Crabfu’s SwashBot 3, now crabbier

Robotics

I-Wei thought his SwashBot 2 was cool and all, but had lost some of the character of his original SwashBot. So, he built a third version that combines the mobility of the second with the charm and personality of his first crab bot. To build the body and the leg components, he used an amazing molding material called ShapeLock. Seeing the results definitely makes this something I want to check out. You can mold it very thin and flexible for the body pieces or thick and rigid for functional components like the leg segments.

Swashbot

8 thoughts on “Crabfu’s SwashBot 3, now crabbier

  1. RocketGuy says:

    I’ve been using shapelock for a few years now, it’s great stuff. Very reusable, just reheat and reuse.

    I toss it into a pyrex with water and nuke it for a few minutes. You need to be patient, no point in overheating it as it doesn’t make the process faster, and can result in burns. It doesn’t take all that long anyway, just a few minutes.

    Anyway, it’s lots of fun, machinable, and easy as pie to prototype stuff or solve some problems that need a custom something. I used a bit of it to mount a video cam on my R/C plane. Worked great, and took me about 10 minutes.

  2. PattiS says:

    Stunning work (again!) from Crabfu. I can’t decide if I want to see it dressed in a hula skirt, or with a little top hat and cane . . .

  3. Scott Preston says:

    I created a similar crab:

    http://www.scottsbots.com/articles/33.php

  4. lou says:

    where can you get shapelock?

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Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn

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