The electric giraffe (aka 'Rave Raffe') is a shy, nocturnal creature of the Playa. It can sometimes be found roaming the streets of suburbia where it elicits awe amongst the spectators. Native of Southern California, the 'Raffe can sometimes be coaxed further afield for special occasions.
Enter now the world of the Electric Giraffe, and behold the beauty of its design, marvel at its engineering and revel in the presence of the World's first robotic giraffe.
15th Dec 2011
Hello there! With the approach of 2012, I thought it best I wake up here and give you some updates! I have remained good and active, with many appearances and modifications!
In 2009 my owner started house hunting, and has since landed a huge house, a massive garage, and lots of land out in the country for me to dwell in! The garage is so big that I can walk right in. No more sitting outside and hoping the weather won't get me wet or rusty! But with all these goings on he forgot about my need to talk to folks here in my Journal!
So, what has been happening with me? Here's some updates.
2009: We managed to do the Maker Faire once more, and as usual, had a total blast. I cannot say how much I love attending the Make Faire! Russell Pinnington, my programmer, came out from England once again to accompany Lindsay and myself to the faire.
I also entered the Ocean Beach Christmas Parade, the largest parade in all of San Diego, and had a lovely time showing off my new lights and paint job to everyone, plus I was dressed as Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer! With my new sound system blaring xmass music for everyone, we once again took the parade by storm, the crowd was overwhelmed and cheered very loudly as I walked down the same streets that Lindsay once roamed as a child. Afterwards we received a 1st Place, Best in Show award once again for best individual entry! This was the second 1st place award I got, the first one being 2007, when I was still all white and had not been given my major overhaul. So, I was now 2 for 2! Could I get 3 for 3?
2010: Lindsay was by now looking very hard for a his very first house to ever own on his own!
We once again attended the Maker Faire that year, and had a wonderful time, showing off more technology and advancements. I was able to now move my jaw to talk, and I had a new neck gimbal, that allowed me to look around in all 3 axis of movement! People were amazed as I actually looked at them as I spoke! Also, I was now able to auto-level my head, so that as my neck went up and down, I electronically knew where my head is, and can level it according to the neck attitude. As usual, a wonderful time was had by all, with Russell visiting once more to offer technical support and eat all of Lindsay's food. >.>
The Make Faire also introduced a new format to the room we were in. Lights out! We were able to show off all of our lights very nicely, while a band with a roaring Tesla coil took the stage and thrilled everyone with a particularly unique brand of rock and roll music!
Then I was asked to appear at the prestigious Del Mar Fair Grounds, where I was allowed to walk around in the children's area, letting kids pet me and be amazed at what appeared to be a carnival ride having escaped its moorings and was now running loose about the fairgrounds! I cannot say how fun that was for me and everyone I met!
By late 2010, Lindsay had finally managed to find a house to buy! Naturally I assumed he would take care of me, and indeed he did, finding a house with a huge garage and workshop, with which to build more exciting updates to add onto me, plus, some even LARGER robots that he is hinting at making!
2011: This has been a more quiet year for me, with Lindsay working hard to set up the house and the workshop with which to build new updates for myself and future robots he is planning. Already he has bought a TIG welder, and a computer controlled milling machine! From what I understand, I am to receive a fully articulated 7 segmented neck! When is not totally known, but we are hoping it will be ready for the 2012 Make Faire! Wish me luck!
In the meantime, we once again attended the Make Faire, just barely because of bad weather, but still had a wonderful time in the new dark room format that the Make Faire people have created, what I consider a brilliant move. It allows all of use really pretty "Night Time" oriented robots to show our stuff!
I have also been out to some school based robotic events, and very much enjoy attending those. Dave Masey has been instrumental in booking outdoor appearances for me, so its starting to look like I have an actual agent working on my behalf! Thank you Dave!
And last but not least, I once again entered the Ocean Beach Christmas Parade, partly because the town council called Lindsay and asked him to bring me! Lindsay had once again hoped to attend, and by the skin of our teeth, we just made the long journey from Ramona, and got into Ocean Beach just in time to attend! My run down the street was without incident, and an old high school friend of Lindsay's showed up to operate my new jaw and ability to look around with my head, and sing to the crowd! Thank you, Allen! So, walking and singing, we paraded down the streets of Ocean Beach, sending off 2011 with a very memorable appearance!
