I am, by nature, a creature of the web. My daytime vision is excellent although I prefer to roam, far and wide, under the cover of darkness.
Nightcrawler, woodsmith, metalsmith, scientist / engineer.
A small independent film company, The Management Productions, asked the Robot Group if we had a robotic head that they could use in their movie.
Babbling Head takes a road trip
The Babbling Head was working and available so we agreed. The film is called Armadillo News and follows the antics of a high school journalism class. Filming was done in the parking lot of St. Paul’s Lutheran church.
Krista Lundquist and her Dad, Eric Lundquist, set up Babbling Head
Armadillo News was shown at the Texas Union Theater on Saturday, May 22, 2004 and made its public debut in October 2004 at the Austin Film Festival.
In the film, Armadillo News, Edmond, the evil genius, is seen with Babbling Head in its role as NewsBotEric Lundquist stands by at filming of Armadillo NewsEric Lundquist plays the unheralded role as hero by making the cart easier to roll across the asphalt (with an ordinary pizza box)Producer-director, Chris Rose, looks on in awe as Eric Lundquist reprograms Babbling Head for its next lines.
[Text and images originally from http://wiki.therobotgroup.org/wiki/ArmadilloNews]
Eric demonstrated several robots for an enthusiastic audience of kids and parents. Babbling Head recited a short story and sand several songs. The Compubotics CR01 robot explored the floors and table tops. The P5 Glove, a virtual reality glove, was a huge hit!
Babbling Head recites a short story at Austin Public Library, July 2004Catherine Lundquist works with P5 Glove at Austin Public Library July 2004. Compubotics CR01 robot is in the foreground.Eric Lundquist aids in putting on the P5 Glove at the Austin Public Library, July 2004Eric Lundquist instructs in the use of the P5 Glove at the Austin Public Library, July 2004Wow! This is cool!!Kids of all ages were enthralled by the P5 Glove at Austin Public Library, July 2004Rule no. 1 : Never let the subject see that you are aiming the camera at them. Austin Public Library, July 2004.
Saturday July 3rd, 2004 with the Butthole Surfers’ INDUSTRIAL BAND THE JACK OFFICERS and Austin, TX-based The Robot Group and a bunch of other acts!!
At 357 Blue Star Arts Complex San Antone, TX.
yee hawww!!!!!
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE!!!
Saturday July 3rd, 2004
CAM Entertainment Presents : The 1st Annual CAM Carnival, The Official Contemporary Art Month Kickoff Party & Fundraiser. With the Jack Officers, (featuring Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers), Kal Spelletich of the SEEMEN Robotics Collective, Louis Katz and his Flaming Pipe Organ, The Robot Group, Boxcar Satan, DJ Deep Feel & Sonic Uke. PLUS Art Cars from around the state and classic one-dollar entry freak booths in a vintage carnival atmosphere. Full cash bar provided by South Presa’s newest hotspot, Tequila Island. Co-hosted by Blue Star Art Space. Produced by Robert Tatum, Director of CAM San Antonio.
Blue Star Silos, 401 Blue Star Street, SAT July 3, 8 PM – 1 AM; $10 Press Contact (General Info) Anjali Gupta 210.533.5762 Or go to http://www.camsanantonio.org
In-Kind Sponsors of the CAM Kickoff Carnival : The San Antonio Current, KRTU, Hill Country Springs, 1906 Gallery, Alamo Beer Company and Krazy Kat Music.
Schedule :
12:00 midnight The Jack Officers (NYC/Austin) Gibby Hayes is best known as the front man of the Butthole Surfers, but has performed under various names for years. Once dubbed the fount of “the most repulsive music in rock and roll history” by the Village Voice, the Butthole Surfers formed in 1981 in San Antonio. From such modest beginnings, the Surfers went on to become one of the most influential post-punk bands in the world. The Jack Officers side-project began in 1991. Like the Surfers, The Jack Officers combine Situationist-style performative elements and seriously strange music, accompanied by the film projections. Hayes now lives and works in New York City. Press Contact : Nathan Calhoun 512-472-5097
11:00 PM Boxcar Satan (San Antonio) Boxcar Satan is a San Antonio-based rock trio that deconstructs American roots music and pours a particularly venomous brand of self-loathing noise from the demon bottle. Depression-era Delta blues, post-industrial field hollers, free improv and a healthy dose of post-punk skronk are fused together like quadruplets joined at the head. Press Contact : Sanford Allen 210.736.5124
10:00 PM Kal Spelletich/The SEEMAN (San Francisco) Since their formation in 1988, the SEEMEN have staged more than 1000 performances throughout the US, Canada and Europe at arts institutions, clubs, warehouses and the occasional freeway underpass. In 1990, Kal Spelletich relocated from Austin to San Francisco, and from 1995-2004 he has performed with a rotating group of collaborators. The SEEMEN were the featured performers at Burning Man in Black Rock, Nevada. Their works have also been exhibited at the Jack Hanley Gallery and Deitch Gallery NYC. Spelletich’s robotic sculptures are included in the collections of the New York Museum of Modern Art and the Getty. Press Contact : Kal Spelletich 415.821.7621
David Nunez takes on Kal Spelletich’s exoskeleton
Kal Spelletich and a volunteer play with fire
