There’s nothing better than robots. But Donuts run a very close second. So what could be better than a robot that makes donuts? Well, an animated real doll, but that’s another post.

This is a great robot – it’s even model number 42. Douglas Adams haunts us all.

It was difficult to find information about the Belshaw Donut Robot 42 other than the owner’s manual, so I will be the first person on the internet to tell the world about the warm, human, emotional side of the Belshaw Donut Robot.

The Belshaw Donut Robot 42 is an industrial donut making machine that looks sort of like an aircraft carrier, measuring 41 inches long and 20 inches wide. The Belshaw company is owned by the Welbilt company, the very same people who make the hotel icemakers, restaurant dishwashers, and the like. As it turns out, the Donut Robot 42 is an obsolete model, but despite its age (and associated dents, scratches, and stains), it still makes doughnuts like a champ.

Newer refinements in current Belshaw Donut Robots include a doughnut odometer, so you can tell if any of your thieving employees are stealing doughnuts from you. Probably most importantly is the ability to throttle doughnut production, because the Donut Robot 42 goes full-bore making doughnuts as fast as it can.

10) I won’t need any spares.
9) The voltage difference shouldn’t cause any problems.
This is gonna be easy!
7) It will work fine the first time.
6) I don’t need to wear gloves.
5) Buying this new tool will SAVE me money
4) It will hold fine as it is.
3) I should do this the right way, but I can save five minutes if I…
2) I don’t need to test it before the show.

and the number one lie that robot builders tell themselves:

1) It’ll only take 15 minutes!

Ann Smith creates robot-like animal sculptures out of broken electronics and machines. Her sculptures have also been used as illustrations in magazines like Cricket Magazine, Cicada Magazine, and Chevron Global Lubricants.

Erm, Chevron Global Lubricants?? I mean, you know I should be making a snotty comment here, but I won’t.

Anyway, check out her bots. They’re cool.

Here are some totally cool robots made from small similar parts that can reconfigure themselves on the fly. Too wide to fit through the hole? Reconfigure yourself end-to-end and wriggle through like a snake. Then connect your head and tail so you can roll around like a tank tread. I’m sure our faithful readers can envision even more far-out applications.

This work was done several years ago at PARC, and it’s possible the forward-thinking managers there have axed it (read the book Fumbling The Future for other shining examples of bean-counter management decisions) but I hope somebody somewhere is still working on it. So we should probably file this under “Asia kicks our ass!”

Gracious!

Thanks to the bot freax at the Suicide Bots Bunker for the flattering introduction. After an intro like that, I had best not suck! Also, I suspect that hidden behind my monitor is a teleoperated boxing glove on a pneumatic scissor extension to chastise me should I ever get too far off topic. I mean these people at SB have some SERIOUS technology at-FWAP!

Ow! OK! OK!

Back to the bots. Anyway, to present an illusion of non-suckiness, I will start off with this sucky content-free post to say “Howdy,” secure in the knowledge that my posts can only improve* from here.

So, Howdy from the Head Rotor!

[*He's wrong. Things could continue to stay sucky. -SB]

The conversation that transpired during the Thanksgiving Weekend Robot Building Bonanza:

“Hey Dad check this out.”

“Wassat sweetie?”

::FWOOSH::

“WHOA!”

::FWOOSH::

“Say, uh… Miss SuicideBots?” interjected Mr. Robotics. “You, uh.. wanna stop that flamethrower?”

::FWOOSH::

::rip cable::

::FWOOoos…::

“Oh. Huh. Hey Mr. Robotics, the code for the flamethrower worked. The solenoid’s still a little wonky though.”

“Hm. That explains the puddle.”

“Hey Dad? I think the coffee table’s a little singed, sorry about that. . .”

“Yeah and you’re going to have to repair that fuel line. . .”

“Yeah, that little bugger packs a punch when it’s angled wrong, doesn’t it. . .”

This brings us to a handy-dandy yet perfunctory Shop Tip #4:
When working in someone else’s living room, please note the locations of the nearest fire extinguishers.

[This and much much more, including build notes and pictures, once we get a little cleaned up around here. . .]

We here at the Robo Bunker understand that sometimes it’s best to share with the other children, as opposed to keeping all the copious money, glory, free Escalades, fine looking members of both sexes, and other spoils that come from writing in this space, for oneself.

In this spirit, we would like to have you all give a hearty and well-deserved hand to our newest member, The Head Rotor.

The Head Rotor has done many mysterious and beautiful things that one generally must hold an advanced scientific degree of some kind to understand fully.

Case in point:

What you cannot see from this mere-smear application of photons expressed in a digital format, is that the light that this little box expresses shimmers and utterly changes the way you perceive light, art, and the inherent nature of the universe itself.

It projects the very fabric of the space-time continuum onto your retinas, yea, into your very primordial hindbrain, and starts a sequence of events that changes the very fabric of your makeup as a human being.

It’s also shiny.

So everyone please welcome The Head Rotor, who will no doubt bring equally interesting and amusing tidbits to this little robot-infested corner of the web we call Suicidebots.

A little bit of poking around on YouTube brings us this cute video of Ugobe’s Pleo in action (previously here):

They said it could not be done!

It could be said it still cannot be done, because with this level of movement and sensory response, it would be just shocking if Ugobe were to successfully market this at a price point that the average electronics consumer would even begin to entertain.

Then again, we imagine that Pleo is not directed at the average electronics consumer. . .

Robots Rule has very nice coverage of Pleo, written by someone who clearly lives, breathes and dreams through this little dino’s adorable plastic nose. . .