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Mozilla and Samsung collaborating on new Servo web browser engine for Android and ARM
It's a fairly bold claim, but Mozilla and Samsung have announced today that they're now attempting to "rebuild the web browser from the ground up on modern hardware." That initiative takes the form of Servo, a new web browser engine designed for Android and ARM and based on Mozilla's Rust programming language, which itself sees a new release today. Expectedly, details on the browser engine remain light, with Mozilla and Samsung offering no indication of a release schedule or a final product. In the blog post announcing the engine, Mozilla says only that it'll be "putting more resources into Servo" in the coming year as it also aims to complete the first major revision of Rust, and that it and Samsung will be "increasingly looking at opportunities on mobile platforms." You can find the full announcement, and the source for both Rust and Servo if you're so inclined, at the source link below.
TextSpresso machine brews caffeinated goodness via text messaging (video)
The folks at Zipwhip may have unwittingly discovered a new business model. While the company is primarily focused on cloud messaging services, it's recently created an espresso maker that allows employees to whip up custom brews from the comfort of their mobile phone. Known as TextSpresso, it's based on the Jura Impressa XS90, but unlike the retail model, the machine accepts orders via SMS. As if that weren't enough, it's part of a larger system that's capable of printing employee names onto the foam (using edible ink) and then placing the drink onto a warming tray. TextSpresso is very much a custom job, but if you'd like an inside peek of the system -- complete with servo motors, an Arduino microcontroller and a retro-fitted Canon printer -- be sure to hop the break and dream of what could be.
Arduino-powered Artbot writes the time, erases it, writes again (video)
Watching the seconds go by is a frightening reminder that time pauses for no one, but somehow, a hacker going by the name of Ekaggrat has figured out how to make the process a bit less daunting. The so-called Doodle Clock is an Arduino-powered robotic arm that's been trained to jot down the time with a dry erase marker; once the minute passes, he erases the last digit and rewrites it -- a number beyond what he just erased, of course. Per usual, these things are better seen than read about, so why not hop on past the break and mash play? Smiles await.
FPV servo controlled plane grabs epic vacation footage, puts old family videos to shame (video)
By the time winter rolls around, Alistair Roberts will probably remember his summer vacation a heckuva lot better than the rest of us. Why? Because he brought an FPV plane to record his mountain biking holiday in the Spanish sun. With a GoPro camera mounted on the servo-powered cradle, Alistair piloted the plane by moving his head and using a remote control -- all while streaming first person video from the cockpit into a pair of goggles. By pairing the high tech toy with another GoPro on his dad's mountain bike, and a stationary camera on the ground, Alistair was able to create a truly amazing vacation video from 1200 - 1500 feet in the air traveling around 20kmph (12mph) -- way cooler than any of the ones our dads recorded back in the day. Check out the video after the break. [Thanks, @btudor]
Android-based Cellular printer writes text messages on your wall (your real-life one)
Ever wish you could write on people's walls in real life? Behold the Cellular Wall Printer, a collection of felt markers that receives messages via Facebook, Twitter, and SMS, and then transcribes them across any flat surface. Here's how it works: seven individually controlled servo motors push the felt pens up and down to leave dots and dashes in their wake. The contraption is manually operated, and Liat Segal, the inventor, adds that there's a timing system to ensure the printer transcribes neatly, even if you are in motion. Most interesting, perhaps, is the fact that the rig is controlled by an Android application, and uses an IOIO board to connect the electronic components to an Android device. (Our resident mobile expert Myriam Joire is pretty sure we're looking at a skinned Nexus One.) Check out a whimsical video demonstration after the break, with a couple more at the source link.
Blocklets' Arduino-powered trebuchet could be your cat's worst nightmare (video)
We don't do a whole lot of reporting on ancient weaponry here, because, well, it's a little dated -- but throw in an Arduino and a servo, and you've got our attention. Take, for example, this miniaturized trebuchet. Constructed from a series of click-in-place pieces known as Blocklets, the little launcher is basically a standalone slingshot. With the addition of the aforementioned components, however, it becomes a motorized annoyance for anyone and anything that stands in its way. The folks behind the tiny trebuchet tested its capabilities against a sculpture similarly built from Blocklets, but we prefer the challenge of a moving target. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait to get all medieval with this thing, as Blockets haven't quite made it out of the funding stage yet.