Shortly after, I was contacted by the parade council, and they have once again, voted me a 1st place award for best in show! That's 3 for 3! What a perfect way to end 2011, with so much more to look for in 2012. Dave Masey has already booked another appearance for me at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Feb. 2012. Thus, between appearances, and a new workshop Lindsay is creating to build new things for me, I have a lot to look forward to in the new year!
Wish me luck and I hope to see all of you again soon!
P.S. Lindsay will also be 12 in 2012, because he was born on leap year and only gets a birthday once every 4 years! Hope to see some of you at his party! :D
In 2009 my owner started house hunting, and has since landed a huge house, a massive garage, and lots of land out in the country for me to dwell in! The garage is so big that I can walk right in. No more sitting outside and hoping the weather won't get me wet or rusty! But with all these goings on he forgot about my need to talk to folks here in my Journal!
So, what has been happening with me? Here's some updates.
2009: We managed to do the Maker Faire once more, and as usual, had a total blast. I cannot say how much I love attending the Make Faire! Russell Pinnington, my programmer, came out from England once again to accompany Lindsay and myself to the faire.
I also entered the Ocean Beach Christmas Parade, the largest parade in all of San Diego, and had a lovely time showing off my new lights and paint job to everyone, plus I was dressed as Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer! With my new sound system blaring xmass music for everyone, we once again took the parade by storm, the crowd was overwhelmed and cheered very loudly as I walked down the same streets that Lindsay once roamed as a child. Afterwards we received a 1st Place, Best in Show award once again for best individual entry! This was the second 1st place award I got, the first one being 2007, when I was still all white and had not been given my major overhaul. So, I was now 2 for 2! Could I get 3 for 3?
2010: Lindsay was by now looking very hard for a his very first house to ever own on his own!
We once again attended the Maker Faire that year, and had a wonderful time, showing off more technology and advancements. I was able to now move my jaw to talk, and I had a new neck gimbal, that allowed me to look around in all 3 axis of movement! People were amazed as I actually looked at them as I spoke! Also, I was now able to auto-level my head, so that as my neck went up and down, I electronically knew where my head is, and can level it according to the neck attitude. As usual, a wonderful time was had by all, with Russell visiting once more to offer technical support and eat all of Lindsay's food. >.>
The Make Faire also introduced a new format to the room we were in. Lights out! We were able to show off all of our lights very nicely, while a band with a roaring Tesla coil took the stage and thrilled everyone with a particularly unique brand of rock and roll music!
Then I was asked to appear at the prestigious Del Mar Fair Grounds, where I was allowed to walk around in the children's area, letting kids pet me and be amazed at what appeared to be a carnival ride having escaped its moorings and was now running loose about the fairgrounds! I cannot say how fun that was for me and everyone I met!
By late 2010, Lindsay had finally managed to find a house to buy! Naturally I assumed he would take care of me, and indeed he did, finding a house with a huge garage and workshop, with which to build more exciting updates to add onto me, plus, some even LARGER robots that he is hinting at making!
2011: This has been a more quiet year for me, with Lindsay working hard to set up the house and the workshop with which to build new updates for myself and future robots he is planning. Already he has bought a TIG welder, and a computer controlled milling machine! From what I understand, I am to receive a fully articulated 7 segmented neck! When is not totally known, but we are hoping it will be ready for the 2012 Make Faire! Wish me luck!
In the meantime, we once again attended the Make Faire, just barely because of bad weather, but still had a wonderful time in the new dark room format that the Make Faire people have created, what I consider a brilliant move. It allows all of use really pretty "Night Time" oriented robots to show our stuff!
I have also been out to some school based robotic events, and very much enjoy attending those. Dave Masey has been instrumental in booking outdoor appearances for me, so its starting to look like I have an actual agent working on my behalf! Thank you Dave!
