Author Topic: Giant Robot! (Giant Spider-bot) (Read 40095 times)

SciTech02 · « **Reply #90 on:** January 25, 2009, 03:04:57 AM »

The only thing somewhat related to a "hydrogen generator" is a fuel cell. Put electricity in and it splits water into hydrogen and oxygen (reaction absorbs energy); draw energy and hydrogen reacts with oxygen to form water (releases energy). The best fuel cells are currently not on the market; but cheaper, less efficient ones are. Even if you used this setup, it's not really "hydrogen powered", the energy used to create the hydrogen comes from an outside source. So, a fuel cell would merely act as a really large battery (one of potentially unlimited size), not a source of power.

However, damage to the environment would be minimal, if not nonexistant. The byproduct of hydrogen and oxygen reacting is only water vapor. Using an outside source of energy to split water and create hydrogen gas would be similar to charging a battery. However, it would be less efficient, since a large fraction of energy is radiated as waste heat (the laws of thermodynamics always get in the way

).

HDL_CinC_Dragon · « **Reply #91 on:** January 25, 2009, 12:12:04 PM »

running a hydrogen fuel cell does in fact have a minimal to non-existent negative environmental impact. That wasnt my point there, cuz that would be a silly thing to say

Its the harvesting of that hydrogen that kills it. The amount of Hydrogen you can get from water (via an Electrolysis of Water device) is directly proportional to the amount of voltage that is run through the electrolytic water solution. Unless that electricity is sourced from another renewable energy source such as solar, wind, or hydro then the harvesting of that Hydrogen thus makes anything that uses it harmful to the environment by guilt of association per se.

SciTech02 · « **Reply #92 on:** January 25, 2009, 12:57:06 PM »

I agree. Unfortunately, using hydrogen as a primary source of power is impractical on earth. The only hydrogen we have is bound with oxygen as water (and as we've said, it takes more energy to get this hydrogen than you get from using it as an energy source). The only place we could practically use hydrogen directly as an energy source is the planet Jupiter, where 90% of the atmosphere is pure hydrogen gas. But here, hydrogen power systems are best used as energy storage devices (so instead of toxic battery fluids, this "battery" would have only water, hydrogen gas, and oxygen).

HDL_CinC_Dragon · « **Reply #93 on:** January 25, 2009, 01:09:12 PM »

Right. I cant wait for the day humans can reach Jupiter. By that time Im sure we will have enough H2 demand to make Jupiters atmosphere disappear in probably a little under a year.

BANE · « **Reply #94 on:** January 25, 2009, 08:53:07 PM »

So i guess it has been established that hydrogen in general is not very efficient. But what if one day we can't get fossil fuels? We would still have water and could use many ways to generate electricity. So maybe not now but it might be something to consider in the future.

just a thought...

Bane

HDL_CinC_Dragon · « **Reply #95 on:** January 26, 2009, 04:07:06 PM »

Quote from: BANE on January 25, 2009, 08:53:07 PM

not now but it might be something to consider in the future.

Hell yeah it is

Its already something to consider. Ive been sorta researching and prototyping efficient ways of harvesting Hydrogen...

BANE · « **Reply #96 on:** February 22, 2009, 12:39:26 PM »

has he finished the banana building yet? It looks to me like he's commencing project "lawn chair" lol

I hope he gets around to working on the robot.

Bane

HDL_CinC_Dragon · « **Reply #97 on:** February 22, 2009, 05:16:40 PM »

lol I dont think the banana building is going to be done until at least late spring. Im supposed to be going back up there within the next few months and im gunna be helping out again... which will be nice being able to feel my extremities while working.... we had to take so many breaks to go huddle around the wood stove. The steam coming off of our clothes while we stood around the fire was hilarious for some reason lol

Asellith · « **Reply #98 on:** February 23, 2009, 10:58:13 AM »

Quote

Right. I cant wait for the day humans can reach Jupiter.

