Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/05/09/building-beautiful-little-keyc.html
…
5 Likes
Jackson Pollock.
4 Likes
*A big caveat:
This design is centered on one very common type of salvaged computer keyboard key, but it might not be the kind of key you have on hand. I’ve found this exact design with the same or at least extremely close dimensions used in many many different keyboards, especially from the 90’s onward. I’ll have notes at the final step for some ideas about adapting other Keycap designs for this kind of robot. As far as designs I’ve found most interesting and useful, the older and clunkier the keyboard, the better!
Uhh, that keycap is ridiculously shallow. So much that it looks like a laptop key to me. Which is to say: not at all like any big clunky 90s keyboards I have lying around.
2 Likes
Errr… thanks.
2 Likes
That was on oddly soothing two minutes.
3 Likes
Yes. Bots painting, yet the absolute uncanniness of it all.
1 Like
Scale it up: a Hitachi vibe and four sponge mops.
7 Likes
Hello Stephen! I appreciate your comment, it’s helpful. I’ve added an alternative design of mine for inspiration in step 9 of my Instructables post, using a much larger and clunkier 80’s-90’s Keycap example. You are right, the common ones I’ve used in this example are quite shallow compared to many of the oldest ones. I’ve also noted this in the updated post. Thanks again for the constructive criticism, and for helping me make this project (hopefully) more clear and helpful!
4 Likes
Hiya Rick, Yes! I love your thinking! From my research, and in over many decades playing with these kinds of simple bots, I’ve seen the arbot/ drawing machine genre go way way back to much larger scale creations in the 40’s and 50’s, using push-brooms and large AC motors. Before even electric early motors, clever automaton creators used wind-up and clockwork mechanisms to make use of this same motion and movement. Who knows how long ago the first creation of something like that was. This vibration-based way of scribbling and drawing goes way way back 
2 Likes
Who doesn’t love a soothing artbot video, definitely lowered my blood pressure. Glad to see Steve still making simple, cool and engaging creations.
5 Likes
I have some clockwork bots that should work, and a model strandbeest that might work (although that might only produce straight lines). Something else to put on the list of ways to pass time.
1 Like
Thanks for your kind words, Chris! I agree, it’s part of why I make them along with the music as well to try and fit the soothing vibe. Here’s another little bot video I just made to add to the Instructables post, in case you are interested: https://youtu.be/xeHGFt8TpUU
2 Likes
Yes! I loved spirobgraph! I’ve had great fun finding used sets at Goodwill and giving them to pre-k-12 students without instructions to see what they make of the parts and their possibilities. Your comment has me thinking how we might make little bots that use the spirograph parts for automated spirographing
2 Likes
Those Spirograph disks? cogs? always ended up as shuriken, though.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
