Well, we’ve already witnessed what beer loving roboticists like to do in their free time, but what happens when the beer loving Yelp engineers get extra time on their hands? They engage in “hackathons” and invent the Kegmate, an iPad-powered “Kegbot”.
And for those of you who are geeky enough … errr brilliantly intelligent enough to understand the cryptic language known as “computer engineering”, the kids over at Yelp have been kind enough to detail the entire project on their blog for anyone brave enough to recreate it on their own. Here is an excerpt from the blog:
Theory of Operation (An Overview): Sensors attached to the keg feed data into an Arduino microcontroller, which in turn communicates directly with the iPad via a serial connection. The iPad processes that data and displays it in a snazzy manner along with a description of the current brew. An RFID reader attached to the system allows users to ‘swipe in’ to KegMate and keep track of how much beer they’ve had, as well as assign a star rating for the beer currently in the keg (this is Yelp, after all).Continue Reading »
Just when I thought that being a Mutineer was the coolest job in the world, I discovered Willow Garage, a team of robot design experts. They actually get paid to develop hardware and open source software for personal robotics applications. Which begs the question: whose job is cooler? I sense an epic battle of wits and strength coming on… or maybe just a duel. The Mutineers vs. The Roboticists — Coming to a theatre near you.
This video is magical. We’ve found it to be the only thing that will calm down Mutineer Layout Editor Jordan Luckman when he descends into madness in the thick of deadline. He can be stomping around, smashing cans of cola on his forehead, and screaming like a wild beast, and if we turn on this video, he gets a glazed look in his eyes, and then he takes a nap. Every time. Robots + Fine Beverage = FTW!!!
Star Wars has left a lasting impression on many of us, but for some, things have gone way too far. Here we have a collection of Star Wars fans tributes, not only to the epic space opera, but to beer as well. How these two come together is for the fan to imagine and the observer to behold. So now I present to you what could only be seen in the world of, The Star Wars Zone. Continue Reading »
Using Stephen Colbert’s proven process of “gut feeling journalism”, I have uncovered that Japan is developing weapons technology against which the United States will have no defense. The fact that Japan has perfected the Coke robot effectively makes them the world’s leading superpower. Continue Reading »
Check out this little guy. He is a robot Sommelier created by the fine people at NEC System Technologies. I haven’t been able to find an official name for him, so I shall dub him Box the Somm after the coolest robot ever from Logan’s Run. Continue Reading »
