AWE: a robotic wall

posted Nov 9th 2009 9:21am by Caleb Kraft
filed under: home hacks, robots hacks

AWE is an interesting project, where your office wall is a helpful robot. That’s the goal anyway. The wall is articulated and can reconfigure its shape to fit your needs. You can see in their video that they have come up with several specific uses for AWE at different positions. We want to like AWE, we see that there is potential there. The video hasn’t won us over, there just wasn’t enough added benefit over a simple setup like a projector mount. We think the real benefit just isn’t as obvious. When we saw the girl stand up, and the wall back away intuitively, our attention was regained. What potential uses do you guys see?

[via BotJunkie]

Comments [49]

tagged: awe, robot, wall

Reader Comments

I’d hate to have that piece of crap fall on my head …LOL

Posted at 9:28 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by poot

I would want one to use that would sense annoying coworkers and close that way the couldn’t bother me!

Posted at 9:30 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by Duncan

I could possibly envision it mounted behind a couch or something. it could curl over to hold a monitor in front of you, then go away when you are done.

I would personally like to do a simpler system for a patio outside. You could see the stars at night, but have shade during the day, assuming it was not raining.

Posted at 9:32 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by Caleb Kraft

It sure is “cool”, but I can’t imagine an application that would justify its inevitably high cost.

Posted at 9:39 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by andrew

Seems pretty useless, however it getting out of the way when the girl stands up is mildly neat.

Posted at 9:51 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by AridTag

Interesting, but I don’t really find this any useful.

Looks like they made just to show it can be done.

Posted at 9:51 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by Doom2099

Configuration 7: You can do all this wall can do with cheap drywall and some framing. And, no I don’t need the wall hovering over my head, nor I ever need to change the configuration of my wall.

This is only good for showrooms to be honest. Even then, you can replicate the same thing without using motors or expensive electronics.

Posted at 10:00 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by concino

all i can see is a wall that covers you over for no reason. the mounted monitors are on a part that doesnt move, and the projection screen is always in the same place when its being used, so why not just stick it on an actual wall?

the only thing this adds to the wall concept, is the whole cocoon thing, which i personally would hate. i would just feel boxed in and want to get out, which would be distracting!

and how many people actually work, do presentations, play games and watch tv/movies in the same room?

also, was camping seriously a use in that video? id much rather carry my £20 tent than an expensive, heavy, wall that needs power and probably a tarp over it anyways!

Posted at 10:01 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by Peter

Looks claustrophobic and overengineered to me.

Posted at 10:01 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by Vahokif

Oh and it is sensing that the girl standing up is useless as well. If the wall wasn’t hovering over her head, it didn’t need to sense anything. LOL.

Posted at 10:02 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by concino

@poot: My thoughts exactly – that wall folding over looked like it was tumbling over in slow motion. Concepts like this are neat, but they’re just incredibly impractical and seem more gimmicky than anything.

Two words for anyone looking to increase office productivity – piss jugs.

Posted at 10:02 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by Skitchin

I thought it was all ready up when the girl stands up. What if she didn’t have a bag to pack too? She’d have to wait a while before she could leave.

Posted at 10:12 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by JM

It must really hurt when you stand up and crack your head on that thing.

Posted at 10:15 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by mojo

You’re sitting there with the wall all the way down at its lowest setting, and suddenly there’s a fire and the power goes out.

Will the wall still raise fast enough for you to get out without it being an OSHA hazard?

Posted at 10:22 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by Scenario 1:

Great! A wall that will move out of my way when I trip and try to catch my balance on it. Fantastic way to add insult to injury on the unsuspecting.

Posted at 10:24 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by Alastair

Great! Now if I fire someone, I can tell the wall to squash him and throw him out of the window!

Or ‘her’, of course, equal squashing rights for everyone.

Posted at 10:32 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by Peter de Vroomen

The irony that Hackaday is unimpressed by “AWE” is delicious.

Posted at 10:41 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by Josh

Again, this is what happens when you put tech in the hands of artists and not engineers, you get ridiculous, borderline dangerous inventions like this.

Posted at 10:47 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by Neckbeard

Isn’t it obvious to anyone but me that they are developing a giant robotic hand to crush humans?

Posted at 10:50 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by Eirikur Hrafnsson

Does not look practical to me.

Posted at 11:16 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by Squintz

I can see the benefits of a reconfigurable workspace, but I don’t like the way it tries to enclose the space. It looks like an idea that could be simplified immensely, although I suppose having a working prototype, even as horrific as this one, is the best way to iron out the details.

Posted at 11:20 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by Dave Eaton

configuration 96 is suitable for the same thing the last 95 configurations were suitable for (and just as expensive)

Posted at 11:31 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by McSquid

@neckbeard

and engineers are responsible for ugly depressing world that I live in most of the time :P (okay, architects too)

Posted at 11:50 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by john

Someone spent a lot of money on this thing…I wonder if they have any left over to loan me? :)

Posted at 11:51 am on Nov 9th, 2009 by Beverly

Wow, this is possibly the most useless thing I’ve ever seen. I’m not going to sit under that thing, it looks unstable and heavy. No thank you. I’d rather surround myself with flat panels.

