M aker
LEFT: Close-up of the MAKE Controller that connects
Sparky’s onboard computer to the servomotors.
RIGHT: The exposed TV tube. Mounting the
monitor without its case is a bit more dangerous,
but how cyberpunk!
become a hybrid identity that can have intimate,
face-to-face interactions and move freely in a
remote location.
At New York’s American International Toy Fair
in early 2008, I saw a cheap mobile telepresence
toy, clearly not designed for hackability, and that
clinched it. I decided to share Sparky 2 as an open
source DIY project, based on the MAKE Controller
board and the components I had lying around.
DIY Sparky
So here’s the take-away: you can now find a full
set of plans for an open source, DIY Sparky at
makezine.com/16/sparky, as well as a step-by-step
video at
gomistyle.com.
I co-developed the DIY version of Sparky 2 with
my longtime friend and programmer extraordinaire,
John Celenza. It uses the MAKE Controller connected
to an onboard Mac Mini, which transmits audio,
video, and motor control data over a wi-fi network.
We have several software versions, including a
lag-free one that requires a web server to connect
robot and controller, and another one that sends
the motor-control data through Skype. We’ve also
developed a small iPhone patch that allows it to
connect in any location, even without wi-fi. If the
“Jesus phone” can connect, so can DIY Sparky.
The DIY Sparky shown here was built using scrap
components I had available, including Vex kit components for the chassis and the motors, an old Mac
Mini, an unused LCD monitor, an iSight webcam, a
12V scooter battery, and an AC inverter. Your version will be different, based on whatever you have
lying around.
The only part I purchased was the MAKE
Controller board — I could have gone with the
cheaper and better-known Arduino, but the MAKE
board offered additional helpful features like the
4 plug-and-play servo connectors. The MAKE board
also has numerous digital and analog ins and outs,
which give DIY Sparky plenty of room to grow new
appendages, like movable gripper arms, sensors,
and bumpers.
See more of Sparky at
makezine.com/16/sparky.
Marque Cornblatt (
marquecornblatt.com) is a conceptual
artist, roboticist, and maker. He is the creator and host of
Gomi Style, a green DI Y lifestyle and design series on the
web (
gomistyle.com).
52 Make: Volume
16
