Hobbyist One-Ups Sandia Labs

An anonymous reader writes "A robotics hobbyist has created what he claims is the world's smallest autonomous robot. The robot is half the volume of the robots produced by Sandia National Labs in 2001, moves quite a bit faster, and was made using techniques and supplies accessible to anyone." While Sandia Labs has had some time to improve on their original designs, it's still pretty cool to see what one can do at home as well.

Sorry...

[der'morat'aman]

I for one would like to welcome our new minute robotic overlords!

Re:Why not

[Joebert]

I guess he's just an outside the box kinda guy.

Re:Sorry...

[edwardpickman]

I for one would like to welcome our new minute robotic overlords!

I for one swat our new minute overlords with a flyswatter.

Pico... How creative.

[GrievousMistake]

I just can't imagine what people that take that claim as a challenge will call the next four microbots. Well, at least it keeps a simple naming scheme.
I'd like to see Emacs, the microbot, though... It makes toast, does taxes and raises your children, but unfortunately it has the size and weight of a phone book, draws a kilowatt of power and the wheels don't quite reach the ground.
(Disclaimer :wq)

Re:Thats "cute"

[aicrules]

It could be an alternative to pliers for the removal of that stick you got stuck up there...

Re:Thats "cute"

[26199]

Pshaw.

1. Give to small child
2. Wait until they grow up and become Dr of Robotics
3. Profit! (When they take over the world).

Wow ...

[WrongSizeGlass]

I wish that thing was bigger so I could turn it into something useful like a vacuum cleaner.


warning: The above content may test positive for sarcasm and/or could be a failed attempt at humor and so should be taken with a pound of salt.

Re:Yeah, robots are cool and all....

[maxume]

This thing [groupe-intra.com] 'handles' stairs just fine.

Honey,

[embsysdev]

I shrunk the Roomba

Re:It's cool

[Anonymous Coward]

but it's not cute enough.

Well, the robot can't be too cute, it's mature after all.

What, you didn't see the can of Pabst Blue Robot [wikipedia.org] on the table?

Re:It's cool

[Anonymous Coward]

Cuteness... is an extremely underrated feature of any robotics project. If they could just up the cuteness factor we could be seeing robots all over the place right now. Why be hatin' the cutie?

Re:Why not

[The Great Pretender]

Perhaps it's prime directive is to throw itself off a table at any opportunity. He should call it a Suicidebot. I personally bow to anyone who's a robotics hobbiest and drinks Pabst.

Re:too friggin cool

[The_mad_linguist]

Post lots on Slashdot?

Hobbit One-Ups Sandia Labs

[revolu7ion]

My dear Frodo. Hobbyists really are amazing creatures

Re:Thats "cute"

[Lumpy]

You never had a small child, specificall a boy.

1.5 remove the robot from the child nose or ear, say no sternly.
1.6 remove the robot from the child's ear or nose (whichever was the opposite of the first and say no again)
1.7 Now remove it from their mouth.

Boys like to shove crap up their nose and in their ears for some reason.

Re:Why not

[buswolley]

In other news, amateur build computer faster than the professionally designed ENIAC, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer.

Yeah, time is a bitch..