Thanks to Sascha from I Build Rockets for sending in this tip. It’s a machine that does nothing other than keep a switch in the off position. Turn the switch on and a hand pops up immediately and turns it off. The circuit has no microcontroller, it is all analog. I am thinking this could make for an interesting project, who will be the first to make a kit for this available? I am thinking that fellow Canadian SaskView will be in the business of selling these very soon. 🙂
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Similiar! But still very cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bE7U0fHtQ8 via http://hackaday.com/2009/09/19/show-us-your-most-useless-machine/
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They are lots of fun. I didn’t realize there were that many out there. I had seen one about a year ago (not sure which one it was though). Here are a few more that are floating around.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwasL7sGV6Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhrGyvPH6x4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iRDAcb24zs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ34RDn34Ws
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw2Bq0HYu1M
Watch the last one, if it were faster that would be very creepy!!!
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Hahah these are pretty funny. Something about it makes me want to build one, but it would feel like a waste of time.
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That last one is still pretty creepy, speed it up and yeah you could really freak some people out. Want to make a useless machine one day, enjoying seeing all the variations people have done.
Perhaps the best place to install one would be the counter-top for the checking-in desk of a hotel or something with a sign below saying “push switch for assistance” 😀
This has to be my favourite of the lot so far: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F_BKe-XWo4
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I’m sorry but all of these are copies of this bank:
http://www.mypolkadots.com/magicbank.html
The coin completed the circuit and the hand took the coin opening the circuit. I use to have one when i was a kid(i’m 51 now!). Lets see if anyone can make their box act as a bank!
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Hi Haku,
That one is great, the fuzzy hand adds to the effect!
The desk button would be sure to generate some screams.
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I like the cat one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfXrNUSuNxc
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Great flashback! We made these in high school at a summer engineering camp about 15 years ago. Fun times! We had to design four-bar mechanisms (rather than the simple hinge in this version) to reach out and hit the switch on a adjacent horizontal face of the box. The four-bar makes the effect extra cool since the finger/arm seems to move in a less “mechanical” path.
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I love these machines!
I never made the connection with those coin bank machines until David said so, and I suppose that makes those ones marginally more practical.
On a side note, have you checked out the related videos after your referenced vids? Theres the brilliant self unplugger robot, if it can be called a robot. The banana fan which is just sublime. And the ridiculous walking on infinite grass machine, with a real person walking on it!
I’m liking the cat version too Andre!