Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:25 — 13.4MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | RSS | More
Along with the beginnings of springs and wire, we take a look at some more automatons. Included is the 18th century chess playing mechanical Turk.
Continue reading Ep 315: Wires, springs, and mechanical marvels
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:43 — 13.8MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | RSS | More
Starting more than 2000 years ago, people have been creating machines that resemble animals and humans. Powered by water, compressed air, springs or falling weights, these automatons thrilled and amazed spectators.
Continue reading Ep 314: Ancient robots
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:12 — 13.2MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | RSS | More
To build your bot, you’ll need some bits. Today we talk about wheels pulleys and gears—where and when they happen, and how and why to use them.
Continue reading Ep 313: Why are we turning?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:28 — 10.6MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | RSS | More
We finish up “building brain bits for bots based on big beasties,” and move on to some things that have to do with actual robots. Searching for the beginnings of the technology, we do make a short visit to the stone age.
Continue reading Ep 312: That’s not a machine!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:03 — 15.3MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | RSS | More
We begin a series on robotics and automation with a look at your host’s on going project on how to build a brain for a bot. After years of research, it turns out that bigger is better.
special thanks to @EliaMagrinelli and @mattparlmer.
Continue reading Ep 311: Building brain bits for bots based on big beasties
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:01 — 16.2MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | RSS | More
For our last episode on space and space travel, we take a look at the private business based space programs.
Continue reading Ep 310: Dreams and schemes in space
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:22 — 15.8MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | RSS | More
17 years after the space shuttle Challenger broke up during launch, the space shuttle Columbia broke up during reentry. We take a look at what happened and why.
Continue reading Ep 309: The Columbia’s last flight
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:43 — 14.1MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | RSS | More
In January of 1986, the space shuttle Challenger came apart 73 seconds after launch. We take a look at what happened and why.
Continue reading Ep 308: The Challenger’s last flight
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:07 — 10.0MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | RSS | More
With 135 missions over a 30 year period, the STS was enormously successful. It will take another episode or two to cover, but we start with an overview of NASA’s space shuttle program.
Continue reading Ep 307: The space shuttle
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:32 — 11.7MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | RSS | More
We spend time talking about America’s first space station, a strike in space that didn’t happen, the first joint US USSR mission, and how and why Skylab fell.
Continue reading Ep 306: Skylab has fallen