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Hardware Hacking In The WSJ
NaDrew writes "The Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece called "So Your Roomba Vacuums ... Does It Also Take Pictures?" (No reg. req.), profiling a couple of hardware hackers. Phillip Torrone has modified a laptop-brained robot to follow his Segway, which he is modifying to follow a pink ball. He's also modded his Roomba with a built-in Webcam. The article goes into a bit of the history of hardware hacking, from the CueCat to Andrew 'Bunnie' Huang's Xbox hacks."
With the help of small digital video cameras, Mr. Torrone is modifying the Segway to automatically follow a pink ball.
:)
Better make sure you don't walk around the house naked or the Segway will chase your nutsack.
He's also modded his Roomba with a built-in Webcam
Gives new angle to those dinner parties...
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He hacks apart Segways because he has the money. I hack my TuneCast FM transmitter, that certainly puts things in perspective.
I could only dream of OWNING a Segway (which is awesome to ride if you have never done so) and he risks destroying them.
Phillip Torrone has modified a laptop-brained robot to follow his Segway, which he is modifying to follow a pink ball.
I'm sorry, but anyone who modifies a Segway scooter to follow a pink ball has way too much time on their hands. On the other hand, it would be pretty funny to see the reactions on people's faces if a Segway trundled by, riderless, on the pavement.
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Here.
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I do a search on the article, and it doesn't mention spying, big brother or anything like that. Paranoia, paranoid and such aren't mentioned either. So where do you get this stuff?
So you haven't read the article. Not that I expect slashdotters to do that. Don't dismiss the article because of what articles might have gone before. It is actually a pretty positive article, not that you'd know, because you didn't read it.
The article even has a nice picture of a wok skimmer operating as a parabolic antenna.
These people do not act on behalf of a 'hacker community', they do stuff because they want to. Are you seriously suggesting that someone somewhere should stop their hobby because you are afraid it will somehow, lord knows how, reflect indirectly on _you_?
To be honest, to the extent that there _is_ a 'hacker community' to which you belong, it's more likely to be given a bad image by Slashdot postings from tinfoil hatted eccentrics with extreme self-image issues.
Whence? Hence. Whither? Thither.
Did you read the article? How was that marked as "Insightful"? The article is about what makes the tech industry Great. Innovation. The article focused around people that had problems or issues with current technologies, and decided to invent something to better their lives (okay, so the Atari Gameboy, probably wasted more time). I think rather than externalize their actions, they bring a whimsical nature to technology that is often times unnapproachable by other people. Cmon, the computer inside of a beer case? Why not? How is that going to harm anything?
If we all accepted the norm and did things only as we've been told, the state of technology will never change. What about if some "search and rescue" company sees the roomba with the webcam and says: "Eureka! A way to make a cheaper disaster search vehicle".
You can have your high-brow ways. I am going to continue to innovate and play around with stuff ina "juvenile" way.
Sig it.
All those who immediately thought "scissors?" please raise your hands.
Juvenile? I can see the valid point, pretty much everyone wants privacy, but I think the hardware hackers have done a very good job of differenciating themselves from the negitive images of software hackers (specifically crackers) and the prankster images like revenge of the nerds.
People are facinated with hardware hacking, and that's the first step in preventing the legions of tin foil hats from marching. There's a string of books out there on the subject, a few magizines on modding, and its poping up on TV. Combine that with the intenet and you've got a new sensation.
The analogy is heavily used but todays electronics geeks and hardware hackers are a side step from the car tuners of previous generations. Just about anyone can associtate with that.
Great little robot for around $40h. Geeks will be immediately disappointed by the six step limit on the program. IR codes are already available on the web though.
-I am an elective eunuch.
What do you define as a "greater purpose?" Can't someone hack a Big Mouth Billy Bob Bass Singing Fish just for fun? Do you not appreciate hacking for the sheer joy of it?
Consider some of the shows that are popular on TV these days. Shows like Orange County Choppers, This Old House or Curb Appeal. (OK, popular may be a strong term, but they do have a following.) Even Trading Spaces is about people modifying everyday objects for artistic or even frivolous reasons. Although though none of those shows are about "computer" hackers, they're all about hacking everyday objects into new and interesting forms. I'd say hardware hacking has gone mainstream, even though most people might not call it that.
