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Half Baked ProjectsI work on a lot, and I mean a lot, of projects and many of them never make it to maturity for a variety of reasons. Some of them are too early - the technology has a long way to go, some of them are too late - the market niche has already been filled, and some of them are just plain bad ideas. All of them were a lot of fun to work on and amazing learning experiences. A site I enjoy a great deal is the Half Bakery and I thought it might be fun to list some of my own half baked ideas. Please Note: If you are working on any similar projects, please feel free to contact me and I'd be more than happy to share my experiences with you. I've had it happen a couple times where someone had an idea for a project, googled the idea to see if anyone else was aready doing it, and got in touch with me. It's always a lot of fun to hear others insites on these things and I'm always more than happy to provide any ideas I might have.
Computer Based Radio Controler Computer Based Radio ControlerThis project was to build a radio controler that could be interfaced through a computers USB port. This controler could then be used to controle any kind of radio controled toy. In much of robotics, the robots computer takes up a large amount of the weight, space, and electrical power. A computer interface device for a radio controler would enable designers to off load that computing to a desktop computer hundreds of feet away from the robot. This project never matured because we couldn't really find a compelling business model for it. Battle BotAt one point I was a member of a team with dreams of building a Battle Bot. Our ultimate goal was to build a wedge bot with a humanoid upper torso complete with robotic arms and hands wielding medieval weapons. The challenge was to build a force feedback control system to control the arms. The hope was that this force feedback system and the robotic arms could then be used for other applications like repairing unmanned mining vehicles in unventelated mining shafts and other applications of that nature. In order to get to this stage we anticipated that we would have to build a lesser robot first in the hopes that this would help us get funding to support development. One of the ideas we had for a lesser robot was inspired by noticing that the rules for battle bots have very strict rules for high voltage robots but no rules about high current robots. We envisioned building a robot with a moving but anchored spike that would be propelled forward by a coil gun. And who would be a more appropriate sponsor of such a robot than Viagra. Below is an image we created of what such a robot would look like in the hopes of actually getting a sponsorship. The image was created by doctoring an image of an existing BattleBot.
This project never matured because the investment required in terms of time and money was rather daunting for a project that was intended to be primarily just a fun project, and we never did get that sponsorship. True View Lie Detection SystemTrue View is a voice based lie detection system built into a pair of eyeglasses. When someone is lying to you, a red light is visible on the inside of the glass frames. When someone is telling the truth, a green light is visible. The prototype system was based on lie detection technology developed by Truster Inc. for the Israeli military. Trusters marketing material claims the technology is 90% accurate. The project was abandoned because the business opportunity was not persuasive, even though the prototype was a lot of fun to play with. Alternate Energy SourceIn the summer of 2001, Tom Moore and myself realized that if you put a large conductive coil around a magnetic pole, you generate electricity. This then lead to months of research and calculations until we came to two realization that we could not think of a solution around: the maximum potential energy yield from this system would be equivalent to 60 million barrels of oil which is mere drops in terms of the worlds energy requirements; and, any energy produced would be energy taken from the earths magnetic field which protects the earth from solar radiation. It was really exciting for a while though. Personal Digital Brain - PDBNever forget a name or face again! We all forget names and faces. "Namesia" can be embarrassing in business and in social situations. The Personal Digital Brain (PDB) will recognize people for you, show you their names and give you important information about them. With the PDB you will recognize everyone, learn names instantly, and always be reminded who they are - all without anybody else knowing. Like a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), this device will supplement your memory, but will do much more and do it seamlessly.
The PDB will consist of a checkbook-sized computer and a pair of glasses with a built-in display and camera. The glasses will appear to be normal eyeglasses and can be fitted with corrective lenses. When you look at someone, the PDB will recognize the face and discretely display the person's name and information on a lens of the glasses. ExecuBotThe ExecuBot was a teleconferencing system that would allow the audience to take control of the presenting system. The audience was able to move and adjust the camera, microphone and entire system. The prototype system was essentially a laptop with motorized wheels and a web based interface that would allow an audience to drive the laptop around a boardroom table. Christmas Tree Fire Suppression SystemDesigned to fit underneath the star or angel at the top of a Christmas tree, the fire suppression system is a low temperature explosive charge that blasts a flame retardant over a Christmas tree. Plans were also developed for a CO2 powered version.
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© Copyright 2006, Robin William Chahal |
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