I was hoping that my next “Rise of the Machines” segment wouldn’t be for a little while. I’m still catching my breath on the mind reading robot that MIT made. Unfortunately the rate of technology moves way faster than I can pump out articles so it looks like these segments might run a little more frequently. While today’s robot isn’t quite as scary or “they’re taking over the world,” I’m still stunned at the accuracy in which a machine can now mimic real life. If they can get this movement down with a bat, think about how it’ll be for nailing down human movements.
Inspired by watching fruit bats fly around during a recent trip Down Under, Kristal Dubois decided to mimic their motions with an articulated flying bat sculpture made from LEGO. As Jason Allemann of JK Brickworks describes in the video below, the creation involves some intricate Lego Technics engineering, including a stand housing a motor and drive system mounted on a floating frame, which provides an overall up and down rocking motion as well as flapping of the wings. Additional realism is provided by a scissor mechanism that simulates expansion and contraction of the wings as they move.
Check out the video below:
(via Sploid)
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