Miniature Humanoid Robot based on 19th Century Toy

dbowden writes: "Recently, Slashdot ran an article about a humanoid robot which runs Linux. It weighs 121 lbs, uses two 750 MHz Pentium III processors, and runs RT-Linux. It also requires a technician to push around a huge power supply that's attached to the robot by an umbilical cord. I found another robot, Baps, which only weighs 6.6 lbs (3 Kg), runs on a single 133 MHz Pentium processor with 32 MB of RAM and 48 MB of flash memory, and is based on a child's toy that was designed in 1888. It also runs on Linux, but requires very little power to move (it can be run on CO2 cartridges), so it doesn't require an umbilical cord, or bulky power supply." (He's also got some tips on building your own below.)

"I remember playing with these toys as a child, and thinking how cool they were. For the ./ers who like to build robots, both of these walkers use McKibben Artificial Muscles instead of normal pneumatic cylinders.

I built one of these last week -- they're surprisingly easy to build, and I think they'll be fun to play with. For those with larger budgets, who don't want to build their own, The Shadow Robot Co. in the UK, and Images Co. in the US, both sell pre-made air muscles."