A 1980s toy robot arm inspired modern robotics

siavosh · 2025-04-20T15:30:22 1745163022

Is there a modern version of this as a toy for a kid?

EncomLab · 2025-04-20T15:15:43 1745162143

I spent hours playing with mine in the mid 80's! The key takeaway - then and now - is that you can generate an incredible variety of motion with a single motor and a well designed gear-box; no software required!

eterpstra · 2025-04-20T15:17:35 1745162255

I had this thing and loved it but it WAS SO G$DD$MN LOUD!!!!!

It was like the sound of a pile of silverware dumped into a garbage disposal played at full volume over an AM radio.

Great controls, though.

petermcneeley · 2025-04-20T15:11:21 1745161881

Is my computer hacked or is everyone else seeing a giant subscribe banner on this page?

brudgers · 2025-04-18T19:56:47 1745006207

https://archive.ph/wAqgu

chillingeffect · 2025-04-20T15:07:56 1745161676

There was an article in i think Radio Electronics at the time to connect it to a C64.

jim_lawless · 2025-04-20T15:21:44 1745162504

There was a pretty detailed article in the May 1985 Radio Electronics that mentioned interfacing it to a VIC-20:

https://archive.org/details/radio_electronics_1985-05/page/n...

Transactor Magazine volume 7, issue 4 (1987 ) had an article on interfacing it to a C64:

https://archive.org/details/transactor-magazines-v7-i04/mode...

gedy · 2025-04-20T15:18:26 1745162306

I'm impressed Hiroyuki Watanabe was only 24 years old when he invented/led this.

> “I didn’t have a period where I studied engineering professionally. Instead, I enrolled in what Japan would call a technical high school that trains technical engineers, and I actually [entered] the electrical department there,” he told me.

I think this approach is sorely needed again, in the US at least.

petermcneeley · 2025-04-20T15:24:21 1745162661

The grass was so green back then. Today leaves are brown and there is a patch of snow on the ground.

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