by Sonia Paul on Mashable
If you’ve ever been looking for a robotic puppet, your day has finally arrived.
Meet TJ*. He’s one part toy and one part science project. Just like a puppet, his owners — or rather, his puppeteers — can use a remote control to move his eyes up and down and left and right. And they can move TJ*s jaw too.
And just like a robot, TJ*s “brain” is essentially a computer system. He’s able to move because he has a servo-controlled head, which contains the Arduino open-source processor. That means that you’re not just limited to using the remote control’s set functions to move TJ*. You can write your own software and reprogram TJ*’s brain so that he can do whatever you want.
TJ* is a Kickstarter project by Jeff Kessler, a mechanical engineering graduate student at Stanford. Kessler originally started TJ* for a film project — he wanted to make a movie with a custom puppet — but when he realized what other people could do with TJ*, he decided to make the project bigger. That’s when he started writing more code for the Arduino processor and opened up the Kickstarter campaign.
Kessler sees the robotic puppet not only as a toy, but as an educational tool and tinkering platform for adults and children alike.
“I think TJ* is a really fun way to learn about Arduino and server robotics,” Kessler says in his Kickstarter pitch. “I would love for TJ* to help you get started telling your own stories, or building your own cool robots.”
Kessler was originally hoping for about $2,500 with the Kickstarter campaign, but with five days to go until it closes, he’s received more that $32,000 — a phenomenal feat.
That’s not all. While TJ* is currently made out of fiberboard, with “upgrades,” you can get him in colored plastic, paper “skin” and LED eyes. And Kessler’s also working on an “Emotive TJ*” that can show feelings like smiles or frowns.
What do you think of TJ*? Would you be interested in playing with this robotic puppet?
Source: http://mashable.com/2012/04/09/meet-a-new-friend-robotic-puppet-tj/
