Robot Climber/ Grappling Hook

[Penth]

Anyone familiar with robots that can either climb walls(like office cubicles) or possibly use a grappling hook/wench system for climbing.

[Asellith]

This is the only time I ever wished I worked in a cubical That would be so much fun to build an invasion force of climbing robots to attack the guy in the next cubical

[Penth]

Our office is about to go to cubicles in an effort to save money in an expensive building instead of looking for a new site. This however opens up opportunities to mess with my coworkers if I can possibly create a swarm of climbing/rolling/bouncing tiny robots to go all over. I'm thinking a motorized wench system would be enough to haul a robot up a wall, however the best i can come up with for a launcher is a spring loaded tube like I used to launch the little plastic missiles at my GI joes with.

[Asellith]

could try something like a paint ball gun and those small CO2 cartridges. More expensive but a lot more fun.

Or a mobile trebuchet that launches a tethered ball over the wall and the other robots climb it

Man I really wish we had cubicals now!

[MarkBrown]

Alot of the cubicles I have worked in usually have a felt siding.  If this is the case, you could probably make some climbing feet to allow the robots to scale the wall.  If you didn't want to go the CO2 route, you could probably do a grappling hook that is launched cross bow style. 

It really does sound like a fun project.  I would love to see what you come up with if you go through with it.

Mark Brown

[Iron Man]

do a really fine metal brush so that it can dig into the felt fibers. Then make like a salamander type chasis and saunter over the cubicle. Once over open the mouth and shoot a nerf pellet at coworker.

[Penth]

I like were this thread is going. I have a few ideas for launchers/climbing if I could get AVR Studio to work.

[Iron Man]

you could always go pic....

i know... i'm shameless.

[Trumpkin]

Shun the unbeliever! 

[Penth]

you could always go pic....

i know... i'm shameless.

Eventually I'm going to go to electronic junk days (1st Saturday in Dallas) and buy up old pc's and turn them into my robot brains. Not to mention they are a great source of motors and other random parts.

[airman00]

Eventually I'm going to go to electronic junk days (1st Saturday in Dallas) and buy up old pc's and turn them into my robot brains.

not relly ..... go with microcontrollers. PC robotics is a bit more complex and are meant for larger robots.

[Penth]

not relly ..... go with microcontrollers. PC robotics is a bit more complex and are meant for larger robots.

Thats what I'm aiming for. Possibly one old laptop as an "overlord" for several smaller ones via bluetooth, wifi, etc.

[Gertlex]

It's "winch"

But at the same time, a good autonomous mechanized wench would allow you to quit your current job, I assure you!

 

[Penth]

Sorry, too much pirate talk around the office.