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Robotic LadyBugBot Crawls on Your Fridge, Creeps You Out

by Matthew Zuras on November 25, 2009 at 07:47 AM

Who wouldn't want a giant robotic insect crawling along their fridge door? Vadim Ryazanov (a.k.a. "Isotope"), of the DIY droid site Let's Make Robots, was inspired, as he went for a beer, by a small ladybug magnet clinging to his refrigerator. He then decided to recreate the diminutive insect -- but as an intelligent robot with an atomic-experiment-gone-wrong massiveness.

Ryazanov posted a tutorial for the ladybug in the event that you want to frighten the bejeezus out of your roommate with your own rendition. He constructed the shell out of papier-mâché and repurposed an old CD as a base for the electronics. All in all, it cost him less than $30 and fewer than 16 hours. Ryazanov also included a bumper switch/cavity sensor that prevents LadyBugBot from crawling off the edge of the door. In addition, LadyBugBot sometimes "stops for 10 seconds and produces a creepy sound." Check out the video after the break to see it in action.

A good number of us at Switched live in New York, so fist-sized bugs that scurry across our fridge doors are not entirely alien. Thus, we're a little boggled as to why anyone would encourage the presence of a massive beetle, robot or not, in his home. (It reminds us, uneasily, of Cronenberg's adaptation of 'Naked Lunch.')

Still, the DIY bot gets an 'A' for effort. And, who knows? Maybe that thing is just creepy enough to frighten off the real insects hiding under our sinks. (We're joking, of course; have you ever seen a New York water bug? They are dangerous animals living without fear. Seriously.) [From: Let's Make Robots, via: Make Online]

Tags: creepy, diy, ladybug, robot, top

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