spido

Beastly fun the electronic way

spido - a robot spider as soldering kit

spido runs and acts like a real spider!

 It has - like tibo - a variable analogue control circuit and encourages playful exploration and discovery. 

Its patented drive mechanism consists only of few components and is driven by two motors.

spido is just a prototype. For mass production, we are looking for cooperation with a licensee.

What is this project all about?

Programmable robots are all the rage. The underlying technology, however, is becoming ever more complex, and the programming panels more abstract. There is increasingly less connection to the hardware.

 

spido provides direct, interesting, and playful access to technology for both school pupils and adults.

It also spectacularly demonstrates how living beings get along without digital processing power.

 

spido combines three innovations:

  • Sensors: The patented combination of light sensors guards against interference, and facilitates precise navigation and recognition of obstacles due to relative value signals.
  • Circuitry: Numerous insertion points for resistors, capacitors, and diodes open up a huge variety of behavioral patterns, which can be explored experimentally.
  • Mechanics: The patent-registered mechanism allows amazingly realistic movements with minimal technical input.

 The overriding characteristic of these three aspects is effectiveness!

 

spido is capable of a lot:

  • Surprising behavioral patterns through sensitivity to surroundings
  • Avoidance of obstacles and collisions
  • Able to follow light (torches) or objects
  • Different functions can be combined

What is the project goal and who is the project for?

It is my aim to make especially young people enthusiastic about technology and constructing on their own beyond the fast-paced world of mobile phones and computers. The focus is not on complex high-tech devices, but on showing how simple principles, as they can be observed in nature, can be used in a way that is efficient, exciting, and appealing to the eye.

Build your own robot looking, moving, and acting like a real spider, without any need for programming. spido is perfect for all those who do not only want to stare at a screen all the time. Having electronic components in your hands and using them to build a circuit yourself is what you need to get the hang of technical principles and functionality. By moving components around, you can experiment repeatedly to make the spider behave in new and surprising ways.

 

spido addresses two core target groups:

  • Technical education at schools, school laboratories, vocational colleges, and universities
  • People who like to tinker and want to create their own crawling “pet”