Gadget design, robotics, hacks, DIY technology and more.

On July 17th and 18th, we went to the Robot Film Festival. I created a short video with Nao 1337 so we went walk the red carpet and watch the screening as all the other Hollywood stars would do. This was the first robot film festival and we have to thank Heather Knight for the initiative. It was held at the very cool 3 Legged Dog Art + Technology Center at New York City.

Nao 1337 getting ready for the red carpet

See the video below explaining the festival’s raison d’être:

Below you can see our submission to the festival: Nao 1337 Audition. 1337 impersonates several popular Hollywood robots in the hope of getting a role in a movie. How many can you recognize? Leave a comment below with your answers.

Screening

The festival started with a screening of all the selected robot films (53). It lasted around five hours and was punctuated by a break and some live performances by Jilted, and the excellent Robot Cowboy. Nao 1337 watched the screenings seated on a chair like the humans, but has some issued with the chair clogging its head ventilation and screamed (max volume) “head processor hot” at one point during an action scene of the very excellent Ping film.

See Nao 1337 watch the screening of its own movie below.

Red Carpet

After a fancy dinner at Bobby Van’s Steakhouse, we headed back to the 3LD for the Red Carpet Ceremony. The red carpet was already deployed so 1337 and I got ready to walk it.

I had programmed 1337 to hold hands and walk alongside me on the red carpet. I also included the ability to take breaks and show-off while standing on the carpet.

Nao 1337 and Carlitos about to walk the red carpet

Extra points for those who can recognize the FOTC member in the background of the picture above.

As shown in the video below, walking the red carpet was lots of fun and although it was fairly rough terrain for Nao (the carpet had some minor bumps that go unnoticed to humans).  1337 could traverse it without too much difficulty. The fall manager was enabled as well in order to soften the falls caused by the robot stumbling.

Although it is not shown on the video, 1337 can also tun and go backwards according to how its hand is pulled just like a human would do.

Unfortunately, 1337 did not get the Best Robot Actor Botsker (robot Oscar) but we met a bunch of new interesting people and it was lots of fun.

There were also performances by Double Rainbow, Reggie Watts and Josh Ventura during the ceremony. Those guys absolutely rock!

See more pictures or videos of Nao 1337 at the film festival here:

• New Scientist
• Robot Dreams
• Galo
• DSP Studios
• Technology Reviews
• Servo Magazine
• RobotShop Blog

And even more pictures!

1337 and I will be participating in the Robot Film Festival at NYC.

Nao 1337 Film

The short video will premier at the festival, on July 17th, and I’ll make it available on my Youtbe channel at the same time (if there is a WiFi connection available) or a bit later that day.  So stay tuned and see 1337 awesome performance.

1337 will be also present and will walk the red carpet hopefully along some other robofriends.

I just found an X-Ray machine in the garbage. Yes, you read right, I now have one of those X-Ray machines like the ones your dentist uses.

The X-Ray Machine is watching You

Of course, I have no experience whatsoever with X-Ray machines so I am open to suggestions.  What should I do with it? Any suggestions? Any projects that you would like to see me do with it?

Also, how safe is operating this thing? I guess I will need a lead jacket.

Here are more details about the machine, it is a General Electric, and comes with an arm that makes it easy to handle since it is extremely heavy. The arm is lovely, the only problem is that it is heavier than the machine and needs to be wall mount. Needless to say, I have no walls that could endure so much torque.

X-Ray machine With Arm and Weird Base

The arm is designed to transfer pretty much all of its weight and that of the X-Ray generator into the wall. This makes it very convenient and also impossible to install in a regular house. At least, as far as I can imagine for now.

I also found what seems to be a very heavy base but I am not sure what it is suppose to do. nevertheless, I always have a good use for a large square steel plate.

X-Ray Machine from the garbage

Let me know your ideas and suggestions by posting a comment below.