And last but not least, I once again entered the Ocean Beach Christmas Parade, partly because the town council called Lindsay and asked him to bring me! Lindsay had once again hoped to attend, and by the skin of our teeth, we just made the long journey from Ramona, and got into Ocean Beach just in time to attend! My run down the street was without incident, and an old high school friend of Lindsay's showed up to operate my new jaw and ability to look around with my head, and sing to the crowd! Thank you, Allen! So, walking and singing, we paraded down the streets of Ocean Beach, sending off 2011 with a very memorable appearance!
Shortly after, I was contacted by the parade council, and they have once again, voted me a 1st place award for best in show! That's 3 for 3! What a perfect way to end 2011, with so much more to look for in 2012. Dave Masey has already booked another appearance for me at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Feb. 2012. Thus, between appearances, and a new workshop Lindsay is creating to build new things for me, I have a lot to look forward to in the new year!
Wish me luck and I hope to see all of you again soon!
P.S. Lindsay will also be 12 in 2012, because he was born on leap year and only gets a birthday once every 4 years! Hope to see some of you at his party! :D
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New Sensor Boards
27th May 2011
The new sensor boards were completed in time for the 2011 Maker Faire:
This is the fourth iteration of the nose board, previous versions having been smashed by the lower jaw springing up into them. Each petting zone (nose, eyes, and new for this year: under the chin) now has a frosted polycarbonate guard on top of it. This serves three purposes: it provides a nice tactile surface for petting; it glows when lit by the new petting zone LEDs; and it protects the sensors from damage. Previously we had simply used blobs of glue to protect the sensors, but it was ugly. The new plates look great, are tough and durable, and also easy to remove if the circuit board needs to be accessed.
The new LEDs in the petting zones provide very helpful visual feedback. When multiple people are petting the giraffe at once it's hard to know if your input is being registered or not because he's busy responding to someone else's input. With the LEDs you get immediate feedback that your input is doing something, even if he can't respond to it immediately. There was some debate over how many petting zones there should be in the nose. Originally there were two, but last year Lindz expanded it to five. I argued to reduce it back to two because people just cannot see the difference - they are already at sensory overload in a fair environment before they even get to the giraffe, and they just don't have the attention necessary to see details like that. We decided to go for two zones, and I tried to differentiate them as much as possible by clearly grouping them with a large distance between them, and providing tactile feedback in the form of a ridge between the two groups. Even so, most people would pet the whole nose at once and not try to trigger the two zones independently.
Something that came out of the faire is the need for an "interview mode" - a simple reactive mode that can be turned on during TV interviews to make sure he responds predictably and immediately while on camera.
The new status LEDs on the servo driver board were useful for keeping an eye on what he was doing, but it's possible that they could be expanded even more, perhaps into an LCD with a readout of his status.
This is the fourth iteration of the nose board, previous versions having been smashed by the lower jaw springing up into them. Each petting zone (nose, eyes, and new for this year: under the chin) now has a frosted polycarbonate guard on top of it. This serves three purposes: it provides a nice tactile surface for petting; it glows when lit by the new petting zone LEDs; and it protects the sensors from damage. Previously we had simply used blobs of glue to protect the sensors, but it was ugly. The new plates look great, are tough and durable, and also easy to remove if the circuit board needs to be accessed.
The new LEDs in the petting zones provide very helpful visual feedback. When multiple people are petting the giraffe at once it's hard to know if your input is being registered or not because he's busy responding to someone else's input. With the LEDs you get immediate feedback that your input is doing something, even if he can't respond to it immediately. There was some debate over how many petting zones there should be in the nose. Originally there were two, but last year Lindz expanded it to five. I argued to reduce it back to two because people just cannot see the difference - they are already at sensory overload in a fair environment before they even get to the giraffe, and they just don't have the attention necessary to see details like that. We decided to go for two zones, and I tried to differentiate them as much as possible by clearly grouping them with a large distance between them, and providing tactile feedback in the form of a ridge between the two groups. Even so, most people would pet the whole nose at once and not try to trigger the two zones independently.
Something that came out of the faire is the need for an "interview mode" - a simple reactive mode that can be turned on during TV interviews to make sure he responds predictably and immediately while on camera.
