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Gaming classic Snake gets charmed by geeks with flutes and Arduino (video)

Joseph Volpe — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 05:55:00 EST

Nerds. Where would we be without their idle tinkering? Still pushing stones, we gather. But were it not for those breakthroughs, both high and low, us common folk would never know the charm of seeing the classic game Snake played with the use of ordinary recorders. No, not a tape or video recorder -- we're talking flutes here and, naturally, Arduino. With the aid of a hacked-to-bits Nokia 6110i, mobile engineering collective Kitchen Budapest was able to program directional controls for the retro title in Max/MSP (music software) via pitch detection, paving the way for one-note recreational fun. Eager for a peek of this flautastic feat in action? Then jump past the break to gaze at a slickly produced video tour of this novel, nostalgic hack.

Continue reading Gaming classic Snake gets charmed by geeks with flutes and Arduino (video)

Gaming classic Snake gets charmed by geeks with flutes and Arduino (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 05:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carnegie Mellon's robot snakes converge into creepy hand-like wargadget

Joseph L. Flatley — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:16:00 EST

President Eisenhower, in his famous farewell speech in 1961, warned against the acquisition of unwarranted influence by the "military industrial complex." If he had given those remarks some sixty years later, he might have worked academia into the phrase -- especially if he knew about the snakes! Certainly one of the more viscerally unnerving wargadgets we've encountered over the last few years, the creepy-crawly automatons of the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute are a big hit at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, where three of 'em have been arrayed onto a circular base to form the Robotic Tentacle Manipulator, a hand that could be used for opening doors or handling IEDs, possibly while mounted on the iRobot Warrior. The "opening a door" problem, as it is called, has perplexed the field of robotics for quite some time now -- and it might one day be solved using technology like this. Until then, it looks like doorknobs are still the terrorist's best friend.

Carnegie Mellon's robot snakes converge into creepy hand-like wargadget originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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YouTube easter egg lets you play Snake while clips load (video)

Sean Hollister — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 00:09:00 EST

No, not Metal Gear Solid's Snake. We're talking about the Snake that was popular before the smartphone was a twinkle in the industry's eye. Google has imbued YouTube videos with an engaging new easter egg that lets you play the apple-chasing game while your video stream buffers -- simply mash your keyboard's up and down arrow keys during most any clip to increase YouTube's time-wasting potential tenfold. What's that you say -- your internet connection is so ludicrously fast that videos play instantly? Ah, my lucky friend, let us introduce you to YouTube's 4K mode. Or, for a special treat, hijack the footage we've provided after the break to get your meta-giggles going.

[Thanks, Alan]

Continue reading YouTube easter egg lets you play Snake while clips load (video)

YouTube easter egg lets you play Snake while clips load (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 00:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roomba saves child from deadly Viper, challenges Tango to a fight

Joseph L. Flatley — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST

We've always known that the Roomba was something of a bad-ass -- iRobot, after all, has quite a reputation within the defense industry -- so we weren't surprised when one of the autonomous vacuum cleaners took down a certain Vipera palaestinae (a venomous snake found in the Middle East). Considered a leading cause of snakebites within its geographic range, the snake was found mangled 'round one of the robot's rotating brushes when Eli and Efi Frida returned to their home in Galilee, which they share with their two children, aged four and seven (as well as several cats and dogs). "We were very lucky," said Eli, "If the snake would have hid in the house and bitten one of the children it could have ended badly."

Roomba saves child from deadly Viper, challenges Tango to a fight originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carnegie Mellon's robotic snake stars in a glamour video

Nilay Patel — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:38:00 EST

We've been pretty into Carnegie Mellon's modular snake robots for a while now, and seeing as it's a relatively sleepy Sunday we thought we'd share this latest video of snakebots just basically crawling all over the place and getting crazy. Bots like these have been getting some serious military attention lately, so watching these guys wriggle into any damn spot they please is at once awesome and terrifying. Or maybe it's just the music. Video after the break.

[Thanks, Curtis]

Continue reading Carnegie Mellon's robotic snake stars in a glamour video

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Carnegie Mellon's robotic snake stars in a glamour video originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Israeli military develops robot snake for battlefield, children's nightmares

Joseph L. Flatley — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:03:00 EST

While this is by no means the first time we've seen a robotic snake prototype, it ain't every day that we find one so close to deployment. This self-propelling, two foot long robot can crawl along the ground, climb through debris, and even stand erect to give the operator a better view through the forward-mounted camera. The Israeli Defense Force says it will use this thing for "routine surveillance and reconnaissance." And if this is not enough? In that case, the prototype can be wired with explosives -- making it, in the words of the Jerusalem Post, a "suicide snake." Fun! And rather upsetting. No proposed price or timetable yet, but you can see the thing in action for yourself after the break.