I personally consider this form of hacking to be an art form. It may not be "art" in the "hang-on-the-wall-in-a-gallery" sense, but art has always been defined by the artist (and to a lesser degree the patron) and not necessarily by Webster. I think there's already plenty of greater purpose here, and I don't think this is as off-putting to as many people as you might think.
John
roomba with a view?
thank yiou, All be here all week!
Don't forget to tip your sysadmins.
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Phil Torrone has an actual, flesh in blood wife?! Are we sure that's Phil Torrone's wife, or one of the robots he put together by beowulfing sixteen PocketPC's, a Garmin eTrex GPS, three Aibos, a Roomba and a Segway together?
Trolls lurk everywhere. Mod them down.
I notice that the device carries an "iRobot" logo I think the MPAA might have something to say about that you know (snicker!)
"Say it with Flowers" (send her a Triffid!)
Come on, the guy is hacking for the joy of it. So he comes up with a cool toy. What if in his hacking he comes up with an idea that can be turned into a prosthetic arm control for the handicapped? Or a bomb-disposal robot, or a street sweeper, or perhaps even a Roomba with enough suction to actually clean a part of the house instead of rearranging the dust?
And you even admit it would be funny to watch. Cut him some slack, he's not hurting anyone, and it's his time to spend how he wants.
John
For those that actually read the article (this is /. after all), I think the writer failed to mention the influence on the Internet of hacking. They talk about a "Hardware Hacking" book, but I'd argue that the easy/free exchange of information via the Internet has really caused hacking to increase. The picture next to the article is of a long-range wi-fi attenna ... and we've seen a bazillion of the "pringle can" options too, again, all abetted by the easy, quick sharing of lessons learned.
I also think they fail to point out this influence in other non-technical areas. For instance, I have a fairly decent web page about how to convert your BBQ Grill from LP to NG - based on Email I have gotten, lotsa folks have used this - I certainly will never write a book about it - ditto for my home made manometer - these are both "hacks" that are useful,
BTW, Blondie (from the comic strips) would love to use this device on Dagwood to curb his late night eating: While he was working at the computer-security company AtStake near Boston four years ago, Mr. Grand says too many colleagues were taking food that wasn't theirs from the office refrigerator. So he put the fridge into the cabinet of a big, unused Digital Equipment Corp. minicomputer. To the inside of the door, he bolted a custom-made circuit board that read employees' identification badges and unlocked for authorized eaters only. The setup was also rigged so Mr. Grand could log onto a Web site and monitor who was having late-night munchies.
Hulk SMASH Celiac Disease
I'm a bit confused. Why do people that mod their vacuums reflect negatively on you? Of course it's another thing if they're breaking into the IRS or something, because most people don't distinguish crackers from hackers.
"...altered the hardware to such an extent that paranoia regarding the hardware is necessary."
What extent would that be? You're modding it yourself. Why in the world should you be scared then? Only a scriptkiddie wouldn't know what's going on inside his own "creation".
"...hackers in general become more and more externalized from society."
Right, because only a hacker can look at a Roomba that takes pictures and think "Hey, that's pretty neat."
What pranks were discussed? In the article they talk about guys that bypassed intrusive marketing schemes, put a lock on a refrigerator (a very cool one at that), and made a profit undercutting prices on drives that a company was making a killing on. Where are the sophomoric pranks (also the cams in sororities)?
"a Segway, which he is modifying to follow a pink ball"
If only Kamen knew of this, he could have sold so many more...
What is the point really? Although *penny drop* a segway robot is basically a unipedal/bipedal (how you define it) robot with self righting, low center of gravity, and a nice platform to place things.
So I guess if you could get it to follow you over any terrain, using GPS, that would be like...
The luggage!
(currently reading the light fantastic... ook!)
Only with less legs. Now if I scrawl wizzard onto my tinfoil hat I will feel complete!
#hostfile 0.0.0.0 primidi.com 0.0.0.0 www.primidi.com 0.0.0.0 radio.weblogs.com
I met the designer of the Rhoomba, and had the pleasure of him explaining in detail the workings of that robotic vacuum cleaner. How one would put a webcam on it I do not know, because the device has only 256 BYTES of RAM. Thats right. The new models have more but I think that it is still too little. The only way he could get a webcam on one of those would be to velcro or duct tape a laptop with wireless card and webcam on top, which is not a hard engineering feat, plus it might make the device too heavy to do anything.