The internet enabled coffee machine/wooden table



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    It would choke due to lack of power and too much deck containment.
     

    I have no evidence of that, and I doubt you do either.

    The second one certainly doesn't appear to have that problem at all.

    @AbbydonKrafts said:

    Also, $2K is way beyond what a normal person would pay. I could get a super-nice riding mower for that.

    And yet you still seem to miss the point that this thing runs by itself... you CAN'T get that with a riding mower, nor can you get it with the remote control you two are talking about.



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    That doesn't count. That's a Roomba with a blade. It would choke due to lack of power and too much deck containment. Also, $2K is way beyond what a normal person would pay. I could get a super-nice riding mower for that.

    Judging from the user reviews, some of them don't even feel like they are getting their 2K worth out of it. If the fence line gets broke, you're in for a heck of a headache.  There are various other issues. As far as the theft concerns though... it applies to anything else. You wouldn't leave anything worth that kind of money laying around your yard that people can steal.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    And yet you still seem to miss the point that this thing runs by itself... you CAN'T get that with a riding mower, nor can you get it with the remote control you two are talking about.

     

    No, but lots of dads would have a great time with their remote lawn mower.



  • @pitchingchris said:

    @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    And yet you still seem to miss the point that this thing runs by itself... you CAN'T get that with a riding mower, nor can you get it with the remote control you two are talking about.

     

    No, but lots of dads would have a great time with their remote lawn mower.

     

    You mean because your 'fail safe' switch wouldn't stop them from running over their children in their yard?

    I suppose so... if you have really annoying children...

    Come to think of it, you may be working a Darwin award here... NOW I am excited.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    And yet you still seem to miss the point that this thing runs by itself... you CAN'T get that with a riding mower, nor can you get it with the remote control you two are talking about.

    Step 1: Control via remote.

    Step 2: Control via preprogrammed route.

    Step 3: ..

    Step 4: Profit! .. err.. save $1400!

    @pitchingchris said:

    No, but lots of dads would have a great time with their remote lawn mower.

    I know I would. Sitting in the shade off to the side while running the mower around would probably be just as fun as any RC vehicle -- and it would have a practical purpose.

    @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    You mean because your 'fail safe' switch wouldn't stop them from running over their children in their yard?

    You're going out on a limb with that one. Have you used a riding lawnmower? They can chase their kids with that as easily as with an RC mower. I bet they could actually successfully run over them with the riding one, too. The risks involved with a RC mower would be about the same as a push mower. If I wanted to, I could run across the yard with my push mower and run over a dog. Why? Because I would have the ability to lean down on the handle and make it rear up on only the back wheels. I don't think "wheelie" functionality will be available in the RC one.



    Why are you so against the idea of tinkering with a RC mower? I think it would be fun. Just the speculating about it is fun. There are plenty of things that can be done to it. How about tossing out more fail-safe/security ideas if that's your concern. The more ideas, the better.



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    The risks involved with a RC mower would be about the same as a push mower.
     

    How is a push mower going to leave your line of sight? Is it possible for a push mower to suddenly lose control and do random things?

     

    ...Right. Not the same at all.

    @AbbydonKrafts said:

    Why are you so against the idea of tinkering with a RC mower?

    I am not. But I am against doing it SpectateSwamp style. I think maybe he has poisoned your brains.



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    How about tossing out more fail-safe/security ideas if that's your concern. The more ideas, the better.

    Might not be very reliable, but a ground sensor may be helpful. That way if it inadvertly does get lifted off the ground, it kills the engine.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    I am not. But I am against doing it SpectateSwamp style. I think maybe he has poisoned your brains.

    You can rest your mind on this fact because its been thought about long before that insane swampling started his rants. Have you ever seen the movie "Honey, I shrunk the kids?"  Has a working remote lawnmower in that movie. Something like that (minus the push handes) would be cool. Assuming we don't shrink our kids to be less than an inch (less than the size of the specs in SS screenshots), than I think we'll be ok.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    How is a push mower going to leave your line of sight? Is it possible for a push mower to suddenly lose control and do random things?

    I said risks -- maybe more akin to a self-propelled mower with a stuck throttle. If a RC mower left your line of sight and started doing "random things" (which basically would involve cutting doughnuts or something), it still would not be a nightmare-come-true. I'd imagine there would be a top speed for it.. say 4-6MPH. Anyone can get out its path. I've seen a riding lawnmower take off on its own before. Strange things happen when mechanical parts are involved, but I doubt they would get a mind of their own and specifically hunt living things down. It's simply a matter of side-stepping for anyone in its path. An emergency shut-off could be on top. If it keeps running even after the remote is turned off, chase the thing down and hit the shut-off.

    @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    I am not. But I am against doing it SpectateSwamp style. I think maybe he has poisoned your brains.

    I don't think so. Doing it SS style would involve Jamming It. Make a change, Jam It! Make another small change, Jam It! Surprises!



    We're actually just tossing ideas. I don't think SS used brainstorming or planning.



  • @pitchingchris said:

    Might not be very reliable, but a ground sensor may be helpful. That way if it inadvertly does get lifted off the ground, it kills the engine.

    That could be a good one. The article MPS linked us to says it does that.



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    We're actually just tossing ideas. I don't think SS used brainstorming or planning.

    proper planning and all these ideas help because useful feedback from other people help refine the idea using their experience without having to waste $$ doing it. We're not planning on marketing anything yet, but all these ideas could be put on paper which will make implementation pretty straightforward. Kinda like buying an ARF (Almost ready to fly airplane).  Requires assembly and modifications. Thanks for the ideas. I think other hobbyists (even those not in IT) would enjoy this thread.