The new status LEDs on the servo driver board were useful for keeping an eye on what he was doing, but it's possible that they could be expanded even more, perhaps into an LCD with a readout of his status.
New Sensor Board
31st Dec 2010
The sensor/servo board mounted in the head has been split into two boards. This has allowed the number of servo channels to be expanded to ten and the number of sensor channels (petting zones) to be expanded to twelve. The prototype petting zones now have LEDs built into them so they react instantly when touched, providing people with immediate feedback to show that their petting is being registered by the Raffe. Previously it could be difficult to tell because many people could be petting the Raffe at the same time, but of course it will only speak one sentence at once in reaction.
Make Faire appearance comming soon!
17th Apr 2009
Hello gang!
I'll be at the Make Faire again this year. And you probably will barely recognize me, from all the changes I've been put through. I have a lovely golden orange paint job now, and 100% all new electronics and hydraulics!
Make faire checked in on me recently, and will do a follow up article once images of my new self are ready. Here's the latest article about me!
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/04/checkin_in_russell_the_electric_gir.html
Enjoy, and check back soon to see some amazing new images of what I've become!
RRR
I'll be at the Make Faire again this year. And you probably will barely recognize me, from all the changes I've been put through. I have a lovely golden orange paint job now, and 100% all new electronics and hydraulics!
Make faire checked in on me recently, and will do a follow up article once images of my new self are ready. Here's the latest article about me!
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/04/checkin_in_russell_the_electric_gir.html
Enjoy, and check back soon to see some amazing new images of what I've become!
RRR
Ouch! That plasma torch hurts!!! HELP, he's gone nuts!!!
27th Oct 2008
Help! Eeek! My owner went crazy and tore me to pieces!
Well, this needed to be done, but, ZOMGWTFBBQ, I’m freaked out! I’m down to 25% complete! AIEEEE!!!
He’s assured me I’ll look better than ever, but for now I’m very nervous about my future and wondering what’s going to become of me! What follows is a series of images of my teardown, with my owner narrating. I just hope he knows what he’s doing!
Ouch Oook, Eeek ACK!!!
So, first, the batteries had to come out, along with sanding and grinding down every single screw and bolt hole from past items so that they could be filled with weld, and then ground flat again, making them disappear. There were many holes, gah. And the more I looked at the framework of the giraffe, the more and more cheesy it looked. I was given to remember the time when I built him, and how fast we went, grabbing every piece of scrap steel we could find, hacking it up and welding it on. The more I cleaned on the giraffe, the more this crappy scrap steel revealed itself for what it was. Crap steel.
So I lowered the batteries, using the old original concept neck for the giraffe, rarely seen, and now rather rusty. It finally served a purpose, as a truss for removing the battery set, which was a VERY SCARY operation, and I did it by myself, all 700 pounds worth. The batteries had to come out because I needed to suspend the whole frame in the air while I tore down the whole machine for sand blasting and repainting, and the batteries weighed far too much to make that a safe operation.
On with the pics of the giraffe teardown…zomg…I killed a giraffe! Suffice to say, he will never look the same again. His original configuration is now officially dead. But just WAIT till you see what I have in store.
Lots of holes and rusty steel everywhere. Get a good look…it’s not going to last.
The original legs were hard to climb because I added the steps after I built all four legs the same, and thus welded in the steps, but the 45 degree supports got in the way. Well, after working with the legs and how stupidly strong I made them, those angled supports can be cut away to make room for nice and easy steps to use. Been wanting to do this ever since 2005.
Left leg modified, right leg still original in the steps, but that one’s going to get the mod as well.
Fresh plasma cutter wounds. The giraffe whined, but he knows he’s going to be better than ever, and resisted the urge to kick me. But you should have heard the things he said!
More ouchies.
Another view of the crappy angle iron steel I used in his under body area, and the rust that’s formed from the playa dust mixing with night time dew and sometimes rain. He’s a real dirtbag, and we’re going to change that.
The harbinger of what’s about to happen. Bits of cut off giraffe laying on the ground.
