OpenAI Builds a Robot That Can Single-Handedly Solve a Rubik’s Cube – Literally

If you’re anything like us, you think a Rubik’s cube is an intellectual torture device that can only be solved with the use of dark magic or Faustian bargains made at crossroads. And yet, many people are capable of solving the puzzle so quickly that it looks almost easy. Even robots can solve them through the methodical application of known techniques. But most of those robots are design specifically for that task. This robot built by OpenAI is able to solve a Rubik’s cube using just one hand that is normally intended for general purpose use.

Read more…

SwarmTouch: Handheld Interaction with Multiple Drones at Once

One drone is easy enough to control, with hours of practice of course, but operating two or more simultaneously is — if not impossible — extremely difficult. As reported here, a team of researchers at Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, or Skoltech, in Russia have developed a swarm control system that interfaces with one’s hand and fingertips.

Read more…

Build an Omnidirectional Self-Driving Robot with a Raspberry Pi and Mecanum Wheels

Berlin-based mechanical engineer Patrick Hallek has created an excellent omnidirectional self-driving robot known as Forki, which is designed around the Raspberry Pi, sensors, and a set of Mecanum wheels that can turn on a dime.

Under the hood, Forki is outfitted with four 60mm Mecanum wheels, four 12V DC metal gear reducer motors (130 RPM), a pair of L298N Dual H Bridge DC stepper motor driver modules, a 72.V battery, and an LM2596 DC-DC converter. Driving the robot is a Raspberry Pi 3 B/B+, four HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensors, and four Decawave DWM1001 ultra-wideband sensors, all packed within a 3D-printed shell.

Read more…

SmartCan Rolls Trash to the Curb for You

As I write this, it’s Monday, and my mind immediately jumps to whether or not I need to take the trash out — which actually doesn’t happen next until tomorrow. It’s a small thing, but yet one more task that I need to think about over and over, meaning brainpower and a small amount of physical work that could be better used for fun projects… or writing another Hackster article. If only there was a robot that could do this for me?

Read more…

All you need to know about Stepper Motors| Code Included| Robosense

Robotics is the next disruptor which is obvious, electronics, data science and hardware knowledge is very important to make a mark in this field. Robots ranging from small printing machines to huge arm movements are very precise which has been possible by introducing a new generation of motors known as STEP Motor or STEPPING Motor and popularly known as STEPPER Motor.

Build a Tricopter to Inspect the Health of the Plants in Your Garden

Keeping up with a garden can be difficult and time-consuming, particularly if you have a large garden — even more so if you have a farm. Checking on every individual plant yourself requires a lot of labor, and a plant’s health isn’t always obvious just from looking at it with your unaided human eyes. Fortunately if you can see in the infrared spectrum, it becomes a lot easier. To do that on a large scale, you can follow Imetomi’s tutorial to create a tricopter drone to inspect your plants.

Read more…

Georgia Tech’s Shape-Shifting Robot Is Built From Smaller Robots Known as ‘Smarticles’

When building robots, we tend to think of using the same standard components — motors, actuators, limbs, and onboard computers — all coming together to form the construct. Researchers from Georgia Tech are changing that view by developing a large robot created by smaller robots known as Smarticles (smart active particles), which offer a potentially new locomotion technique. The tiny 3D-printed robots were designed with a pair flat arms that only do one simple thing, flap back and forth, but when five of the robots are confined in a circle, the nudge each other and form a larger robot, known as a Supersmarticle, capable of moving itself.

Read more…

Air:bit Is a Micro:bit-Powered Quadcopter Kit

Since its release in 2016, the micro:bit has been helping students take the first steps into the world of coding, and has spawned a number of interesting projects. Its built-in Bluetooth radio and accelerometer mean that it could even be used as the heart of a quadcopter setup, which is exactly what MakeKit is has accomplished with their aptly named Air:bit drones.

Read more…

This YouTuber Built His Own 8-Axis Camera Crane Robot

If you’ve ever wondered how cinematographers are able to capture those amazing dynamic shots where the camera is able to smoothly follow an actor as they move through a scene, the answer is often complex camera cranes. They’re usually controlled by an operator, but have sophisticated motor controllers to keep the camera stable. Unfortunately, those are wildly expensive and far out of reach for amateurs — and even many indie filmmakers. That’s why YouTuber Mingul decided to build his own 8-axis camera crane robot.

Read more…

Tom Stanton Builds a Drone That Flies Using the Coandă Effect

That vast majority of quadcopter drones produce thrust in a very straightforward way: the propellers push air downwards at a high speed which creates lift. But that doesn’t mean other means of propulsion can’t be used. YouTuber Tom Stanton often experiments with unconventional drones and methods of propulsion, and in his newest video he has made a drone fly using the Coandă effect.

Read more…