2018-07-15, 10:00 PM
(This post was last modified: 2018-07-15, 10:09 PM by MisterAcoustic.
Edit Reason: New Infor
)
Hi All,
I've recently spotted a kickstarter campaign for an inexpensive yet feature-packed robot kit - the Walrus v1.0 from Rabbit Robots:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/198...-for-peopl
I have a different take on this campaign from many others - I can definitely recommend it, because I already have one!
I had the good fortune of meeting the folks from Rabbit Robots at the Dayton Hamvention this past May. They are also the folks behind Rabbit Lasers (http://www.rabbitlaserusa.com/), where they sell laser cutting systems. At the Hamvention, they had both their laser systems, and their robots. I took one look at the feature list of the Walrus, did a double-take on the price, and bought one on the spot.
They had a number of models, but it turns out I bought the one they are now offering on kickstarter. My box has the Walrun v1.0 labeling on it, but I know they are always working to improve things, so what I have may differ slightly from what's on offer in the campaign.
I have another robot, a Sparki from ArcBotics. The main differences are that the Sparki was fully assembled (where's the fun in that? :
), and the Sparki uses stepper motors whereas the Walrus does not. The Sparki also includes a rudimentary gripper, which the Walrus doesn't have.
You can pick up the least expensive Walrus for $40 dollars. In my estimation, that is very inexpensive for what you get - the Sparki was $100 during its kickstarter, and now runs $150 on Amazon.
The Rabbit Robots people were very nice - we chatted for a while, even a little about this forum. I know they are for real, the project and robot is for real, and it's a fantastic little robot platform. I think teachers should be buying hundreds of these.
Go check it out - I think it's really cool.
EDIT: The walrus doesn't have a gripper, like I said, but it does have a front-mounted servo motor that can sort of hold things. I wonder if it couldn't also be adapted to actuate a gripper. I'll have to take a look.
I've recently spotted a kickstarter campaign for an inexpensive yet feature-packed robot kit - the Walrus v1.0 from Rabbit Robots:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/198...-for-peopl
I have a different take on this campaign from many others - I can definitely recommend it, because I already have one!
I had the good fortune of meeting the folks from Rabbit Robots at the Dayton Hamvention this past May. They are also the folks behind Rabbit Lasers (http://www.rabbitlaserusa.com/), where they sell laser cutting systems. At the Hamvention, they had both their laser systems, and their robots. I took one look at the feature list of the Walrus, did a double-take on the price, and bought one on the spot.
They had a number of models, but it turns out I bought the one they are now offering on kickstarter. My box has the Walrun v1.0 labeling on it, but I know they are always working to improve things, so what I have may differ slightly from what's on offer in the campaign.
I have another robot, a Sparki from ArcBotics. The main differences are that the Sparki was fully assembled (where's the fun in that? :
), and the Sparki uses stepper motors whereas the Walrus does not. The Sparki also includes a rudimentary gripper, which the Walrus doesn't have.You can pick up the least expensive Walrus for $40 dollars. In my estimation, that is very inexpensive for what you get - the Sparki was $100 during its kickstarter, and now runs $150 on Amazon.
The Rabbit Robots people were very nice - we chatted for a while, even a little about this forum. I know they are for real, the project and robot is for real, and it's a fantastic little robot platform. I think teachers should be buying hundreds of these.
Go check it out - I think it's really cool.
EDIT: The walrus doesn't have a gripper, like I said, but it does have a front-mounted servo motor that can sort of hold things. I wonder if it couldn't also be adapted to actuate a gripper. I'll have to take a look.