Till we find the hidden ancient alien species that lives inside gas giants.....

hmm wonder who else read that scifi novel

Might need to start working on a business plan and investors to build the first hydrogen harvesting plant above Jupiter

SmAsH · « **Reply #99 on:** February 23, 2009, 02:51:06 PM »

...you might want to copywrite that...*runs to copy idea*

HDL_CinC_Dragon · « **Reply #100 on:** February 23, 2009, 03:54:19 PM »

Quote from: Asellith on February 23, 2009, 10:58:13 AM

else read that scifi novel

There was a scifi novel about that? lol I didnt know

Asellith · « **Reply #101 on:** February 25, 2009, 08:05:18 AM »

Yah Kevin J. Anderson's Saga Of the Seven Suns. The series is LONG and the books are HUGE. I got to the third book so far. Not sure how many books are in the series but they are good. They get confusing because he literally has like 12 or so "main" characters that all start at different ends of the universe and several races that he develops good background and culture for over time.

but the part that matters to this discussion is they harvest rare hydrogen from gas giants and use it for space ship fuel. So they have these huge ships that float on the surface of the planets and collect this gas. Really cool concept till they decide to colonize several small planets but turning a gas giant into a sun. Then everyone realizes that people (who have teleportation technology) live inside these gas planets and they come out blowing up all the refineries and war begins.

HDL_CinC_Dragon · « **Reply #102 on:** February 25, 2009, 03:44:09 PM »

hahaha that sucks! Nothing says we dont like you more than setting their explosive planet on fire!

That does sound like a pretty good novel series though. If only I had time to read books >_<

Asellith · « **Reply #103 on:** February 26, 2009, 09:52:57 AM »

audiobooks dude. Thats the way to go. www.audible.com Not sure if that series is on there but you can get 2 free books using this site www.audible.com/twit2 (thanks go to the twit podcast for that)

SciTech02 · « **Reply #104 on:** February 27, 2009, 01:23:59 AM »

That's not the only science fiction novel. 2010: Odyssey Two, the sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey by the late Arthur C. Clarke, also mentioned "strange, but beautiful" lifeforms on Jupiter. Although the book focused more on Europa, HAL, and the black monoliths, life on Jupiter is discussed. In the end, Jupiter is turned into a star by the omnipresent creators of the monoliths to fuel life on Europa. This was written in 1982, so this is not a new idea.

Asellith · « **Reply #105 on:** February 27, 2009, 09:13:12 AM »

Old Scifi is great. I like Asimov's stuff. He thought it would be easier to make a robot walk and think before we could make it talk. That was great. Also the descriptions of the use of tubes along side transistors and other electronics made me chuckle a bit. I went through an entire EE degree and am now only learning about tubes cause I got into one of the fields where they still thrive. BTW tubes are annoying! At least taking classes from CIE about them is annoying. But when you have 20k watts of power churning through a tube its good to know whats going on before you get a call at 2am to fix something. Got to love the radio business.

RiffRaff · « **Reply #106 on:** March 03, 2009, 05:56:58 PM »

This guy has some serious determination.

Any updates on the robot or anything else?

BANE · « **Reply #107 on:** March 03, 2009, 08:36:09 PM »

Apparently he is collecting Styrofoam for this banana building or something. Does he have a real job or anything?

bane

HDL_CinC_Dragon · « **Reply #108 on:** March 03, 2009, 09:20:29 PM »

He does work on the side for people but he doesnt have an actual "job". Plus people donate some cash to him here and there which helps him out a ton! He also started doing that advertisement thingy with his youtube pages where he gets a certain amount of money every time someone clicks on an advertisement on the sides of his videos and such in the upper right corner. Hes testing that out to see if its worth it.

The robot wont be getting worked on too heavily until the banana building is basically done if im not mistaken. Thats the way he made it seem when we were talking about it when I was last up there.

BANE · « **Reply #109 on:** July 04, 2009, 12:16:41 PM »

Sorry, just couldn't let this post die since i just spent most of yesterday watching all his movies that I didn't know existed

. I honestly forgot about this being that over the winter he didn't work on it any. He is really close to finishing his project. http://www.youtube.com/user/JMEMantzel

Bane

SmAsH · « **Reply #110 on:** July 04, 2009, 07:16:09 PM »

well, to help keep interest here, ill post the other videos.
i really like what he's doing, me... i would've given up ages ago...


Giant Robot Project : Part 21 (New Life)


Giant Robot Project: Part 22 Trambampoline!


Giant Robot Project: Part 23 New Rails


Giant Robot Project: Part 24 umm... err... duh...


Giant Robot Project: Part 25 oops


Giant Robot Project: Part 26 "I can smell victory"


Giant Robot Project: Part 27 Going for it...


Giant Robot Project: Part 28 The Chicken or the Jaimie

Admin · « **Reply #111 on:** July 04, 2009, 08:53:27 PM »

I've still been following him. He's been on double time lately.

