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posted by zizban on Monday July 07 2014, @10:07PM   Printer-friendly
from the insert-robotic-overlord-joke-here dept.

It's not a robot, it's a seventy foot mech!

It has a humanoid form and a human operator is in the cage that is the "head". The operator gets haptic feedback and uses that to juggle 3 Volkswagens.

Sometimes we see a project that's just as frightening as it is awesome. The Bug Juggler is a prime example of this phenomenon. A seven-story diesel-powered humanoid robot is one thing, but this one will pick up two VW Beetles, put one in its pocket, pick up a third, and juggle them. Yes, juggle them.

The Bug Juggler will be driven by a brave soul sitting in the head-cage and controlling him through haptic feedback connected to high-speed servo valves. A diesel engine will generate hydraulic pressure, and the mobility required for juggling the cars will come from hydraulic accumulators.

[Linked article includes a 1.6MB animated GIF.]

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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by The Archon V2.0 on Monday July 07 2014, @10:21PM

    by The Archon V2.0 (3887) on Monday July 07 2014, @10:21PM (#65551)

    I was expecting basic proof-of-concept, or at least some stuff explaining the design of a hydraulic system that is both strong and fast enough to catch a VW that's been falling for fiveish stories, without turning both the car and itself into so much shrapnel.

    I got something out of *Transmorphers*.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 07 2014, @11:00PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 07 2014, @11:00PM (#65575)

      > I got something out of *Transmorphers*.

      Stupid rendered video. If you want to watch a home-made animation, try something cool like this stop-motion transformers battle:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LHWPvwD8Xk [youtube.com]

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 08 2014, @12:27AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 08 2014, @12:27AM (#65608)

        Stupid rendered video

        Not a video, clueless AC. A video would have been e.g. .swf or .mpg.
        What part of animated GIF are people having trouble understanding?
        What kind of "techie" does not recognize that that is screaming THIS IS A VIRTUAL MODEL.

        Early in the comments there, it is mentioned that it will require a quantum leap in technology to scale up this concept to that size and especially to that speed.

        Yeah, this would have been more appropriate for April 1.
        The editor took the hook more deeply than I thought he would and he reprinted gobs of the original article.
        Here's the original submission. [soylentnews.org]

        -- gewg_

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 08 2014, @12:47AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 08 2014, @12:47AM (#65616)

          What part of animated GIF are people having trouble understanding?

          What part of the YouTube video embedded in TFA were you having trouble understanding?

        • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 08 2014, @12:58AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 08 2014, @12:58AM (#65627)

          What part of animated GIF are people having trouble understanding?

          2 things: First, an animated gif *is* a video. It's a sequence of timed frames. Second, there's an embedded Flash video down below the .gif, so don't get your panties in a bunch.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 08 2014, @01:14AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 08 2014, @01:14AM (#65635)

          > Not a video, clueless AC.

          Recently you have begun to distinguish yourself with an aptitude for aggressive stupidity.

          You seem to have confused the codec with the content. Motion pictures are video regardless of the medium, otherwise you'd have a hard time explaining why a video tape does not contain and flv or an mpg or anything else remotely similar.

          > Here's the original submission.

          I read the original submission, saw it sitting in the queue for days. I figured they were going to let it expire out.

          > The editor took the hook more deeply than I thought he would

          You should have known better than to submit an utterly shite story.

    • (Score: 1) by My Silly Name on Tuesday July 08 2014, @01:22AM

      by My Silly Name (1528) on Tuesday July 08 2014, @01:22AM (#65640)
      Why is it that whenever someone wants to do something stupid involving cars, they always pick on the humble VW Beetle?

      If they're going to juggle cars in the air with metal "hands" (and according to the video, finally drop them on the ground), there are plenty of really crappy American cars they could choose.
      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Nerdfest on Tuesday July 08 2014, @01:58AM

        by Nerdfest (80) on Tuesday July 08 2014, @01:58AM (#65660)

        Probably too heavy, and with too little structural integrity. I think the Beetle is a good choice.

    • (Score: 2) by Reziac on Tuesday July 08 2014, @04:52AM

      by Reziac (2489) on Tuesday July 08 2014, @04:52AM (#65711) Homepage

      Yeah, I was expecting at least a starter kit. :( But they do have a track record building mechanical monsters, so....

      The video was fuckin' awesome regardless.

      --
      And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
  • (Score: 1) by PinkyGigglebrain on Monday July 07 2014, @10:28PM

    by PinkyGigglebrain (4458) on Monday July 07 2014, @10:28PM (#65554)

    This will be news when they actually build it.

    Or have they already? The summary and the article are both very unclear about that.

    If it's real it would be great at Burning Man.

    --
    "Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
    • (Score: 1) by kwerle on Monday July 07 2014, @10:30PM

      by kwerle (746) on Monday July 07 2014, @10:30PM (#65557) Homepage

      No, it's a basic design with a pretty animated gif.

      The summary says "uses", which is totally misleading.

      Not news. Crapvertisement.

      I don't think any of today's stories have been news.

      • (Score: 1) by PinkyGigglebrain on Monday July 07 2014, @11:46PM

        by PinkyGigglebrain (4458) on Monday July 07 2014, @11:46PM (#65593)

        Thought so. Thanks for clarifying.

        --
        "Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
      • (Score: 2) by frojack on Tuesday July 08 2014, @01:33AM

        by frojack (1554) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday July 08 2014, @01:33AM (#65646) Journal

        Its an animated gif by people who don't understand mass and inertia.
        Just swinging an arm that big into position to catch a car, let alone actually catching the car, is going to impart significant movement to the entire structure, and require far more power than they seem to suggest.
         

