| Mike Loewen's B9 Project |
Okay, so I'm a Science Fiction nut. I must have some 2000 paperbacks at home, overflowing my living room. I grew up watching all the standard shows on TV: The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, UFO, My Favorite Martian, Star Trek. Then, there were the Irwin Allen spectaculars: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants and Lost in Space. Robots have always fascinated me, especially Robby from Forbidden Planet and B9 from Lost in Space. I never dreamed that the resources would eventually exist for ordinary Joes to actually build one of these mechanical men, but it's happened. Thanks to the members of the B9 Robot Builders Club and their web site, I've taken the plunge and started my own personal B9.
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My robot is progressing slowly but surely, and I've collected a lot of parts. I opted for an already cast fiberglass torso. I am planning to go the pipe insulation and plywood route for the legs, and will be building the tread sections from aluminum. I'll be building the brain, collar and radar section. What I'm really looking forward to is the electronics and automation. I'd like to see if I can make most of this contraption move.
| Construction Progress | |
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I started with a basic fiberglass torso right out of the
mold. I've been splitting my time between various parts of the robot, but
so far, I have most of the holes cut and a few of the parts fitted. Check
out the Torso page for progress shots.
Last updated on Thursday, February 02, 2006 |
| The Torso | |
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I opted to build a plexiglass radar section, with a hollow
top section. So far, the radar section is finished except for the ears and
priming/painting. See the Radar page for progress
shots.
Last updated on Thursday, February 02, 2006 |
| Radar Section | |
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I made the brain out of aluminum, and yes, I cut out
all the little shapes by hand. See the Brain page
for progress shots.
Last updated on Thursday, February 02, 2006 |
| Aluminum Brain | |
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The collar is the standard collection of 108 heat formed ribs, with milled top and bottom plates which have their own alignment slots. See the Collar page for progress shots. Last updated on Sunday, May 25, 2008 |
| Acrylic Collar | |
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I'm making the ear posts out of resin, which I'll drill out
to install a right angle gear mechanism. Molding and casting is brand new to
me, so this should be interesting.
Last updated on Thursday, February 02, 2006 |
| Resin Earposts | |
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Sure, I could have bought a resin frame, or even a
completed powerpack but what fun is that? Here's my version of the
powerpack with an acrylic frame and home made
circuit board.
Last updated on Sunday, December 13, 2009 |
| Powerpack | |
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I'm building the treadsection from aluminum, but instead of
welding it (which I'm not equipped to do), it's fastened together with bolts,
blind rivets and epoxy. See the Treadsection
page for progress shots.
Last updated on Thursday, February 02, 2006 |
| Aluminum Treadsection | |
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Here are some of the
schematic diagrams for the homebrew
eletronics in my robot, as well as LED light bulb replacements.
Last updated on Thursday, February 02, 2006 |
| Electronics | |
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This section contains photos of some of the other
Parts that I've collected or
manufactured, that don't have their own page, yet.
Last updated on Thursday, February 02, 2006 |
| Parts | |
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Various back-of-the-napkin thoughts and ramblings about future directions and features for my B9. Last updated on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 |
| Blue Sky Ramblings | |
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Site updates as of Sunday, December 13, 2009 |
| Site Updates |
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