What Could Possibly Go Wrong Giving A Robot A Chainsaw?

Chainsaw wielding robot

[Morgan Rauscher] is a rather eccentric artist, inventor, maker, professor… jack of all trades. His latest project is called the Art-Bot – and it’s an 8′ robotic arm equipped with a chainsaw. Did we mention you can control it via arcade buttons?

He’s been building sculptures for over 10 years now, and has enjoyed observing the evolution of automated manufacturing – from CNC machines to laser cutters and even now, 3D printers. He loves the technologies, but fears machines are making it too easy – distancing us from the good old physical interaction it once took to make things with a few simple tools. His Art-Bot project attempts to bridge that gap by bringing tactile transference to the experience.

The cool part about the Art-Bot is that it is mostly made of recycled materials – in particular, bicycle parts!

Making a robot from bicycle parts is really not that difficult, and I highly recommend it.

The rest of the robot consists of electric actuators (linear), the control circuitry, and of course — a chainsaw. For safety’s sake, [Morgan] also built a polycarbonate wall around it to protect users from it going on a murderous rampage wood chips and other debris thrown from the robot.

[Via MAKE]

15 thoughts on “What Could Possibly Go Wrong Giving A Robot A Chainsaw?

  1. “The cool part about the Art-Bot is that it is mostly made of recycled materials”

    I respectly posit that the cool part about the Art-Bot is the fact that it’s a controllable robot with a chainsaw.

    1. Like the paw print of a hominid that decided to make tools? Perhaps tools that harness some of the fundamental forces of nature? Perhaps those buttons should line up with said hominid’s left paw? Dunno what species that could be.

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