        --
        No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
  • (Score: 3, Informative) by wonkey_monkey on Monday July 07 2014, @10:34PM

    by wonkey_monkey (279) on Monday July 07 2014, @10:34PM (#65561) Homepage

    The summary doesn't exactly go out of its way to make it clear that this thing does not actually exist and is just an idea that may never amount to anything.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk
    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by EvilJim on Monday July 07 2014, @11:59PM

      by EvilJim (2501) on Monday July 07 2014, @11:59PM (#65599) Journal

      It's perfect for Kickstarter then.

    • (Score: 1) by zizban on Tuesday July 08 2014, @01:25AM

      by zizban (3765) on Tuesday July 08 2014, @01:25AM (#65642)

      I probably should have put that in the summary. Mea culpa. Still a cool idea, though.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by gringer on Tuesday July 08 2014, @12:11AM

    by gringer (962) on Tuesday July 08 2014, @12:11AM (#65604)

    I always remember the prologue to a computer game (OMF2097) when I think of things like this. It's a little story where they seemed to have got the idea of haptic feedback right -- people are divorced from their robot, fit their brain around the control mechanisms of the machine (not the other way round), and communicate remotely. There's a plot element involving someone actually being inside a robot (sort of), but that's treated as a really bad idea:

    The year is 2097. Friday. You've waited for this night since you were a child. Fifteen years of training will be used tonight - your future career the main prize.

    "The left elbow still needs a little work... Just three more days! Move the fight to next Friday and they won't know what hit 'em!"

    Lying on the table, you can't see where the voice came from, but you recognized the colorful language of Team Chief 'Plug' McEllis. "Don't be nervous, Plug. This 'bot is fresh from the factory and the best there is." You reply, trying to hide the shaking in your own voice. "I'll show you just how good a job your team did."

    "I know you will. It's just that this is your first match and your opponent's tenth. Should give you more time..."

    Time to what? Sim training gets old. There's no simulator that can compare with the real thing. "I have to do it now. The Board will see me as a challenger and hothead. I need the edge to get in this season's schedule."

    "Good luck to ya... Give 'em an uppercut for me." says Plug.

    The attendants begin checking your suit. You can feel the small needles in the helmet pressing into your skull. Fifteen minutes to show time. You feel a slight burning sensation as the drugs which connect you to the super computer seep into your spine. A cute attendant leans over the bed and gives you a wink.

    "Nighty night... Remember me when you're famous."

    Your eyes begin to shut. You blink a few times, trying not to fight the medication. Finally, your eyes begin to close as you lose consciousness.

    ------

    Metal! You can't believe the feeling! Your eyes open, but they're not your own. You look at your hand and flex it into a fist. You strike the fist against your opposite palm and the sound is like two trains smashing together. You realize you'll never get used to "jacking in," the feeling of power you get from suddenly becoming a few hundred tons of dangerous equipment.

    "You there, kid?" says a voice inside your head.

    You now hear several voices in the background, "Physical attributes steady. All systems mark."

    You turn your head over to the body lying on the bed ten meters away and almost 30 meters below.

    You speak, your voice amplified a hundred times, "I'm slice, Plug. Let's do some crushin'!"

    It is no longer blood you feel pumping, but Synthoil. Your eyes now show you heat dissipation factors, metal strength, weapon power, damage scales, and some other figures so complicated you know to ignore them. Even though you no longer have blood, it feels like your pulse is climbing as the clock over the door nears 00:00.

    "Zero hour. Let 'er roar!"

    The door opens. The crowd cheers. The game begins.

    --
    Ask me about Sequencing DNA in front of Linus Torvalds [youtube.com]
    • (Score: 1) by Freeman on Tuesday July 08 2014, @07:00PM

      by Freeman (732) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday July 08 2014, @07:00PM (#66119) Journal

      One caveat is that they were giant metal robots for mining in space. Though, while most kids were playing mortal combat. I was playing OMF: 2097. An extremely awesome game. It had a fairly good plot for the genre and wasn't exactly the standard fare. Too bad OMF Battleground hardly made it off the ground. They should put both of them on GOG.

      --
      Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
  • (Score: 1) by axsdenied on Tuesday July 08 2014, @05:36AM

    by axsdenied (384) on Tuesday July 08 2014, @05:36AM (#65723)

    So, somebody makes an animation of a car juggling robot and say they are making it and the news websites pick up and spread a story like it is real. Another editorial fail.

    The technological challenges as huge and it is likely never to be built. A proof of concept would be nice. I don't even think that servos and motors of that size/strength and speed exist.

    By the way, I am building a Death Star. Here is a video of it... links to a scene from Star Wars.

    • (Score: 2) by EvilJim on Wednesday July 09 2014, @12:52AM

      by EvilJim (2501) on Wednesday July 09 2014, @12:52AM (#66285) Journal

      Put your death star up on kickstarter, I bet you'd get buttloads of money thrown at you.

  • (Score: 2) by Geezer on Tuesday July 08 2014, @10:28AM

    by Geezer (511) on Tuesday July 08 2014, @10:28AM (#65825)

    Doing the drives is the easy part. Yes, such large and fast servomotors exist, and since this thing is not really a robot and just a dumb mech, you could program the whole thing on an S7 with Simotion drives and a WinCC interface.

    The hard part is structural...the physics involved require modeling of a sort usually reserved for space launch vehicles. Not being a Structural PE, just a lowly BSEE, I can only wait for my skepticism to be dispelled by an unlikely reality.