Two spider-bot videos, one post

spiderbots
Are you sitting comfortably? Then let’s begin. Comfort is overrated anyway. And robot spiders are underrepresented on this (otherwise excellent) website. That’s why I decided to put two, two, TWO SPIDER ROBOT VIDEOS in one post. We’re falling behind other blogs in spiderbot video density. Click on through and be squicked/entertained.

Our first video showcases a robot by a fellow named Drew, who apparently feels that Wiimotes are for controlling abominations such as the one he’s created. A pair of modified Wiimotes controls its nightmarishly jerky locomotion, and apparently there’s a button dedicated to it turning inside out and flipping over.

Drew, it’s now your responsibility to rock me to sleep tonight. A little scotch in my milk will help.

[via Gearfuse and Forever Geek]

Next is a more practical (though equally frightening) affair. This web-shooting ceiling-lurker gets around (extremely slowly, but still) by firing its little grippers and then ratcheting up the “web.” Nice to know someone could slip one of these in the window and it could be waiting above the door in your foyer by the time you get home.

It moves more like an extremely nervous robo-sloth than anything, but the webs clearly mark it as a spider-based design. It’s built and maintained by the Ben Gurion University Mechatronics Department.

[via Dvice and Robots.net]