicated VERY quickly.

So good luck with your "Overnight" project, it would take you maybe a couple of weeks to design the robot and then build with another couple of weeks to program..........Email me in a month's time when you have done your "overnight" project

[NBShermanator Posted Apr 6th 2009 4:14PM]

1st of all if I put two RCX right next to each other, have one run master and another one run slave, I can reproduce the movements done by the unit

Secondly the gas particle argument was about knocking down houses, not combustion of any type

A robot doing that in an environment such as the moon- where it inst flat and there are obstacles limiting its space, would require sensors, and needs to be complicated

And Id say that at most, if I honestly wanted to do this it would take me a week optimistically, which probably means 2. Overnight was an exaggeration

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 7th 2009 3:00AM]

sure, with only 6 motors and sensors? that robot can move its legs and wheels individually. Without the lifting mechanism you would need 8 RCX/NXT motors. if you use XBCs you could use one, but WITHOUT the lifting mechanism as you would NEED 4 motors and 4 servos.

XBC is here ------- http://www.kipr.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/SP321.JPG

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 6th 2009 1:46PM]

Perhaps this is the solution to the current housing market crisis? Either way, I think their realtor isn't doing a very good job for them.

[WillGill Posted Apr 6th 2009 1:54PM]

With limited gravity, wouldn't that house bounce into space? What happens when the house prematurely expands underneath the bot? Seriously, I've seen much better senior projects at DeVry.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 6th 2009 2:03PM]

That's aggressively underwhelming.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 6th 2009 2:32PM]

Hi five to you guys for knowing who Jason Shwartzman's brother is. Ha

[PropagandaPanda Posted Apr 6th 2009 4:54PM]

I don't see what exactly is wrong with this design, that everyone is complaining about.. the Robot is the test, not the house. The house will most likely be inflated and im sure it will be secured to the ground.

There is no atmosphere on the moon to affect the surrounding buildings that maybe be set up, unless it actually touches them.
The light gravity, would only be an issue if the house actually popped out like that.

[WillGill Posted Apr 6th 2009 6:02PM]

The robot is the test? Is there something special about it? I applaud the engineering that went into programming the PLC and calibrating servos, but innovative? I don't see it. If instead of delivering a pop-up tent, it actually constructed a house with stucco and spot welding I'd be impressed. I know, we're jaded.

[jasongao Posted Apr 6th 2009 8:43PM]

When the house popped open, that was pretty scary.

[Mushrooshi Posted Apr 6th 2009 8:52PM]

Um...

All this robot did was turn it's wheels all cool, drop some pop up house, and move away...

Not that hard...

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 6th 2009 10:04PM]

I thought this was going to be a 3d printer to print out a house on mars. Boosh, disappointment.

[glenskey Posted Apr 7th 2009 12:19AM]

now if only we could figure out how to do that with 1/4 inch steel

[Hackettman Posted Apr 7th 2009 11:20AM]

I wanted to live on the moon at one point...... If this thing is dropping my habitat off..... Ill just stay on my planet whilst it burns up.....

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 8th 2009 11:23AM]

Can someone explain to me the Jason Schwartzman reference?

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 9th 2009 8:50PM]

Rooney (with an e) is the name of the band that Jason Schwartzman's brother, Robert is in.