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Strandbeest
- frumenty 2y agoSince the video on the site isn't working https://youtu.be/C97kMKwZ2-g?feature=shared https://youtu.be/C97kMKwZ2-g?feature=shared
- anfractuosity 2y agoReally love the idea of the strandbeest :) He also sells little miniature ones too - https://www.strandbeest.com/shop/animaris-ordis-parvus https://www.strandbeest.com/shop/animaris-ordis-parvus
- bensmoif 2y agoBought one of these miniature kits years ago and kept it on my desk at work and goddamn is it cool and fun and works great! Really encourage any model machine nerds to get one.
- ElCapitanMarkla 2y agoOh those ones look much better than the one I brought off AliExpress years ago. Not to mention it was missing a bag of parts and they wanted me to send them a photo of the missing parts…
- layer8 2y agoThe miniature in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9CENC972pY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9CENC972pY
- xnx 2y agoAccidental strandbeest: https://www.tiktok.com/@ronygarcia15/video/7405366762545368326 https://www.tiktok.com/@ronygarcia15/video/74053667625453683...
- hinkley 2y agoI need his heart. Please give it back.
- mhb 2y agoOK I'll be the one. Not sure why these get so much love. Sure they're cool-looking untethered kites but all the nonsense about "creating new forms of life" - really?
- dyauspitr 2y agoThat’s just interesting lore.
- worldsayshi 2y agoI think as a programmer they fascinate me because they feel as simple and elegant as a boid algorithm and looks like life in a similar way but they also exist in the real world. It gives you the idea that you could build other similar simulated life like things.
- RodgerTheGreat 2y agoIt's partially euphemism, but there's also more substance to it than you may realize. The ratios in the Jansen linkages were originally developed through genetic algorithms in computer simulations. Jansen now builds multiple generations of machines at once and has them compete in various "survival" tasks on the beaches, prioritizing further development based on the success of each "mutation"; an ongoing human-assisted evolutionary process. The Strandbeest machines are also capable of much more sophisticated behavior than may be evident: they pressurize air using wind power and store it in bottles, which in turn run pneumatic "nervous systems" made from logic gates, oscillators, and flip-flops. As the machines have grown more sophisticated they've gained the ability to sense the waterline (with ground-trailing hoses that detect back-pressure from water) and avoid it, to anchor themselves to the ground when it gets too windy, to steer around simple obstacles, and so on. Strandbeest machines reproducing independently from humans would be a pipe-dream, but at the very least they should be understood as autonomous, biomimetic robots at the same time as they are sculptures.
- binwiederhier 2y agoRelatedly, here's a 3D printed, mechanical version of it: https://youtu.be/nHqqCRVlUus?si=p_q78n_nKYZhykNt https://youtu.be/nHqqCRVlUus?si=p_q78n_nKYZhykNt -- By Engineezy, great YouTube channel.
- ElCapitanMarkla 2y agoWhen you said 3D printed, I wanted expecting that scale. That was cool
- alwinaugustin 2y agoLooks beautiful.
- throwaway920102 2y agoFor anyone who wants to know more: This is an application of Jansen's linkage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jansen%27s_linkage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jansen%27s_linkage There are other similar linkages but Jansen's is quite good. For anyone who doesn't have an idea why something like this matters or is inspiring beyond art, legged vehicles have many downsides but one big upside is that you can theoretically avoid the rubber/microplastic particulate emission associated with tires and wheeled vehicles if you can make legged vehicles as good as wheeled ones. Even an electric battery vehicle with an electric motor charged by a solar/wind/nuclear power plant still emits pure poison into the air and waterways through friction between tires and the road. Good alternatives would be biocompatible tires (Nitinol mesh tires like SMART Tire company's initial prototype that lacked the rubber coating) or legged vehicles.
- hinkley 2y agoI feel like your choice of phrasing downplays the fact that the strandbeest is created by the guy the principle is named after.
- polishdude20 2y agoWouldn't a legged vehicle still have that problem if it can achieve the same speeds and weights that regular cars go at? Scale up a human for example to the weight and speed of a car. Crazy powerful and big legs, big feet, big shoes. The rubber must hit the road either way and push down with a force to propel the weight of this car-heavy legged human at speeds of 100km/h. It would still wear rubber away just like tires do. Legged vehicles aren't a replacement for regular vehicles if tire particulates are your concern.