More playing with fire
9:00 PM Sonic Uke (Austin) Three singers; one little guitar. Austin based trio Sonic Uke may very well make the ukulele the sexiest instrument in history. Press Contact : Dirty Baby 512.385.4668
8:30 PM on Louis H. Katz (Corpus Christi) Spontaneous performances throughout the night. Louis Katz’s Flaming Pipe Organ is an amalgam of the artist’s ceramics studio practice and live performance – a complex kiln structure with multiple chimneys and a musical instrument. Katz received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute and his MFA from Montana State University. He is an Associate Professor of Ceramics at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, Texas. Press Contact : Bill Fitz Gibbons 210.723.3048
8 PM DJ Deepfeel (San Antonio) Spontaneous performances throughout the night. Deepfeel, aka Jaime Lopez, comes from the contemporary world of DJ Culture. Taking cues from the old school – Reggae Soundsystem, Northern Soul and early American House – Deepfeel brings back the importance of two things : the music; the vibe. Press Contact : Jaime Lopez 210.737.6350
Head in the Clouds sculpture
Ring of Fire
Silo wall decoration
8 PM The Robot Group (Austin) Spontaneous performances throughout the night. The Robot Group was founded in the Spring of 1989 by a small group of artists and engineers with a shared vision of fusing art and technology. The collaborative has attracted a diverse audience of tech and non-tech alike, and garnered international recognition. The Group’s activities have been covered in Newsweek, Mondo 2000, boing-boing, and FringeWare Review. They have also appeared on Good Morning America, Art Brigade, Kulture Report, and the Discovery Channel. The group will be moving about the crowd with their various creations all evening. Press Contact : David Nuñez 512.796.9545
Mark Hinkle had proposed a Centipede project different from that previously built by Brooks Coleman. Alas, the project page was only partially-captured by the Wayback Machine and I have no further knowledge of its successful completion.
The Centipede is a segmented insect-like robot. The segments are constructed such that they are removable and stackable. That is, the robot can be made almost any length you like.
I have been encountering some problems in the design definition stage. The big problem is that of knowing the turn angle. I would like to use a potentiometer for it but all the ones I have looked at have a high friction on the wiper. The robot is lightweight so this is unacceptable. If you know of a small, low-friction potentiometer, please drop me a line.
UPDATE (23MAR04): Some people that I have contact with through work are getting me the name of a manufacturer that makes 360 deg. pots. That is, the pot can turn infinite angles and has very low stiction. I’ll post contact info for the manufacturer as soon as I find out. It is exactly (almost … it is a bit large) what I have been looking for!
Failing that, I decided that a flex sensor would be a good choice. They only sense flexing in one direction so I would need two of them back to back. I figure they would have to be about one inch long. That means custom.
UPDATE: (23Sep2004) I have found a part that will do the trick! It is used on the nose-vane of the Predator UAV for attitude sensing. The part is made by the Dynamation Transducers Corporation.”
Mark Hinkle (aka RoboMarkov)
The background material for this page is derived from an archived page on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Some links may have been added, removed, or updated.
Campshower is another design from the mind of Mark Hinkle. As is the case for his Centipede project, this page was only partially-captured by the Wayback Machine.
This is a concept for a deluxe campshower I have. This was going to be for the Civic Guard, a Society for Creative Anachronism group. Unfortunately no one had the cash to pitch in for its components.
Mark Hinkle
Some calculations for it follow :
Assume : 15 persons 10 minute showers 12V 200 Amp-hour battery 50 gallon water tank 2.5 gal/min pump 5 gal water per shower
Total shower length per day = 10×15 = 150 minutes per day
A fully charged battery will last 200/5.5 = 36.36 hours continuous usage. 36.36hr x 60min/hr = 2181.81 minutes 2181.81min / 150min/day = 14.54 days @ 150 minutes per day
A full water tank lasts (under continuous usage) 50gal / 2.5gpm = 20 minutes continuous (under intermittent usage) 50gal / 5gpp = 10 people can shower before tank is dry.
Note : this assumes that the showerer will only have the water on long enough to get wet or to rinse. No water usage during lathering, scrubbing, or shaving. Also, no account is made for the hot water reserve. I recommend that we have two water barrels so that one may be filled while another is used.
Another note : It can get cold at Gulf War. Pipes may freeze. How do we prevent that? We could bury the hoses but will that work? Draining is not practical. Also, we could use some sort of insulation on the uprights.
The parts list goes something like this:
BATTERY : spec.: AGM???, 12V, ???AmpHr, $xxx
BATTERY CHARGING REGULATOR : 10A Schottkey diode with heatsink if possible.
WATERPUMP : 12V DC, 6.0Amp current, 2.0-3.0gpm
HOSE : garden or RV hose with large inner diameter. Need something to prevent freezing. Bury?
