Slashdot Mirror

http://www.strandbeest.com/

Well, none of this thing really mimicks a human. Our stability is 100% due to muscular action under balanced tension, not static mechanical linkages that maintain orientation regardless of force.

But, what they have is a good platform for making something that can modulate its stability without a lot of computation.

But, it's somewhat less impressive than your average strandbeest.

http://www.strandbeest.com/

Found this guy mentioned in a forum once, turns out he lives at walking distance from me. I think it's the coolest thing ever.

Theo Jansens Strandbeesten are not mentioned. [...] He did a talk at TED in 2007.

How odd, it's not a robot, and it's not from 2008, and it wasn't mentioned in The Best Robots of 2008.
I can't understand why!!!

Aside from the fact that you couldn't be more off topic if you tried, mad props to Theo, delusions of grandeur notwithstanding, his creations are amazing.

Theo Jansens Strandbeesten are not mentioned. I'm reading his excellent book 'The Great Pretender' now. There he explains his dream to build autonomous beasts from PVC conduits. He is making good progress. Especially the smooth walking motion is impressive.
He did a talk at TED in 2007.

By sheer coincidence I was reading last night about Theo Jansen, the Dutch artist whose wind-powered kinetic sculptures were feature in a Wired.com article a few years ago. Check out his website, Strandbeest (Beach beasts), which features amazing must-see videos of some of his creations.

His multi-legged "beasts" are constructed almost completely of ingeniously hinged yellow plastic tubing, and feature membranes that wave and flap in the wind like the wings of insects. These serve to store compressed air into what appears to be plastic soda or water bottles, which each "creature" uses for propulsion. Jansen leaves the sculptures to wander on beaches, and guides their "evolution" by adopting the "genetic code" (mainly by varying the lengths of the plastic tubes) from more successful creatures into other designs. There is a startlingly alien eeriness, as well as fascinating beauty, in watching these skeletal assemblages of yellow tubes sitting on a beach, translucent membranes undulating in the wind, then suddenly walking away for a few steps with remarkable grace.

The Walking House concept is evocative of one of Jansen's beasts called the Animaris Rhinoceros Transport, a wind-powered two-ton design resembling a titanic crab that can carry passengers. Jansen is working on a 12-ton version called the Animaris Mammoth, which incorporates several interior rooms. I'm quite surprised that there is no mention of this remarkable visionary in such an appropriate Slashdot thread. This guy will make everyone who thought they had mad Tinkertoy skillz feel like dolts.

By sheer coincidence I was reading last night about Theo Jansen, the Dutch artist whose wind-powered kinetic sculptures were feature in a Wired.com article a few years ago. Check out his website, Strandbeest (Beach beasts), which features amazing must-see videos of some of his creations.

His multi-legged "beasts" are constructed almost completely of ingeniously hinged yellow plastic tubing, and feature membranes that wave and flap in the wind like the wings of insects. These serve to store compressed air into what appears to be plastic soda or water bottles, which each "creature" uses for propulsion. Jansen leaves the sculptures to wander on beaches, and guides their "evolution" by adopting the "genetic code" (mainly by varying the lengths of the plastic tubes) from more successful creatures into other designs. There is a startlingly alien eeriness, as well as fascinating beauty, in watching these skeletal assemblages of yellow tubes sitting on a beach, translucent membranes undulating in the wind, then suddenly walking away for a few steps with remarkable grace.

The Walking House concept is evocative of one of Jansen's beasts called the Animaris Rhinoceros Transport, a wind-powered two-ton design resembling a titanic crab that can carry passengers. Jansen is working on a 12-ton version called the Animaris Mammoth, which incorporates several interior rooms. I'm quite surprised that there is no mention of this remarkable visionary in such an appropriate Slashdot thread. This guy will make everyone who thought they had mad Tinkertoy skillz feel like dolts.

Evolution. I see this "Tumbleweed Earth Demonstrator" as a one-cell precursor to Theo Jansen's Strandbeests. This critters literally walked using nothing but wind power.