All these images are the very last of what we will ever see of the original giraffe. Things are about to change.
The old original neck, now used as a battery lowering truss.
Close-up of the truss. In spite of it’s strength, the batteries bent it anyway. I will have to carry one battery at a time from now on, unless I beef it up with thicker steel.
The fun part about the giraffe in the driveway: I can walk onto my roof any time I want.
The giraffe’s time is running out...and he knows it. I know it.
And then I turned and looked at the sunset…and had a vision. A very big and important vision for the giraffe’s future.
I thought about the sunset as I looked down on the giraffe, and saw myself in shadow.
I looked at the giraffe again and the thoughts and ideas hit me like a ton of bricks.
“You are going to change…” I told him, “Into something totally awesome and lovely to look at.”
I climbed down and smiled. And formed my plans for the next day.
This is it, he will never look the same again.
By the evening of the next day, I had raised him on struts welded to his frame and to the trailer, and tore his legs off.
Legless giraffe. Eeek!
He floats in thin air.
Soon to change my metal friend. Soon.
Giraffe guts…LOTS of them…buckets of them. All of this is going to the plating shop where it will be dropped in acid, and some of it chromed, painted, and most of it cadmium plated. Every bolt will sparkle when it goes back on.
Giraffenhaus…now empty but for a cacophony of junked giraffe guts and entrails. Soon to be replaced by a totally new giraffe.
Giraffe exploded bits. It amazes me how much this stuff weighs.
Rear leg, minus the steering gear.
Back to square one, yep. I’ve not seen anything like this since mid 2005.
Esploded shoulder bearings. Oh noez!
I picked up a leg and weighed with the bearings, but minus the wheel hardware at the bottom. Each leg weighs 133 pounds. Way too much. I could get away with 80 pounds worth of steel easy. And aluminum? Hah, half again as much. I’m looking into future stuff with aluminum construction. But it’s very expensive and I’d have to have a new TIG welder to do it. Augh, someday, but not yet.
So yes, it had to happen. After looking at the fearsome countenance of the maniac in the zebra shirt, look at the giraffe…he is totally, totally gutted. No upper deck and shoulders, no lower decks, all gone and ground off smooth from the frame. This took two solid days of work. Mike’s friend from out of town stands warily in the background, fearing the maniac with the plasma torch.
You should have seen my Joker costume I did back in the 80’s. Maybe I’ll do it again.
“I…I did what?”
Best tool I ever owned. It’s a one inch long light saber, it really is. Thank you again, Larry.
Here I realize I’m back literally at square one with the giraffe. It’s dead, almost totally dead.
Me, feeling content with where this is going, though the giraffe is a bit torqued about it! Well, WAIT till you see what I’m going to do with the giraffe. We are going PRO, and the giraffe will never go to burning man again. We’ll build other things for that gig. In the meantime, the giraffe’s time to graduate into a real machine is long overdue, and you will simply not believe your eyes when you see him again. I can hardly wait!
Fin
Well, this needed to be done, but, ZOMGWTFBBQ, I’m freaked out! I’m down to 25% complete! AIEEEE!!!
He’s assured me I’ll look better than ever, but for now I’m very nervous about my future and wondering what’s going to become of me! What follows is a series of images of my teardown, with my owner narrating. I just hope he knows what he’s doing!
Ouch Oook, Eeek ACK!!!
So, first, the batteries had to come out, along with sanding and grinding down every single screw and bolt hole from past items so that they could be filled with weld, and then ground flat again, making them disappear. There were many holes, gah. And the more I looked at the framework of the giraffe, the more and more cheesy it looked. I was given to remember the time when I built him, and how fast we went, grabbing every piece of scrap steel we could find, hacking it up and welding it on. The more I cleaned on the giraffe, the more this crappy scrap steel revealed itself for what it was. Crap steel.
So I lowered the batteries, using the old original concept neck for the giraffe, rarely seen, and now rather rusty. It finally served a purpose, as a truss for removing the battery set, which was a VERY SCARY operation, and I did it by myself, all 700 pounds worth. The batteries had to come out because I needed to suspend the whole frame in the air while I tore down the whole machine for sand blasting and repainting, and the batteries weighed far too much to make that a safe operation.
