Words/photos: Bonnie Burton
Any convention that mixes R2-D2, Tesla coils, fire-breathing sculptures, a human-size mousetrap, art cars, unusual inventions and crafts is bound to have something for everyone.
Bay Area Maker Faire — May 30-31, 3009 — brought together craftsters, robot wranglers, science geeks, rocket builders, Burning Man artists, steampunks and more.
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R2 Builders, conventions, crafts, robots, science, steampunk | 
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Posted by bonniegrrl
Is there anything the iPhone can’t do? A talented fan decided the best way to control his life-sized astromech would be with his iPhone.
I found a way to remote control my R2-D2 with an iPhone. In the videos I demonstrate controlling a servo and the dome motor using an iPhone using the accelerometer (tilting the iPhone controls it) and using a slider control on the touch screen. Other touch screen controls are possible too such as rotary controls, buttons, XY controls, and multitouch as well as gestures.
I should be able to interface with my J.E.D.I display as well and type in text messages in the iPhone that will scroll across the front or rear logic displays. (Cue evil mad scientist laughter ) Muh ha ha ha ha!!
WATCH VIDEOS: Remote control R2-D2 with an iPhone
Continue to read about iPhone R2-D2 here:
Glenn’s Astromech Weblog
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SOURCE: MAKE magazine
No Comments » | R2 Builders, crafts, robots | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl
Words/Photos: Bonnie Burton
R2-D2 goes where the action is, so it shouldn’t be surprised that he and his droid pals invaded this year’s WonderCon as usual. Fans ran up and hugged, kissed, patted and posed with everyone’s favorite astromech droid. Those lucky attendees who wanted the ins and outs of droid building got a special treat with the “R2-D2 Droid Building Basics” panel on Saturday.
R2-D2 builders Chris James, Ryan Goff, Steve Simmons, and David Calkins shared their experiences and demonstrated working droids. They chatted about materials, tools needed, basic electronics, and radio control information to make your own Artoo beep, move and save the day.
Special guest Don Bies, former ILM model maker and Star Wars Episodes II and III droid wrangler also showed up to encourage fans to channel their inner Anakin (the good one, not the baddie).
Starwars.com chatted with R2-D2 builder Chris James about what it feels like to be daddy to his own R2-D2.
Can you describe what the R2-D2 Builders group is all about?
We’re a loosely organized international group of fans who love to build droids and share them with the world. Founded in 1999, the club has continually striven to develop resources to allow others to accurately reproduce their own astromech droids. We know have almost 8,000 members, but I would say there’s closer to 500 active builders at any one time. We make all sort of astromechs, not just R2-D2, but that’s were our roots are. Some of you may have also seen R2-KT (R2KT.com); she was build by members of the club.
What tips did you give would-be builders at your WonderCon panel?
It’s hard to cover much in an hour, but we try and give an overview of what can be done, demo our droids, and cover the tools, different materials and skills needed to get started.
The four top tips are always — planning, patients, do lots of research, and know your limitations. Without following these basic tips you can quickly make some expensive mistakes. Oh! And the fifth tip — Don’t try stuffing the electronics from a Hasbro Interactive Droid in a life-size Artoo. You don’t want a 200 lb droid running you over.
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Posted by bonniegrrl
Go inside the creative world of the R2 Builders Club thanks to an extensive profile in the May 2008 issue of Servo magazine for the robot innovator.
Craig Smith advises prospective members about the amount of time it takes to create a droid: “R2 built from scratch or built from club parts is not a quick project. It will take months to complete a static, non-moving display — even years for a motorized version. When I look at the parts on my droid, I recall the week it took to make the shoulders, the days it took to make the ankle covers, the days it took to re-make the ankles themselves because I did not offset them correctly. And there are dozens more parts on the droid with similar memories. A project such as this is a huge commitment!”
Read the full article here:
The R2 Builders Club and the Jedi Code
2 Comments » | R2 Builders, in the media, robots | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl
It’s everyone’s favorite droid! IEEE Spectrum talked with R2-D2 builder Steve Simmons at Maker Faire to find out how the Star Wars droids work.
VIDEO: Maker Faire 2008: R2-D2 Builders
VIDEO: Artoo dancing with children at Maker Faire 2008
For more info about R2 Builders, check out Artoo-detoo.net.
2 Comments » | R2 Builders, conventions, crafts, robots | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl
Every year mad scientists, robot builders, power tool drag racers, craftsters, and other DIY guys and gals gather together at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds for one of the coolest events in the Bay Area — the Maker Faire!
This year there were plenty of fun things for Star Wars fans to see and do — including crafts, R2-D2 dancing, prop displays, the LEGO Jeep, Steampunk contraptions and more!
4 Comments » | LEGO, R2 Builders, conventions, crafts, robots, science, steampunk | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl
Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates the Do-It-Yourself mindset. Maker Faire happens May 3 and 4 at the San Mateo Fairgrounds in California. It’s a fun event for creative people of all ages who love to tinker and make things.
Whether it’s playing with robots (and there’s a lot of them!), checking out huge fire-breathing contraptions from Survival Research Laboratories, gawking at Tesla Coils, drag racing power tools, making all kinds of crafts, or just having fun geeking out, there’s plenty for everyone to do.
Here’s a selection of Makers and Exhibits that Star Wars fans might dig the most:
3 Comments » | LEGO, R2 Builders, conventions, crafts, robots, science | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl
So many panels and events at Wondercon, so little time. But we’re here to help! The Starwars.com team will be at Wondercon reporting about the latest news, toys, comics, celeb sightings and more. Be sure to check back here on the Official Starwars.com Blog and the Official Starwars.com Flickr Photo Blog for ongoing WonderCon 2008 coverage!
Check out this handy link for the full list of WonderCon programs and panels. But to get you started, here’s a listing of our picks of things not to be missed!
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2 Comments » | Celebrities, Clone Wars, Fan Movie Challenge, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Lucasfilm, R2 Builders, The 501st Legion, WonderCon, conventions, costumes | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl
According to a recent post on Wired News:
Google will award $20 million to the first private team to put a robot on the moon, the company and the X Prize Foundation announced at Wired NextFest in Los Angeles Thursday. Members of the public will also get the chance to send digital mementos to the moon. In this advance from the October issue of Wired magazine, contributing editor Spencer Reiss explains what’s behind the Google Lunar X Prize, and what it will take to win it.
Read all about it here:
Google Sponsors Lunar X PRIZE to Create a Space Race for a New Generation
I’m looking at you R2 Builders! HINT HINT
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SOURCES:
Wired News, CNN.com, BoingBoing.net
2 Comments » | R2 Builders, in the media, robots, science | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl
While many fans can’t make it to San Diego Comic-Con International, the Official Starwars.com Blog is there to put you right where the action is. Whether it’s seeing the behind-the-scenes images of set-up, or sneak peeks at Indiana Jones displays, we’re there.
Today as even more fans filter into the convention center, it’s obvious which droid is getting the most love — R2-KT (named “KT” after Katie Johnson, a very special Star Wars fan who tragically passed away from brain cancer in 2005 at the age of seven).
Other popular displays getting plenty of traffic today include Hasbro’s Star Wars Transformers mashup toys, The Vader Project, the impressive LEGO Death Star display, Wii fun at the LucasArts booth and so much more.
So stay tuned for daily coverage on this blog, as well as exciting Comic-Con snapshots here.
No Comments » | Collecting, Comic-Con, Indiana Jones, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, LEGO, LucasArts, R2 Builders, robots | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl
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