- necovek 2y agoCouldn't you do away with rubber and shoes since for legs you don't need flat, smooth roads either (so metal legs of a multi-ton vehicle won't have anything to damage too bad). For comfort, you could have springs and air and hydraulic dampeners.
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- vulkd 2y agoThese are fantastic. Reminds me of the structures ("choruses"?) from "A Topiary" script by Shane Carruth (the same bloke who made Primer). The first act's "pattern-seeking" premise is great, too. I think anyone who enjoys films such as Aronofsky's Pi, Linklater, Kaufman, etc would enjoy at least skimming through the first act. - Script: https://indiegroundfilms.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/a-topiary-numbered.pdf https://indiegroundfilms.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/20... - Script Reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17338551-a-topiary https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17338551-a-topiary - Trailer (Not sure if legit) showing the Strandbeest-like creatures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16vaQ9Tv8Lc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16vaQ9Tv8Lc
- jes5199 2y agoI love this script, it's a shame that it will probably never be a film. The philosophy question it implies - does science and technology have its own teleology, and if so is that good or evil - is one that fascinates me for anyone who doesn't know the history, Carruth shopped this script around for years before giving up on finding anyone to fund it. Eventually he gave up and made a different film. And then he was arrested on charges of domestic violence, and a second victim filed a restraining order against him. Since then, he hasn't been welcome in Hollywood. The rumor is that he's returned to his old career, software engineering, where it's easier to find work.
- edanm 2y agoI wasn't aware a script existed! I've been waiting for years to see the movie, being a huge Primer fan, though I understand it probably won't get made.
- johnasmith 2y agoThe English translation of the (Dutch) "strandbeest" is "beach animal".
- jfengel 2y agoEnglish still uses the cognate "strand" to mean beach or riverside. The most famous is The Strand in London, along the Thames. It's a bit archaic sounding but is not too uncommon.
- gjm11 2y agoLikely familiar even if you haven't heard "strand" as such with that meaning: "stranded" (run aground on the beach). One place where you might possibly have heard "strand" meaning the beach: Lewis Carroll. "The Walrus and the Carpenter were walking on the strand: / They wept like anything to see / Such quantities of sand. / 'If this were only cleared away,' / They said, 'it would be grand.'"
- layer8 2y agoMore like “beach beast”. “Animal” is “dier”.
- 082349872349872 2y agoThe way I (L1-english) have thought usage went is: "beestje" (as in "Huisje, Boompje, Beestje") is informal for animal, but "dier" (as in PvdD*) is formal. So I guess I'd offer "beach critter"? * https://www.partyfortheanimals.com/en/organizations/partij-voor-de-dieren?lang=en-US https://www.partyfortheanimals.com/en/organizations/partij-v...
- layer8 2y ago“Beest” is a wild animal, or a savage being. It’s quite similar to English “beast”. “Beestje” is a diminutive that is affectionately applied to animals. “Dier” is neutral (not formal) “animal”.
- toolslive 2y agoThere have been efforts to use a similar concept to clear out mine fields.
- shagie 2y agoSimilar in visual appearance, difference in design. https://medium.com/kickstarter/the-explosion-artist-5db66a99ba2f https://medium.com/kickstarter/the-explosion-artist-5db66a99... > Aside from these functional benefits, Mine Kafon has an undeniable aesthetic beauty. The tumbling dandelion-like structure recalls Dutch sculptor Theo Jansen’s Strandbeests, similarly fashioned from repurposed industrial materials and eerily imbued with life by the wind. Hassani’s work even caught the eye of MoMA’s Senior Curator of Design, Paola Antonelli, who included Mine Kafon in the museum’s 2014 Design and Violence show. More exhibitions around the world followed, and the project became something of a viral sensation, with the elegance of the idea — and Hassani’s inspiring story — propelling the pressing issue of landmines through social media and beyond. > Mine Kafon also garnered attention from the Dutch Ministry of Defense, which evaluated the design’s effectiveness in their test minefields, ultimately determining that the project was not practical for operational use but still valuable as a tool for raising awareness. --- It has some issues with following topological contours and one not getting blown up isn't a "this area is clear" (or even a deterministic "this path through this area is clear"). One getting blown up means it found one mine (possible some more if its durable) ... and then you need to clean up the scrap, but this returns to the "you don't have a positive signal of this area is completely free from mines."