FAUCET : two valve
SHOWERHEAD : low flow, high pressure
WATER HEATER : gas, 6gal, no electric (spark or match ignite)
Shower cannot be continuous! These times are the cumulative length of all showers.
PAVILION : plasticized canvas, 5ft.x5ft base
ASTROTURF : toolbox liner is also acceptable
PALLET : modified so feet don’t fall between cracks
The background material for this page is derived from an archived page on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Some links may have been added, removed, or updated.
On Thursday, September 4th, 2003, at 7:00pm, the Austin Museum of Art (823 Congress Ave, Austin, 78701) presented “Another Fifteen Minutes : An Evening with Warholabot and Ediebot.” Admission was $5.00.
The show was in conjunction with the opening of AMOA’s new Andy Warhol exhibit. Robot Group members, the dashing Glenn Currie and the grizzled Eric Lundquist, portrayed the mysterious Men in Black.
“Andy Warhol once said that he wanted to be a machine. What if he actually became a machine?
In 2017, a mysterious group of beings, known as The Nine, have extracted Andy’s soul essence and inserted it into an Andy Warhol robot.”
“Andy Warholabot and Ediebot (Warhol Superstar Edie Sedgwick) will time-travel from 2017 in an Interdimensional Limousine to 2003 in order to put in an appearance in the gallery of the AMOA where they will be interviewed by Mega 93.3 DJ Miss Kitty. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear Andy Warholabot and Ediebot talk about art, fame and silver pillows.”
Written and Directed by Sidney Moody
Robert Patterson as Andy Warholabot
Lisl Friday / Acclaim Talent as Ediebot
Miss Kitty playing herself as “The Interviewer”
Glenn Currie and Eric Lundquist as the Men In Black
Robot Group members get together to watch a long-awaited episode of Comedy Central’s Insomniac with Dave Attell. You know, the episode in which Dave and his crew visited with The Robot Group!
Mark Hinkle
Jocelyn Hinkle holding Linnet
Mark Hinkle and his wife, Jocelyn, were our hosts for the evening. There was great food and drink for everyone. Fresh baked bread, cakes, dips, BBQ … mmm, mmm, mmm.
Mike Scioli, Denise Scioli, Sonia Santana, Derek Bridges
Derek Bridges, Don Colbath, Tom Davidson, Tami Friedman, Mark Hinkle, Eric Lundquist, Krista Lundquist, Tom Morin, Sonia Santana, Denise Scioli, and Mike Scioli were in attendance.
Tami Friedman, Denise Scioli, Tom Davidson, Mark Hinkle (standing), and Don Colbath (seated with back to camera)Tom Morin (l), Tom Davidson (c), and Tami Friedman (r)Tom Morin (l) and Derek Bridges (r)Krista Lundquist
Dave Attell and his crew from Insomniac come and hang with The Robot Group [L-R Jason Robbins, Eric Lundquist, Dave Attell, Glenn Currie, Brooks Coleman]
The fourth season ran from 5/29/03-7/31/03 (Thursdays at 10pm|9c). The Austin episode first aired on July 3, 2003.
Dave Attell and his crew on their visit to The Robot Group
Members got together at Mark Hinkle’s home to watch the show at the Insomniac Party.
Dave Attell and his crew on their visit to The Robot Group [Tai Chi Charlie in the background with Kevin Derichs]
The episode aired again on July 6, 2003 at 10:30pm CT and was rerun several other times.
Dave Attell and his crew on their visit to The Robot Group [Brooks Coleman on the right sporting his Dylanesque leopard-skin pillbox hat]
In an interview with The Onion A.V. Club, Dave Attell mentions that it was 20 degrees outside when he filmed in Austin.
Glenn Currie at the console
He also refers to the organization as The South Austin Robot Group. Alas, this is a common gaff. We are The Robot Group, Inc. and, at the time, we hung-out in the south of Austin.
Eric Lundquist (foreground) and Kevin Derichs
Babbling Head atop the Robot Brain
Brooks Coleman among several of his creationsTom DavidsonJacob Brown and Jason RobbinsKevin Dreichs and Bill CraigDweebvision in disguise
Eric Lundquist monitors as Babbling Head entertains the troops.
Babbling Head entertains the students with a song or two.
Eric Lundquist and the class observe Catherine the Creative as she manipulates a chess piece.
Eric Lundquist demonstrates the P5 Virtual Reality glove.
Eric Lundquist with the students in the Barton Creek Elementary School, 2nd grade Gifted & Talented class as they experience the P5 Virtual Reality glove.
The students were great and had a lot of interesting questions. Babbling Head sang a few songs. Catherine the Creative moved a chess piece around. All of the students got a chance to try out the virtual reality glove.
![Dave Attell and his crew on their visit to The Robot Group [Tai Chi Charlie in the background with Kevin Derichs]](https://therobotgroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/TRG_-_Insomniac_05200025-cropped.jpg)
![Dave Attell and his crew on their visit to The Robot Group [Brooks Coleman on the right sporting his Dylanesque leopard-skin pillbox hat]](https://therobotgroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/TRG_-_Insomniac_05200023-cropped-1024x638.jpg)
