What about building a new pup?
Today, I learned that I could build my next dog. To be fair, I like the one I have. However, the idea that I can take a checklist, order some parts online, and end up with a “companion” has some points of interest.
OK, not a dog. Rather, a robot. But you knew that, right? We’re not at the point where we can build a furry buddy, but a mechanical body? Something that a reasonably adept student could handle, given the right videos.
So, why? Humans have wondered about the place of robots in the home, going back more than a century. We accept that the android butler or maid is still just a chapter in a fictional tale. However, building a small quadruped contraption is now within reach.
Here’s a link to some plans: https://pupper.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
Given the sorry state of deliveries, right now, any such project must face delay. I don’t enjoy waiting for parcels to arrive, particularly from across the frontier, but I am old enough to dream about the “hours and hours of fun for the whole family”. Shades of Kenner, or Meccano.
I think I’ll restrain myself. I can
I remember HERO, from Heathkit. Didn’t buy into that dream either, and the four decades in between show the wisdom of that. Try to imagine the difficulty finding replacement parts, now that the folks in Michigan have closed shop. Maybe something will turn up on eBay. I can prepare myself for the trick teaching it would require.
One thing in favour of the robotic version is that I can decide not to add a bark circuit. That’s a positive point.
