Disney Invents an Adorable Robot for Making Giant Sand Drawings

[PortMickey]

Disney has long been a hotbed of robotic innovation, from the audio-animatronic Abraham Lincolns in its theme parks to the vision of drones in Wall-E. The Mouse’s latest electromechanical project, called the BeachBot, brings robots out of the theme parks and theaters and onto shores and sandboxes.

At just under two feet long and 15 inches wide and tall, the BeachBot can autonomously fill a 30-square-foot area of sand with images from the Lion King or Finding Nemo in under 10 minutes. Seven servo motors allow the bot to deploy the prongs of it’s rake in different configurations, creating varied brush strokes that range from two to fifteen inches wide. Bulbous balloon wheels make it possible for the ‘bot to traverse all types of sand while leaving no tracks that would mar the drawings...

Full Article here:
http://www.wired.com/2015/01/disney-invents-adorable-robot-making-giant-sand-drawings/#slide-id-1704259

Check out the youtube video:
http://youtu.be/eBRrQBPtdak

 

[mkunichi]

Very cool.

I want a micro version of this for my desk zen garden.

 

[a742246]

Pretty neat, I would like to see it works in person!