RoboTouch brings a wired NES controller to a wireless iPad (video)
Oh Arduino, is there anything you can't do when put in the right hands? The hands in this case belong to a guy named Joven of ProtoDojo, and they whipped up the contraption you can see in the video below. Basically, it's a wired NES controller that goes to an Arduino board, which in turn controls a set of servos. Those servos articulate conductive arms to touch the screen in just the right places. The whole contraption enables a rather playable version of Reckless Racing, making it feel all the more like the RC Pro Am successor it's trying to be. Check it out in the video below, and then hope that Jovan hurries up and posts the instructions so we can start building our own. [Thanks, Chad]
Spruce Deuce robot drummer is a fleshbag percussionist's worst nightmare (video)
Sure you can make a drum machine out of Legos, but can you make an actual drummer out of Legos? Steve Averill couldn't, but we think his rather more organic creation is even better than plastic bricks. It's called the Spruce Deuce, a robot that, like the Spruce Goose, is actually made of birch plywood. He's articulated by 11 radio servos tied to a MIDI controller and, amazingly, is pretty good -- or, at least, he isn't bad, able to hit the snare, tom tom, and cymbals. He's even mastered the double bounce and sets the rhythm before the song starts, which you can see after the break. Sure, he's a little more stiff than you might want for an average jazz percussionist, but when you're dealing with something constructed from cross-ply wooden sheets you have to give up a little flex, man.
Papercraft Wall-E checks email, dances a jig when new message arrives
We've seen our fair share of Wall-E mods over the months, and yes, we've also seen an impressive papercraft creation or two. But frankly, we've never, ever seen a papercraft Wall-E, let alone a papercraft Wall-E that serves a purpose. TotoroYamada took the time to concoct what he describes as his own personal Mail-E, a servo-equipped paper robot that's programed to check his inbox every few seconds and bust a move when a new message arrives. Cuteness overload is in full effect -- just peek the videos after the break if you've any doubts.
Video: Chris the Carpenter shows off Walter the Robot's servo-powered head
We love us a good robot, the more clearly home-built the better, and it's hard to get more DIY than a bot-to-be called Walter from Chris the Carpenter at Let's Make Robots. Right now Walter exists in halves: a torso comprised of a custom chassis powered by some DeWalt drill motors, and a head with a small LCD display turned on three axis by a collection of servos. As of now everything is controlled by a remote, but the ultimate plan is for Walter to be able to locate a person, face them, and display a list of functions. We're not sure what Walter's purpose in life is to be in the future, but based on the second video below we're reasonably sure it won't be serving as a shuttle for reluctant wives. [Via Hacked Gadgets]
Video: Rise and Shine alarm hack is sheers genius
Few devices receive as much attention to re-design as the mousetrap and alarm clock. Regarding the latter, Anupam Patahak, a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Michigan, takes a natural light approach with his Rise and Shine Alarm Shades. At a predefined time, the modified alarm clock silently (or noisily) kicks off a servo to wind open the shades. Nothing like the deep, battleship gray skies of mid-western suburbia to rouse a young mind from sleep. Video after the break.[Via Hack A Day]
Video: Ganzbot reads Twitter feeds aloud, looks fashionably low-rate
We've seen methods for hooking house plants up with their own Twitter account, but there's hardly anything more satisfying that building a robot to read back all those feeds from the thousands of people you're undoubtedly following. Ganzbot is a decidedly low-budget robot that relies on an Arduino Decima to control the head actions and a USB cable to receive up-to-date status information. Have a look at the innards as well as a few words being spoken just after the jump.[Via MAKE]
Autonomous, laser-guided turret takes aim
The homegrown home security options out there just keep getting sweeter and sweeter, as yet another go-getter has conjured up an autonomous turret to hold down the fort while the owners are away buying more capacitors and Fruit by the Foot. The programmable weapon relies on an 8 servo serial controller and a s666n High Torque servo motor, not to mention a good bit of programming to get things in working order. What started out as a curious ambition has now developed into quite a serious project, as the creator is hoping to "develop a weapons platform for the Defcon Bots competition," and judging by what we see here, things are lookin' up. The robotic sentry can apparently take out targets on its own or follow a simple laser to targets and fire away, but alas, what good would a made from scratch robotic piece of artillery be without a video to demonstrate? Click on through to see the firepower.
Giant Panda robots: extinction solved
Ahh Giant Pandas... cute and cuddly until they rip out your jugular with a swipe from those massive thumbed paws. What better avatar to lull us into complacency while cleansing the fields of our human scourge? Ok, ok, only the head can actually be considered robotic with 14 servo motors used to create realistic panda expressions like confusion: "has anyone seen my bamboo?" or anger: "I am not a teddy bear!" The rest is just some guy in a fancy monkey suit drunk on Billy Beer. Now isn't it about time we forget about all this endangered species crap since man clearly possesses the power to preserve these giant bears raccoons automatons forever in some kind of It's a Small World freak show? Just click the read link if you don't concur, go ahead, click.
