Robot build continues…

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Mecanum wheel

As you may have gleaned from the calendar sidebar, there’s robot building underway at i3! We’re hosting two FIRST teams, 1216 from Oak Park and 3302 from Clawson. If you’re not familiar with the First Robotics Challenge or this year’s game, take a look!

To get a sense of the issues and questions that teams must tackle, check out the Chief Delphi forums, where students and mentors hang out.

That funny-looking wheel in the photo, by the way, is a Mecanum wheel. These are one way (Omniwheels are the other) of achieving a holonomic drive.

Open Shop Friday

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In case you haven’t been peering too closely at the calendar sidebar, tonight is open shop night! I promise to have the doors open by 6:30pm, but if you knock earlier, there’s a good chance another member will answer. Swing by!

What is open shop? Basically, it’s your excuse to come hang out. Bring a project to work on, or don’t. Bring a completed thing to show off, or don’t. Bring a friend, definitely.

We’re at 322 e. 4th st, 48067, hiding at the end of a nondescript little driveway. (If you’re having trouble finding the place, look for 323East, the art gallery across the street. They have a huge graffiti wall, you can’t miss it. Oh, and Bethany Shorb’s exhibition opens there tonight!)

Jam session, baby! – UPDATED

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Camera strapped to a drumstick

Combine a dozen geeks with a pile of musical instruments, and strange things happen. Like, for instance, strapping a camera to a drumstick.

The drumsticks-eye-view video has some pretty severe sync problems, but it’s definitely unique. There’s also a 9-minute youtube video of the whole shebang.

Also, FIRST kickoff today! Woohoo! Stream starts at 10am, if you want to watch online. UPDATE: Robotics festivities here at the shop (322 e. 4th st, 48067) will commence at 1 PM, including a replay of the broadcast.

Jam Session Tonight!

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The day is upon us! Whether it clanks, whistles, growls, or buzzes, we want to hear you play it. i3Detroit’s Unusual Musical Instrument Jam Session starts tonight at 8pm. Got tix? (Registration isn’t strictly required — walk-ins are almost always welcome at our events — but it helps us anticipate demand, and is most appreciated!)

Arriving earlier than 8pm is great, of course. There will probably be someone in the space all evening, check Twitter for details.

Building a Boat

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Stitched-plywood hull on table at i3Detroit

Stitched-plywood hull on table at i3Detroit

The boat currently taking shape in the shop requires a 14-foot work table, plus walking space at either end. Such dimensions are prohibitive if your only options are a home garage (too small AND too cold) or the living room (whose new carpet precludes its use as a workshop). But that’s why i3Detroit exists!

The canoe in question is a Moccasin, a computer-aided design from B&B Yacht Designs. While digital in origin, the plans arrive as paper in an envelope, and require a process called “lofting” to lay them out on the full-size sheets of plywood. The progress since that point is documented on my Flickr.

If you swing by the space in the next few days, you might find the boat stashed overhead so the shop can be used for other things, or you might find the rest of assembly and finishing in progress. Check i3Detroit’s Twitter feed for times.