In sentences I hadn’t really anticipated writing today, if you’ve always wanted your very own robot army, you’ve come to the right place.
“This is our interactive installation of miniature delta robots which respond to physical motion, granting the user with the sensation of control over an immersive mechanical entity,” they note in the description for the above YouTube video.
Initially, the duo created a proof-of-concept setup featuring 30 delta robots, which they showcased at a 2014 Maker Faire event. Having successfully demonstrated the robots’ capabilities to move as one, with each individual unit responding in the same way to the same stimuli, they decided to move on from this initial showing.
Because a robot army couldn’t possibly be comprised of 30 units, they’ll be nearly tripling the number in the near future, with 84 robots getting ready to tour the west coast of the US, starting soon with the San Mateo Maker Faire, running May 16-17. Light Play, the ultimate installation featuring moving robots, is an interesting concept, and a completely mesmerizing display of robotic movement.
“Light Play is an interactive hive of miniature delta robots made from 3D printed parts which act as a mechanical prosthetic for enhancing self expression,” Petkus wrote on the project site. “The movements of the individual robots are choreographed by a single participant’s physical gesture, resulting in simultaneous feedback in the form of movement and light patterns that mimic the motions of the body.”
This project has been some time in the making, with Petkus’ blog detailing the process having started up in June 2012.
The very first 3D printed delta robots were quite the accomplishment due to all the groundwork that had to be completed in advance. Petkus’ first 3D printed delta robot, Jeden “(after the Polish word for one),” and Koch’s first, “Amber (after an inside joke [the pair] had at the time),” marked a new age of fabrication in the project.
The delta robots in Light Play have the following specs:
- 20 x 20 x 20 cm at rest
- End effector can reach approximately a 28cm diameter, traveling on the Z-axes 13-15 cm
- Able to lift a can of soda with end effector (approximately 12oz)
- End effector speed has been clocked at approximately 150mm/sec on its Z-axis, 250mm/sec on its X-Y axes
Koch handles the software programming, which is currently networked using DMX lighting protocol. While last year they experimented with the Kinect to sense movement data to send to the robots, it caused a high-traffic situation at the booth that became difficult to manage. This year, the robots will react to less obvious stimulation.
“Imagine, if each delta robot were a blade of grass in a field, and [your] movements were the wind… every hop, skip and wiggle you made would send ripples of complex rolling patterns through the field as a response. That’s the end goal, and very much Mark’s department,” wrote Petkus.
Will you create an army of your own robots? What would you like your robot army to do for you? Let us know your thoughts over in the Light Play forum thread at 3DPB.com. Check out more video and project photos below.