Man, we hope Gumby’s collecting some royalty checks for this one. One part incredible-stretching toy, and one part DIY robotics kit, the Plick project takes the traditional hobbyist approach to brick-building your own bot and slaps a little rubber all around it. The industrial design prototype from Brazilian engineer Gabriel Paciornik combines programmable robotic parts with an elastic wired connection suitable for strapping your mad scientist creations to everyday objects. So, what can you make? The kit packs a variety of sensor-based circles that react to distance and sound, giving your mod-jobs the power of movement and light. It’s safe to say this not-for-market toy veers far from LEGO Mindstorms NXT territory — and that’s exactly the point. Far out video demo and its 60s beach music soundtrack after the break.

Continue reading Plick hitches an elastic ride on the DIY robotics train (video)

Plick hitches an elastic ride on the DIY robotics train (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jul 2011 05:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Usually, the only constraint on building a Lego creation is your imagination. Unless, that is, you build a giant structure that demands its own “Lego room.” Say hello to the “Garrison of Moriah” and the 540-square-foot room it inhabits. Inspired by the fantastic buildings in Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, it’s a huge, detailed sculpture built to the scale of the tiny Lego “people” that inhabit it.

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Rising fuel costs has made it tougher for people to simply drive what thay want, and go on journeys that in the old days would have been non essential. The rising price of diesel and petrol is talked about all over the world, and doesn’t appear to be getting any better. Unfortunately there is not a great deal that can be done for the average person, and the only option for quite a few is to cut back their consumption.

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