On with the pics of the giraffe teardown…zomg…I killed a giraffe! Suffice to say, he will never look the same again. His original configuration is now officially dead. But just WAIT till you see what I have in store.
Lots of holes and rusty steel everywhere. Get a good look…it’s not going to last.
The original legs were hard to climb because I added the steps after I built all four legs the same, and thus welded in the steps, but the 45 degree supports got in the way. Well, after working with the legs and how stupidly strong I made them, those angled supports can be cut away to make room for nice and easy steps to use. Been wanting to do this ever since 2005.
Left leg modified, right leg still original in the steps, but that one’s going to get the mod as well.
Fresh plasma cutter wounds. The giraffe whined, but he knows he’s going to be better than ever, and resisted the urge to kick me. But you should have heard the things he said!
More ouchies.
Another view of the crappy angle iron steel I used in his under body area, and the rust that’s formed from the playa dust mixing with night time dew and sometimes rain. He’s a real dirtbag, and we’re going to change that.
The harbinger of what’s about to happen. Bits of cut off giraffe laying on the ground.
All these images are the very last of what we will ever see of the original giraffe. Things are about to change.
The old original neck, now used as a battery lowering truss.
Close-up of the truss. In spite of it’s strength, the batteries bent it anyway. I will have to carry one battery at a time from now on, unless I beef it up with thicker steel.
The fun part about the giraffe in the driveway: I can walk onto my roof any time I want.
The giraffe’s time is running out...and he knows it. I know it.
And then I turned and looked at the sunset…and had a vision. A very big and important vision for the giraffe’s future.
I thought about the sunset as I looked down on the giraffe, and saw myself in shadow.
I looked at the giraffe again and the thoughts and ideas hit me like a ton of bricks.
“You are going to change…” I told him, “Into something totally awesome and lovely to look at.”
I climbed down and smiled. And formed my plans for the next day.
This is it, he will never look the same again.
By the evening of the next day, I had raised him on struts welded to his frame and to the trailer, and tore his legs off.
Legless giraffe. Eeek!
He floats in thin air.
Soon to change my metal friend. Soon.
Giraffe guts…LOTS of them…buckets of them. All of this is going to the plating shop where it will be dropped in acid, and some of it chromed, painted, and most of it cadmium plated. Every bolt will sparkle when it goes back on.
Giraffenhaus…now empty but for a cacophony of junked giraffe guts and entrails. Soon to be replaced by a totally new giraffe.
Giraffe exploded bits. It amazes me how much this stuff weighs.
Rear leg, minus the steering gear.
Back to square one, yep. I’ve not seen anything like this since mid 2005.
Esploded shoulder bearings. Oh noez!
I picked up a leg and weighed with the bearings, but minus the wheel hardware at the bottom. Each leg weighs 133 pounds. Way too much. I could get away with 80 pounds worth of steel easy. And aluminum? Hah, half again as much. I’m looking into future stuff with aluminum construction. But it’s very expensive and I’d have to have a new TIG welder to do it. Augh, someday, but not yet.
So yes, it had to happen. After looking at the fearsome countenance of the maniac in the zebra shirt, look at the giraffe…he is totally, totally gutted. No upper deck and shoulders, no lower decks, all gone and ground off smooth from the frame. This took two solid days of work. Mike’s friend from out of town stands warily in the background, fearing the maniac with the plasma torch.
You should have seen my Joker costume I did back in the 80’s. Maybe I’ll do it again.
“I…I did what?”
Best tool I ever owned. It’s a one inch long light saber, it really is. Thank you again, Larry.
Here I realize I’m back literally at square one with the giraffe. It’s dead, almost totally dead.
Me, feeling content with where this is going, though the giraffe is a bit torqued about it! Well, WAIT till you see what I’m going to do with the giraffe. We are going PRO, and the giraffe will never go to burning man again. We’ll build other things for that gig. In the meantime, the giraffe’s time to graduate into a real machine is long overdue, and you will simply not believe your eyes when you see him again. I can hardly wait!
Fin