- rafram 2y agoThere is (or was as of recently) a little exhibit on these at the Jewish Museum in NYC of all places. It’s an incredibly cool project.
- mosselman 2y agoI love the Strandbeesten. I've never seen them in real life, but I just love the philosophy and the videos. We have a fossil of one of them that we purchased from the artist which is always a good conversation piece when we have guests.
- phendrenad2 2y agoI love simulation theory because it keeps me from going insane when I think of something randomly and it's on the front page of HN the next day (for the first time in 7 months). Anyway these would be cool if they could actually move humans. Imagine crossing a vast desert with some friends on one of these bad boys.
- Galaxeblaffer 2y agohttps://youtu.be/rqs9Awx5zgQ?si=Ojawx-oejvcRkopC https://youtu.be/rqs9Awx5zgQ?si=Ojawx-oejvcRkopC, will probably not cross a dessert, but pretty cool.
- jackcosgrove 2y agoOn the subject of coincidences, I went to order one of the Strandbeest mini sets from this very website last week. Unfortunately their virtual store is closed for a couple weeks more. I was prepared to place an order and wait, but on the website checkout page there was a random person's name as if I was checking out someone else's order. It's probably an innocent mistake, like a hard coded default value or something. I like to support artists directly, and it was a bit disappointing that there was so much friction with the buying process.
- 082349872349872 2y agoDid you not get the popup? > During the months of July and August you cannot place orders in our webshop. ... Theo Jansen and his team wish you a nice summer.
- saaaaaam 2y agoArt takes time.
- GaryNumanVevo 2y agoJuly and August are when he's out prototyping new animals, no time to run an online store.
- Cthulhu_ 2y ago
- tpurves 2y agoNow I am imagining a mars rover that works like one of these. Stampeding over the rocky landscape, powered by martian wind.
- layer8 2y agoGiven that Mars’ atmosphere density is only about one percent of Earth’s, that seems unlikely.
- rtkwe 2y agoLots of ways to deal with that in theory. You could have the windmill store the energy in a spring and release it in a more powerful burst when it reaches a certain level. Another way would just be gearing it waaay down so the windmill can spin with very little force and the strandbeest just moves very very slowly.
- bastawhiz 2y agoI remember watching videos about these maybe two decades ago on MSN TV (an early precursor to video streaming services)
- Animats 2y agoOh, that guy is still at it and has made progress. There's pneumatic logic now and the new model can reverse direction.
- arialdomartini 2y agoBeautiful video with an update on the evolutionary development (up to 2021) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C97kMKwZ2-g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C97kMKwZ2-g
- ElCapitanMarkla 2y agoI can remember first seeing these in Theo’s 2007 Ted Talk. I must have drawn than linkage about 10,000 times over the next few years. I always had big dreams of raiding dad’s plumbing supplies to make a version of one.
- Tepix 2y agoIn the video there clearly is a line being pulled from the right. Was the wind insufficient that day? It seems like cheating.
- aaron695 2y ago[dead]
- qiqitori 2y agoThere's this guy I met at Maker Faire Tokyo last year who builds walking things (including Strandbeests) out of single-use chopsticks and a dollar-store lint remover for propulsion. If you're interested he has a YouTube channel, https://youtube.com/@miseclinic https://youtube.com/@miseclinic
- Kon-Peki 2y agoI remember seeing an exhibition of these many years ago that included demos [1]. It was outstanding (evidenced by the fact that I still remember). I wonder if he still does tours and exhibitions. If so, be sure to check them out. [1] https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/strandbeest.html https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/strandbe...
- vincvinc 2y agoIf you want to experience Strandbeest yourself, Theo will be giving demos on september 14 in Vlissingen, the Netherlands. https://instagram.com/p/C_Fr24Zg2pl/ https://instagram.com/p/C_Fr24Zg2pl/
- SamGyamfi 2y agoI stumbled upon Theo's Instagram page a while ago and I was stunned at how cool his inventions are. I'd really underrated how well one could bridge engineering and art. https://www.instagram.com/theojansen_official/ https://www.instagram.com/theojansen_official/