But to be honest, I have a feeling he didn't do his force calculations correctly and it's not going to work very well . . . I'm basing this on the lack of engineering he does before adding components

BANE · « **Reply #112 on:** July 05, 2009, 11:56:42 AM »

Quote

he didn't do his force calculations correctly and it's not going to work very well

lol, I was thinking that when I saw the legs and when he was lifting it up. I sure hope that the aluminum holds up for him

. Mechanically speaking, I think it works pretty good.

Bane

Admin · « **Reply #113 on:** January 29, 2011, 12:17:38 PM »

64 videos later, it moves. Not really works, but it moves lol. Skip the first 3 minutes to get more to the point.

(it needs to take much more than two steps without breaking for me to consider it working

)


Giant Robot Project Part 64 TEST DRIVE!

Asellith · « **Reply #114 on:** January 29, 2011, 10:07:11 PM »

Someone with a real camera and of yah LIGHTS! needs to document at least some of his adventures. I was following him but he stopped build robots and started giving hippie speeches so I stopped watching. I really hope someone takes all his raw footage and makes a decent compilation/documentary of this project. I assume he does NO editing of his videos in anyway.

HDL_CinC_Dragon · « **Reply #115 on:** February 07, 2011, 05:48:10 PM »

Nope he doesnt really do any editting. And all these little side projects help out with the main project in some way or another. He has a work light but since 100% of his electricity comes from solar panel fueled battery banks, he mostly resorts to working by headlamp light to preserve energy for the main lights in the dome and such. Otherwise hed use one of his 2 generators but they obviously eat a lot of fuel which is very expensive up in the north!

Anoroc · « **Reply #116 on:** February 28, 2011, 10:23:36 AM »

I remember seeing the original post about JME and have been watching his videos since. I can't wait to see his giant spider robot in full action. I'll have to pick up one of his toys, once they hit the market, too!

helishaun · « **Reply #117 on:** February 28, 2011, 10:35:16 PM »

They already sell the toy version called the hex bug spider at radio shack.


Hexbug Spider (blue)

cronospark · « **Reply #118 on:** March 01, 2011, 02:10:48 PM »

Quote from: helishaun on February 28, 2011, 10:35:16 PM

They already sell the toy version called the hex bug spider at radio shack.

Hexbug Spider (blue)

Jaimie mentions about the hexbug in this rant, he says he wasn't part of it.


Why Inventors stop Inventing

corrado33 · « **Reply #119 on:** May 21, 2011, 03:05:51 PM »

Quote from: cronospark on March 01, 2011, 02:10:48 PM

Jaimie mentions about the hexbug in this rant, he says he wasn't part of it.

Ah so that's why I keep hearing things about "stolen" ideas.

I've watched all of Jamie's vids. (Even operation crazy operation, and operation laser machine or whatever, and even the unnamed ones). He's hilarious. I would honestly love to meet him one day.

I mean think about it though, if you live minimilistically, how much money do you really spend? No mortgage, no car payment, no electricity bill. Just food, car insurance... taxes, and baby or course!

Also, he's building this thing in a (currently broken) shack with very limited resources. Did you see him build the legs? 3 of them are built from tubing and 3 are made from an old ladder!

I understand where jamie is coming from though. There are lots of things wrong with the world today. Especially how kids seem to stop learning so quickly, and schools only teach what they think is best for the kids (aka what will make them good money as they get older). Now I'm not arguing for art in school, cause I suck at drawing and couldn't care less, but everything now-a-day is about "what will get me into college" or "what will land me a high paying job". Etc.

Don't even get me started on video games. I'm not saying I don't play them, but I remember when I was younger I loved playing in the woods carving sticks and getting muddy. Now kids just want to play games and hardly ever go outside. No wonder we have an obesity problem in the US... (And as I'm typing this I'm sitting inside on a beautiful day... ok I should really go outside!) Ok I've been outside all morning, I'm a bit tired lol.

Oh and his most current vids are of him fixing his banana building (snow caved it in). The robot is OK. He said the "deadline" has been pushed back to later this summer if I remember correctly. He was originally building the robot to show at some toy thing that went along with the toys he's designing, but the deadline for that got pushed back and stuff. By the way, don't quote me on this stuff it's just stuff I remember (maybe incorrectly) saying.

And admin, admittedly it broke right where he thought it was going to. Once he fixes his "coupling" things that he made from acrylic, I think he'll be good to go. I want to see if it turns.

News:

Author Topic: Giant Robot! (Giant Spider-bot) (Read 40095 times)

Related Topics