Posted at 12:01 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by M4CGYV3R

@eirikur
that was my first thought as well. it looks like one of these compactors they have on junk yards. except that this is one isn’t for cars, it’s for people.
to serve man..

Posted at 12:22 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by tantris

“The irony that Hackaday is unimpressed by “AWE” is delicious.”

I don’t see anything ironic about it.

Posted at 12:33 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by andrew

Useless.

Perhaps useful for senior projects, but useless otherwise.

Posted at 12:47 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by Joe

The guys that did the flying pinguings also did something very similar, and it looked much better to me!

Posted at 1:44 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by Phil

I agree that it doesn’t seem to great as is, being only able to loom over people menacingly while they work, and I’d much rather have a cat around instead.

Maybe if it could seperate into individual fingers for poking at things, or if could be used as a kind of ladder that bends down and lifts people up to the next floor, or if the was a flap on a giant robot that controlled air flow and maybe acted like a balcony in the down position, it might be pretty cool, but this just doesn’t seem that exciting.

Actually, I think I just had a somewhat less ridiculous idea: If you put it on it’s side and made it part of a regular wall, you might be able to use as a fancy bendy-door. Possibly even a hidden one, if the wall is already broken into panels.

Posted at 2:06 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by MDude

meh… I don’t understand it’s purpose.

Posted at 2:16 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by Louis II

…although… if they mounted some surround sound and side displays… it might make for a strange gaming platform…

Posted at 2:17 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by Louis II

@Skitchin: Bwahahahahaha!!! oh how I lol’ed

OK, very rarely do I come on here and say things like “I don’t see the point”. In fact I am normally on here trying to be the optimist and say things like “hey, here are a couple of applications for your Acme robotic shitting dog…” but I have to admit I am finding it hard on this one.

I hate to say it but it struck me as an engineered solution to an unknown problem.

So perhaps the presentation could focus more on the engineering successes rather than the “play games or have an upside down monitor behind your head”…

flame on…

Posted at 2:35 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by tehgringe

Actually I managed to find an application. Turn the thing on its side. Flatten against a wall, and get the edges to curl in as a reaction to you moving part of a desktop to that area of the screen.

Thats what bugged me about it, it’s the wrong way round…

Posted at 2:37 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by tehgringe

@Caleb Craft

Looks like you need a SunSetter Retractable Awning

Posted at 3:44 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by RazorConcepts

What? is there a hackaday prize for most useless thing ever, this is not even a HACK!, somebody actually spent time and money to dev this, glad its not my money.

Are they on drugs!

Posted at 4:56 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by Gerty

make it longer, giant robot tentacles
add spikes, automatic iron maiden
small retractable bridge

Posted at 6:19 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by OldVamp

Sell, that looks like crap I don’t want.

Posted at 6:20 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by Terry

I always try to keep my mind open… but it’s a peace of crap.

Posted at 7:04 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by khani3s

@razorconcepts,
yeah, I guess that pretty much does exactly what I was saying. I want it to open the roof up like a flower though.

Posted at 8:18 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by Caleb Kraft

If it had 5.1 mounted to it, then i could see the point in it wrapping around you, but it doesnt. I think they could have easily done fewer pannels too. Wings with side monitors would be cool for games that can support that, but I think the money would be better spent on a good monitor/projetor setup.

Posted at 9:08 pm on Nov 9th, 2009 by dylnwit

this is so useless that it could use Arduino.

Posted at 12:05 am on Nov 10th, 2009 by markii

Glad to see NSF being loose with their money!

Posted at 4:06 am on Nov 10th, 2009 by Javier

Does anybody else feel like the walls are closing in?

Posted at 5:18 am on Nov 10th, 2009 by Knight

“I could possibly envision it mounted behind a couch or something. it could curl over to hold a monitor in front of you, then go away when you are done.”

Or use it to position speakers dynamically, but this seems a pretty expensive way of doing so.

Posted at 10:53 am on Nov 10th, 2009 by mbear

I can’t believe there isn’t a light on it as a standard feature. Once the wall goes over your head, it also blocks the room lighting – note the guys looking at their notebooks in the dark in one configuration – and it seems an obvious thing to mount a (remotely) adjustable task light to.

Posted at 11:16 am on Nov 10th, 2009 by carl

Useless as it is.
Should be rotated 90 degrees.
Fooey Artist crap.

Posted at 5:31 pm on Nov 10th, 2009 by Eraser

I want my money back!

Posted at 9:31 pm on Nov 11th, 2009 by I don't wanna

UBER LAME

Posted at 10:58 pm on Nov 12th, 2009 by neimado

AWE: a robotic wall

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