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Floppy the Robot

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the recycling-old-hardware dept.

Alien54 writes "Build your own Robot for almost Free..... As seen here where there are complete plans [and pictures] to build a robot from a 3 1/2" floppy drive without taking it apart. The floppy drive has all of the motors and electronics you need to get started and compete in a robot contest. With some old 5.25 inch drives, you can really get some power."

24 of 196 comments (clear)

  1. Wonderful. by HobbitGod42 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Atleast now we can recycle these drives... Anyone up for a /. BattleBots Team?

  2. I bet... by DCowern · · Score: 3, Funny

    If you used an old CD or DVD drive you could build a robot with a "la-zer". You could then hold the world ransom for one million...errr...biiiillllion dollars. Muuuuah ha ha ha... muuuuuah ha ha ha...

    1. Re:I bet... by B3ryllium · · Score: 3, Funny

      Yay for frickin laser beams! Woo! Robots that can burn holes in the "ozone" layer!

    2. Re:I bet... by DCowern · · Score: 4, Funny

      Dr. Evil: or perhaps we can make robots that interfere with the loading of web pages. They disallow access so we can all it a "denial of service" attack.. we will bring the world to its knees...

      Scott: Uhhh... dad... that's already been done... they're called "slashbots" and its called the "slashdot effect"...

      Me: I can't get to the site... can ya tell? :-D

    3. Re:I bet... by AndroidCat · · Score: 4, Funny

      Nah. They're obviously Weapons of Mass Storage.

      --
      One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  3. Your own airplane by dimss · · Score: 5, Funny

    You can build your own airplane from 52x CDROM.

    1. Re:Your own airplane by DrMrLordX · · Score: 5, Funny

      They make better projectile launchers. Amaze your friends as you fling high-velocity cds into their skulls! Marvel at the hospital bills!

    2. Re:Your own airplane by Poeir · · Score: 4, Funny

      I can build 500 airplanes from what I've got in the printer.

      --
      Sigs are like bumper stickers.
  4. I knew I should have saved that spam by GrodinTierce · · Score: 5, Funny
    With some old 5.25 inch drives, you can really get some power.
    Finally that spam about "Enlarge your 3.5 inch floppy" would have come in handy.

    Tierce
    --


    Tierce
    Who sponsors your feelings?
  5. More news by Zayin · · Score: 4, Funny

    What the description doesn't mention is that the web pages seem to be hosted by... [drum roll] FLOPPY THE ROBOT! Just two disk swaps per page view!

    --
    "I'd rather have a full bottle in front of me than a full frontal lobotomy"
  6. I'd build a giant robot by mharris007 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd build a giant robot to crush your little 3.5" floppy bots. I'd build a bot out of one of those old Iomega Bernoulli drives.

    I will crush all your tiny bots!!

    --


    ---
    Mike
    I'm going to kick the next person that I see with their karma rating in their sig.
  7. And people wonder why ... by burgburgburg · · Score: 4, Funny
    robots attack? After being called "Floppy the Robot"? 8 out of the last 10 serious instances of robots rampaging have been traced back to humiliating naming and/or attire. Do we really want another "Snugglebuggle the Robot Has A Flamethrower" incident?

    Of course, if the federal government had instituted mandatory Asimov controls in robots instead of deciding that that was "anticompetitive and restrictive", we wouldn't be in this mess.

  8. Great! Now you've made it mad! by teamhasnoi · · Score: 3, Funny
    Don't hammer the poor server, or the robot will start shooting little tin Enterprises, Birds of Prey, Tie Fighters and X-Wings at you.

    They really sting, and could put your eye out.

  9. reboot, roboot, robot, ribbit by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't tell me, you boot the robot from a floppy, right?

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  10. Re:Make sure to use broken drive... by Ripplet · · Score: 5, Funny

    >It's built like a tank

    Why would anyone build a floppy drive with a revolving turret on top?
    Still, it gives you an advantage in those robot contests I suppose, especially if you use DU ammo.

    --

    Skiing? Check out The Independant Skiers Portal

  11. Re:FINALLY! by rf0 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wonder what would happen with 8"? The extinction of the human race :)

    Rus

    --
    Cheap UK and US VPS
  12. Re:not so Wonderful. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    And in other news,
    Several so-called "slashdot readers" have been
    hospitalized with probable blindness after trying
    to get a close up view of their freakish toys
    in action...

  13. Zip drive robot by jpm242 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I build a cool rover with parts from my IOMega Zip drive, but it started making this wierd clicking sound...

    JPZ3

    --
    --- Worst tagline ever.
  14. Re:FINALLY! by irc.goatse.cx+troll · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's not the size, its how you use it ;)

    --
    Pain lasts, kid. Its how you know you're alive. Sometimes I think this growing up thing is just pain management-TheMaxx
  15. World Domination by birdman666 · · Score: 5, Funny

    So that's why Steve Jobs took floppy drives out of Macs, to build an army of loyal robots to take over the world. It seems so obvious now.

    --

    Nothing from nowhere I'm no one at all
  16. Re:Super Floppy by Chainsaw · · Score: 4, Funny

    And there was me sitting happily with my 8" floppy hanging off the wall

    One word: ouch.

    --
    War is one of the most horrible things a human can be exposed to. And one of the worlds largest industries.
  17. Okay I built one by AndroidCat · · Score: 4, Funny
    I used a bunch of some old weird parts kicking around. After I powered it up, it said "I long to serve!" and something about "ire".

    Should I be worried?

    --
    One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  18. Re:not so Wonderful. by Upright+Joe · · Score: 4, Funny

    And in other news,
    Several so-called "slashdot readers" have been
    hospitalized with probable blindness after trying
    to get a close up view of their freakish toys in action...

    I've news for ya. Robots have nothing to do with why slashdot readers go blind.

  19. Re:FINALLY! by Anonymous+DWord · · Score: 4, Funny

    Unfortunately, they also weigh as much as my 3 week old baby. I do plan to do some boating this summer... boat anchors maybe?

    I dunno. Good luck. I tried that last summer, but the babies kept floating to the surface.

    --
    "If he thinks he can hide and run from the United States and our allies, he's sorely mistaken." Bush on bin Laden