how to start in robotics;
the only way that actually works: with your hands in the hardware.
not courses.
not playlists.
not frameworks.
hardware.
the path is blunt and linear:
step 1: buy a microcontroller. any. arduino, esp32, stm32.
step 2: blink an led.
step 3: read sensors. imu, ultrasonic, encoder, whatever you can afford.
step 4: drive actuators. dc motor, servo, stepper. make something move with code you wrote.
step 5: close the loop. add feedback. make the movement precise, repeatable, predictable.
step 6: build small robots. line follower, balancing bot, rover, whatever forces you to merge sensing + actuation + control.
step 7: break things. fry boards. miswire motors. debug for hours. that’s where the real learning happens.
step 8: scale complexity. add slam, add pid, add localization, add planning. but only after you’ve built a body that actually listens.
you don’t learn robotics by watching.
you learn robotics by soldering, wiring, tuning, burning your fingers, cursing your code, and then watching a machine obey you for the first time.
that feeling teaches you more than any lecture ever will.
DAOs are bananas.
⬇️🧵A short thread on Nathan Schneider sharing learnings from cooperatives that DAOs should consider.
At @BlockchainGov Symposium, Sep 25-26, Paris during a panel on "Progressive Decentralization & Exit 2 Community", moderated by Tara Merk @mpg_dd.
At Ixian, we don't just service AI. We build it.
Congrats to partner @bestape for using our @cheerbotme platform to win @mynoraai's Robot + AI + Contract Award at @ethglobal NYC! An on-chain robot for supporting performances.
A story about Cheerbot's history and the details of our win🧵👇
The Cheerbot platform brings Ixian's @SeedTreeDB legaltech to life! Think of it like comparing SeedTree programming to Charles Goldfarb's SGML. At Ixian, we see the Document Object Model (DOM) as a game-changer for legaltech, much like papyrus and pens once were: https://t.co/YgYE2II8XF.)
Cheerbot started as a solution for artists to monetize livestreams, sparked during COVID. We watched @dustinseymour perform at House of Blues with no audience due to shutdowns, while platforms like Twitch take up to 40% of tips.
Cheerbot aims to:
1. Be a fun "cheerleader" assistant for livestreamers.
2. Send 100% of fan tips directly to creators, disintermediating tipping.
3. Offer SBC open-source tech with GPIO extensibility.
It uses @ethereum public goods RPC calls—check how it works here with an early timestamp: https://t.co/cEfljIEeMb.
The #ETHBOT design from the Pluriverse Comic shaped Cheerbot’s look, inspiring Kyle during his time at @RaidGuild with @owocki: https://t.co/iihesgZyJ2
Kyle revived this project for his @MEGAZuzalu residency, developing the ERC-7827 standard (https://t.co/OQlDzsvBVD), bridging web devs to Ethereum RPC. ERC-7827 recognizes ERC-721's "tokenURI" method product-market fit as well as the need to onboard REST developers onto RPC.
ERC-7827 with Cheerbot won us the https://t.co/U7e11rlxGt bounty, with @chimeraDefi creating a working draft of it at a hackathon using NORA.
Post-MegaZu, Cheerbot shone at @EFDevcon with @Shakaleikaumaka and OSO, using a @poapxyz API to track @ensdomains claiming POAPs.
Cheerbot is a cosmolocal vending machine, as @NickSzabo4 envisioned, and it's back through Ixian-founded @make__diy in @ProsperaGlobal. The 3D printer has been touring around the world, soon it'll have a stronger local-side presence in the DUNA Tower, thanks to @infinitacity.
Last week at ETHGlobal NYC, we built an ECOBOT chassis with a 3D printer during the hackathon!
https://t.co/pbD7crx2pD
The logistics still need refinement, but we successfully showed that the ECOBOT can be built as a weekend activity.
People loved the Cheerbot! https://t.co/gxJBqdw2Ur
We can't wait for the next hackathon!
At Ixian, we believe everyone has the right to be of service on the Internet, not just consume. Open software and hardware, such as single-board computers, GPIO and, eventually, RISC-V, will empower people to be of service on the Internet.
With Cheerbot, the sci-fi becomes reality, building what was first imagined.
ECOBOT still has fake tires that at some point will be upgraded by us or whoever gets to it first. Because Cheerbots are a public good and open source.
Get involved by joining the Cheerbot Buyers Club here: https://t.co/sza5rDTvWi
More at https://t.co/dATgH7ShSN
🤖💚
It’s not just cute — it’s on-chain.
Cheerbot, built with Nora by @bestape & @chimeraDefi, learned to speak #Ethereum and light up livestreams… all in a single weekend.
AI + Robots + Contracts = instant good vibes.
New ultra-low-cost DIY humanoid robot, supporting RL-based walking, vision, audio, torque control joints, all for just $350. From a K-Scale hackathon project to a full-fledged robot in just two months
We built a GPT-4o-powered cleaning robot.
- $250 for the robot arms
- 4 days to build
Open source is truly democratizing the field of robotics.
@KasparJanssen
Dear #gamedev 🎅🏻,
Stop wasting time making assets when prototyping.
To celebrate this AI year, I just released a tool called https://t.co/oyNhIyy2Ce that allows you to generate pixelart and voxelart 2D assets for free.
Write down what you need and 🪄✨
@_buildspace#nws2