News: Ex-NASA scientist seeks development cash for car-juggling robot
No, it's not April 1
IT BEATS juggling balls.
A former NASA scientist is hoping to raise $2.3m to build a robot capable of juggling cars.
Dan Granett, who used to work for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory developing landing craft, rovers and robots for space exploration, has designed a 70ft tall juggling robot. The BugJuggler can juggle cars but as its name suggests, is partial to juggling VW Beetles.
It has hydraulic limbs powered by a diesel engine. Hydraulic accumulators, that boost pressure, provide the extra energy necessary for quick juggling movements.
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It can be controlled by an operator on the ground or, more interestingly, sitting in a chamber in its head.
At the moment, BugJuggler is just a computer-generated concept, but if he can raise the development funds, Granett could have produced the best thing since Chris Bliss juggled the Beatles.
