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Youbionic: My Drone has the Hands and I Send it to do the Shopping

“My Drone has the Hands and I send it to do the shopping” was the title of the email that Youbionic‘s Federico Ciccarese sent me. Sometimes you can’t beat a subject line. I’ve been a huge fan of Youbionic, the bionic 3D printed robot project, for years now. Just between you and me, I’ll publish these guy’s shopping list if they send it to me. Their open source robot project has led to a lot of great robots and innovative things being developed by people the world over. There is however, a mad hatter portion to the Youbionic team’s innovations that continues to surprise. Not content to stay within their cuddly open source corner, they regularly produce nightmare fuel for us. These are the people who put arms on the already terrifying Spot the robot hellhound, proposed a nice little upgrade for you and me with a potential third or fourth arm,  and also a double hand device to give us each more hands.

Technically would you now have three hands, four?

So whenever I get an email from Youbionic one hand goes to open ‘Add New Post’ while the other shakes a bit in trepidation as I open the email. This one did not disappoint because the 3D printing team working hardest on creating a dystopian future through 3D printing has now put hands on a drone. Open up your speakers and help bring in the end of humanity people, because here it is:

The Drone for Handy by Youbionic is completely literally the thing we will see hovering overhead as we cower in the caves as civilization collapses around us.

“WE ARE HERE TO GUIDE THE HUMAN RACE IN THE MOST DIFFICULT PATH THERE IS. MENTAL OBSTACLES ARE WHAT WE WANT TO OVERCOME TO CREATE A NEW WORLD.”

Thus the Youbionic team wants to usher in our doom. Undeterred? You can download the parts and make your own Drone for Handy on the Youbionic site. Sign up and you’ll get Google Drive access to the STLs for free. Not sure why all of the shareables sites are sleeping and not trying to get Youbionic on their platform. Unless of course they’d prefer to limit their camping to video games and don’t want Hitchcock’s the Birds with Drones to become humanity’s greatest new problem.

Drone For Handy
by ciccarese
on Sketchfab

Rarely have seriously bad ideas been brought to us in so beguiling a manner as they have in the hands of Youbionic. Part of me really wants these guys to succeed and get millions of adherents to build their robots. Part of me thinks of all the wonderful prosthetics and aids for humans that such a development could create. But, there’s this spidey sense thing that I get from these guys that makes me very worried.

The above clip is literally what is playing in my head right now. Only instead of comparatively harmless crows, it is a flock of Youbionic Drone for Handys that is bearing down on us. Only they don’t make bird sounds like crows but they sound kind of like scissors snipping, like from Coraline. Oh great, now I won’t be able to sleep for weeks. Download the STLs here, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

[Images: Youbionic]

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Youbionic develop robotic centaur with 3D printed arms and Boston Dynamics Spot Mini

Youbionic, an Italian technology startup using additive manufacturing to create an augmented humanoid, has created a mechanical centaur with the help of Boston Dynamics’ Spot Mini robot. Federico Ciccarese, Founder of Youbionic, developed the Youbionic One assistive device based on its 3D printed arm attachments. The device now features a pair of arm, a robotic […]
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Youbionic Combines 3D Printed Bionic Arms with SpotMini the Nightmare Robotic Dog by Boston Dynamics

Youbionic One

Ever since 2014, Italy-based Youbionic, which was founded by Federico Ciccarese and specializes in robotics and bionics, has been working on its 3D printed, robot-controlled, bionic prosthetic hand. The company started taking pre-orders for the bionic prosthetic two years ago, and has since been making improvements and updates to the original model, even coming out with a 3D printed double hand device for the augmented human. Now, Youbionic has released its latest bionic product – the Youbionic One.

“We believe that technology at our disposal today can be used for the increase in human capabilities and intervention in the replacement of parts of our body which are not working properly,” Ciccarese wrote in an email.

“Youbionic is committed every day to create technologies that can elevate mankind to a higher level.”

The company is reinventing what robotics can do with the unique Youbionic One assistant device. Users can learn to program the Youbionic One so it can perform tasks to make their lives easier, either through remote control or independently.

You can purchase the STL files for 3D printing your own Youbionic One for $179 on the company’s website. If you want, you can even modify and customize the device before 3D printing so it better fits your lifestyle – edit its functionality, change its size, whatever you need.

“We believe everyone should have access to the incredible technology available in our modern age,” Youbionic states on its website.

To provide an example of the kind of customization that can be achieved with the 3D printable device, or perhaps to give us all nightmares for the rest of our lives, Youbionic partnered with advanced robotics company Boston Dynamics to modify the Youbionic One…by combining it with the SpotMini robot dog.

“The fusion between two bionic bodies Youbionic One and Boston Dynamics Spot Mini has generated a Centaur Mechanic ready to perform operations of all kinds,” the Youbionic website states.

“It will be interesting how the two Intelligences will work together to synchronize their movements.”

SpotMini

The four-legged, all-electric SpotMini robot is the ideal quadruped for the digital age, complete with a 3D vision system and the ability to go for roughly 90 minutes on a charge, depending on its specific activity.

The 25 kg robot has 17 joints, can support a 14 kg payload, and is Boston Dynamics’ quietest robot yet. Capable of climbing stairs, handling objects, and doing its owner’s bidding, the SpotMini would work well in a home, office, or even outdoors.

Boston Dynamics has given the SpotMini all of the mobility from its big brother robot dog Spot, which we saw in last year’s immersive virtual reality documentary miniseries by GE, called The Possible. But it also has new features, like a fancy perception sensor suite featuring depth and stereo cameras to help with mobile manipulation and navigation.

All by itself, the SpotMini doesn’t look too frightening…as long it doesn’t start running directly at you. But combine it with the striking Youbionic One, and you’ve got a personal assistant device that’s basically a technologically advanced hellhound.

Obviously, the Youbionic One/SpotMini Centaur Mechanic hybrid could be very useful for someone who needs help with tasks that require basic motor skills, like getting the mail or pouring a glass of water. But, just to be on the safe side, you’d better make sure this bionic beastie is turned off when you go to sleep at night.

What do you think? Discuss this story and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below. 

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Interview: Youbionic founder Federico Ciccarese’s road to a 3D printed humanoid

Low-cost 3D printed prosthetics have acted as an accessible solution for amputees to improve their quality of life by regaining mobility and dexterity in limbs that were once lost. Federico Ciccarese, Founder of Italian technology startup Youbionic, and his team are developing 3D printed prosthetics that go beyond limb replacement and medical applications. The artificial limbs […]