This DIY, Alexa-connected robotic tank will bring you a beer

As we enter the upcoming Golden Age of connected robotics it’s important to stay well-lubricated. Thus we must invite the Walabeer tank, a DIY, Alexa-connected robotic tank that serves beer, into our homes and hearts.

The project uses a toy tank chassis connected to a Walabot, a device that lets your projects see through walls. Once all of this is connected to a Raspberry Pi and, in turn, Alexa, you can ask the Walabeer Tank to turn on its lights, open its cargo hold, and follow you around the house. The complex cargo lifting mechanism uses Erector Set pieces and a slow servo motor.

Balázs Simon created the tank as a proof-of-concept project and there is a full bill of materials and build description here.

“There are things that deep inside every man wants to have. Combining beer and tanks is one of these things! This project will be about this thing, a voice controlled tank that delivers beer to you with an autonomous “follow me” function or with an RC control. Let’s build the beer tank of our dreams!” wrote Simon.

While it’s unclear what this beer tank does when it runs out of beer – it cannot yet open the fridge, for example – it’s nice to know someone out there is watching out for our thirsty gullets as we rocket headlong into the future.

from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2GepO5g