  • @pitchingchris said:

    We're not planning on marketing anything yet
     

    That would be a good thing. 

    http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home/remote-control-lawn-mower-116553.php

    http://evatech.net/BluePrint/RCLMKIT.pdf

     

    BECAUSE IT HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE, AND DONE BETTER.

    Why does this all sound so familiar? Oh yes, because desktop search is not a new idea, and it has been done better before. But again, SpectateSwamp cannot see that either.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    BECAUSE IT HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE

    As has almost anything you can think of. I guess all the developers should stop with Linux as an operating system has already been done before.

    @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    AND DONE BETTER.

    How can you be certain? The final design might be better than those. You can't claim something is better just because it's there.



    If you think it's impractical for someone to spend their time thinking about the most cost-efficient way to make a RC mower, what else do you propose we do besides guiding SS along his circle?



  • Ok.. I got it. Since you say the RC mower has been done before.. and better.. then how about this: The Lawn Commander, the Swiss Army knife of yard appliances. It can do everything: Mow, till, plow, edge, mulch, trim, weed, aerate, and more. When all options are deployed, it looks like a death bot from hell. Your yard will never be the same. If programmed correctly, it can also take care of those pesky strays and racoons that keep dumpster-diving in your trash bins.



  •  Can't we just build a bearded nutjob assassin bot?



  • how about an expandible mower... can run multiple modular decks with the same cpu. The units can be synced to the same steering mechanism. Now you can buy the cheap version for $x and then buy additional decks for $Y. now you can double or triple your cutting width and get done in a fraction of the time... (if you can aviod obstacles of course)



  • @pitchingchris said:

    No, but lots of dads would have a great time with their remote lawn mower.

    If you have kids, why not just add some spinning blades to a Power Wheels and let the brats earn their keep?  It would be cheap, keep the crotch fruit entertained and teach them valuable lessons about safety and first aid.  And if it kills them, well, obviously you didn't produce the best kids the first time, so you might as well try to refine the design.  If the wife complains about you fragging her firstborn, just make a model with a vacuum attachment instead of blades, that should shut her up.



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    spinning blades to a Power Wheels

    The batteries on those things arent the best. How about we just retrofit a go cart instead. Heck, just use a go cart with a 4 wheeler engine. Then use restricter plates and other means to limit speed :)



  • @pitchingchris said:

    The batteries on those things arent the best. How about we just retrofit a go cart instead. Heck, just use a go cart with a 4 wheeler engine. Then use restricter plates and other means to limit speed :)

    I knew how to drive a tractor with a Bush Hog when I was 10.  Those thing have 9 foot blades on them!  If the little bastards can't learn how to operate heavy machinery, how will they ever survive in our increasingly industrial world?   The future isn't in your pansy programming languages or your sissy "Intertubez" -- it's in steam-powered locomotives, hydro-powered mills and textile factories!

     

    Also, I see no reason to limit the speed of the auto-lawn-trimmer!  The faster the whelps finish the mowing the sooner they can replenish their energy with a healthy bowl of gruel and the marrow of deer!  Then it's on to splitting wood, mining coal and creating authentic homemade diamonds from the coal by hand! 



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    Can't we just build a bearded nutjob assassin bot?

    Like this? (modifications needed, of course)

    @morbiuswilters said:

    crotch fruit

    Never heard it put that way! LOL

    @morbiuswilters said:

    If the wife complains about you fragging her firstborn

    Hahaha!



  • Maybe you guys can get sponsored by the Department of Defense. They seem to like the idea of self-driving vehicles.



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    @MasterPlanSoftware said:
    Can't we just build a bearded nutjob assassin bot?

    Like this? (modifications needed, of course)

    Ahhh! Owww! Owww!! What was the point of all that?! All it does is shoot you!! It doesn't make breakfast at all!



  •  wow



  • @Cap'n Steve said:

    Maybe you guys can get sponsored by the Department of Defense. They seem to like the idea of self-driving vehicles.

    What surprised me was the number of failures in the DARPA competition. Just driving in a straight line seemed to be a bit much for some of them. Heck.. most cars can do that on their own. It's called cruise control. It's hard to believe that a bunch of people from places like MIT couldn't figure it out. I don't think I ever saw the specifics of why they all failed, but it's still surprising.



    Hey, morbiuswilters: I told my wife to read this thread last night, and she started laughing when she saw "crotch fruit" and said the same thing I did (about not hearing it put that way before).



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    What surprised me was the number of failures in the DARPA competition. Just driving in a straight line seemed to be a bit much for some of them. Heck.. most cars can do that on their own. It's called cruise control. It's hard to believe that a bunch of people from places like MIT couldn't figure it out. I don't think I ever saw the specifics of why they all failed, but it's still surprising.

    For some insane DARPA robot action, check BigDog out.  It's ability to maintain balance is scary.

     

    @AbbydonKrafts said:

    Hey, morbiuswilters: I told my wife to read this thread last night, and she started laughing when she saw "crotch fruit" and said the same thing I did (about not hearing it put that way before).

    Heh, don't know where I picked it up from, but I didn't invent it. 

     



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    For some insane DARPA robot action, check BigDog out.  It's ability to maintain balance is scary.

    Wow! That is insane! What's with the buzzing, though? I thought it might be the internal mechanics, but it didn't make that noise indoors.



    For some reason, the embedded video didn't work. For those who are interested, I found it directly on YouTube.



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    Wow! That is insane! What's with the buzzing, though? I thought it might be the internal mechanics, but it didn't make that noise indoors.

    I would assume it is a little gas motor generating power. That would be why it is not present in the umbilical cord videos.

     

    Just a guess.


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