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Israeli military develops robot snake for battlefield, children's nightmares originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Choi Jung Hyun assembles non-venomous viper with recycled keyboards

Darren Murph — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 11:04:00 EST

Yeah, this one's been slithering around the alleyways of the web for a tick, but it's just too hard to ignore a vicious looking viper created entirely from unwanted keyboards (okay, so glue and a faux tongue were involved, too). Still, the best part isn't the unquestionably amazing use of the dreaded Caps Lock key, it's the crowd of mice this thing is getting ready to feast on. Better check yo'self before you wreck yo'self, kids.

[Via MAKE]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Choi Jung Hyun assembles non-venomous viper with recycled keyboards originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Apr 2008 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Snakebots traverse terrain, plan silent, midnight attack

Joshua Topolsky — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:52:00 EST

Apparently the Biorobotics Lab at Carnegie Mellon University has been quite busy as of late... building an army of robotic snakes. Though we've seen droid snakes before, bot-makers at the school have been investigating the myriad possibilities of single-task snakes, coming up with configurations for swimming, crawling, and climbing, amongst others. The program is concerned with enabling the bots to take on a diverse variety of terrain and tasks, made easier by the fact that the little guys aren't limited to wheel-based movement. To really get an idea of the possibilities (and extreme creepiness), check the video after the break. We just hope you enjoy the techno version of Crazy Train as much as we do.

[Thanks, Andrew]

Continue reading Snakebots traverse terrain, plan silent, midnight attack

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Snakebots traverse terrain, plan silent, midnight attack originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Robotic snake moves by pushing off obstacles

Darren Murph — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:28:00 EST

We'll be honest -- we've seen more snake-like robots than we care to count, but a new creature slithering out of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology is noticeably different than most. As you can see above, there's a distinct lack of treads, tracks or wheels on Aiko, as it actually pushes off foreign objects it encounters in order to creep forward. Additionally, researchers have created a "virtual double" of the critter in order to help guide the development of the actual robot, though we've yet to hear if it plans on joining Anna Konda in war on fire.

[Via NewScientist]

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Robotic snake moves by pushing off obstacles originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SickSack robotic snake slithers through RoboCup

Darren Murph — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 10:20:00 EST

Although DARwin looked to be a fine effort from the US of A, Aske Olsson and Lars Pontoppidan's entry relied on a more down-low approach to taking care of business. Their SickSack robotic snake chose to crawl rather than run, but the uniqueness of the creature's movement most definitely deserve props. Gearing up a series of rollers to blast across the raceway isn't all that impressive, but the SickSack's use of passive wheels combined with mechanics that enabled lateral undulation made this thing about as beastly as a metal-clad bot can get. It also featured eight Futaba servos, a microcontroller, and a good bit of wiring and programming for its locomotion, and it (rightfully) took home the award for best design / effects at RoboCup 2007. Click on through for the creepy crawly videos.

[Via Lars' Electric Endeavors]

Continue reading SickSack robotic snake slithers through RoboCup

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SickSack robotic snake slithers through RoboCup originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2007 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Surgical snakebots crawl down your throat

Darren Murph — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:10:00 EST

The Johns Hopkins University must employ some seriously bright folks, as researchers at the school are unveiling yet another marvel to benefit mankind, and this time their creation is headed for the nooks and crannies within your body that surgeons have difficulty reaching unassisted. Sure, the diminutive locales within your guts have been explored by robotic creatures before, but these "snake-like robots" could enable surgeons, operating in the narrow throat region in particular, to make "incisions and tie sutures with greater dexterity and precision." The invention consists of two thin rods tipped with "tentaclelike tools" capable of moving with six degrees of freedom; during surgery, the doctor would utilize a 3D visualization system to watch, control, and dictate the robotic tubes. Moreover, the snakes are crafted from nonferrous metals so it can be used around magnetic imaging equipment, and considering its ability to "make up 100 adjustments per second," nimbleness is in its nature. But if you're not exactly fond of such slithering creatures, you've still got time to escape, as researchers estimate that there's still about "five more years" of lab testing before we see Snakes on a Hospital Bed.

[Via Physorg]

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Surgical snakebots crawl down your throat originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New robot does the worm, for real

Stan Horaczek — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 08:30:00 EST

Sure, we've seen plenty of robot snakes in the past, but none like this robot earthworm being developed at Chuo University in Japan. The same research department that showed us the incredible Strider bot, is now demonstrating a machine that can move on open land and along narrow passageways, using the same method of peristalsis as the average night crawler. Each section of the body expands and contracts in a specific order, thus enabling the rubber-gripped bot to move inside of a tube with almost no lateral motion, even when crawling straight up. We can see how this technology, which NASA is also working on, could be used in fields like geology, robofishing and medicine, even though watching the videos on the site and seeing the word "catheter" in the article made us more than a little uneasy.

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New robot does the worm, for real originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jun 2006 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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