Robospinning

by Devin on January 21, 2011

Earlier today I stopped by the shop and caught this video of the firebowls for the Boiler being spun. There’s an interesting contrast between this process and my efforts over the summer. When it comes to speed, this is nothing like John Henry vs. the steam drill. The machine has me beat hands-down. Fair enough, but can it enjoy the warmth of sunny summer day? The smell of freshly-baked cookies? The fire of a lover’s kiss? I think not.

Anyway, while I set this up as a robot in the video for dramatic effect, I guess it’s better described as a machine (since it relies on human input to perform tasks), a CNC machine. But as such, it’s operating as a bit of a hybrid. While there are some processes that are completely automated (where software interprets a design and creates paths for the machine to follow), the moves here were programmed in by a human. It kind of reminds me of a player piano, and is what I’m going to go ahead and call a remarkable feat of human/robot collaboration.


[ 4 comments… read them below or add one ]

Christopher January 23, 2011 at 4:37 pm

Nice!

Would it be possible for you to get a comparison picture between your boiler and other storm/volcano kettles? Or perhaps just a drawn picture to avoid legal issues. Would be nice to see exactly how much smaller it is compared to my KellyKettle.

Devin January 24, 2011 at 10:04 am

Thanks Chris!

I’ve never actually owned another chimney kettle, but I’m working up a post to compare the Boiler to a standard Nalgene bottle. It’s a closer match. Hopefully you have one of those for reference.

Phil January 25, 2011 at 6:01 pm

Oh my gosh! That one was mine! I recognized it!

Devin January 27, 2011 at 9:04 pm

Good eye. How did you know? ;)

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