The Vorpal Combat Hexapod
World Maker Faire 2017
MAKERS
J. Stephen Pendergrast
Stephen Pendergrast coached competition robotics for ten years and taught AP Physics and Honors Robotics for six. He's an inveterate tinkerer and has been a maker for decades.
Gaige Moore
Gaige Moore is a freshman engineering student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and helped develop the combat hexapod in an independent study while still in high school. She is also a nationally recognized FIRST robotics competitor.
What could be better than an open-source, 3D printed, easy to build, Scratch integrated, wireless Hexapod? A Hexapod that's built for COMBAT, that's what. Joust, capture-the-flag, Kung Fu and more, all available via 3D printed attachments, or design your own!
What inspired you to make this project?:
I coached robotics for ten years, and also taught an honors robotics course at the high school level. I've seen the kinds of robotics projects that inspire kids to learn how to build and use technology. Last year a student of mine, Gaige Moore, created an independent study on walking robots and I was the adviser. While developing a 3D printed hexapod for this class, I was shocked at how everyone who saw it was amazed and motivated to learn more. We've greatly advanced the design since that simple first prototype, making it easy to build and adding all kinds of cool software features. We've used various iterations of this robot for many demonstrations and it never fails to excite the audience. We shipped eight of these to a STEM summer camp for teenage girls in Appalachia, and the feedback was highly positive. Girls as young as fifth grade successfully built the robot, and used it for many activities and projects. I know this project will inspire thousands of people, young and old alike, to learn about technology and join the maker movement!
