Geosystems Situational Awareness Mast (aka Zippermast) from Travis on Vimeo.
This crazy looking thing could be hunting/killing you this year if iRobot has their say. It’s essentially a periscope attached to an iRobot Packbot that, as you can plainly see, can push a camera eight feet into the air. Called the Zipper Mast or the Situational Awareness Mast, it’s a pretty freaky looking device.
The Situational Awareness Mast (SAM, also known as a Zipper Mast) from Geosystems Inc. is a telescoping linear actuator that has a unique property — it’s stroke length is an order of magnitude greater than its nominal height! For example, the SAM8 is a 10 lb device with a stroke length (8ft) that is 24 times it’s nominal height (4 inches)! This can be used to vertically translate a robot’s sensor suite for better visibility while still allowing for a low profile. Read on for information on the different Zipper Mast variants, the patent describing the system, and an exclusive video of a Zipper Mast on an iRobot Packbot!
Imagine if this thing came through your toilet. Hello, nurse!
And while its fully extended you go and smash its delicate 8 foot spine and run away giggling as it rolls its broken ass home.
ummm…while the marines fill you full of lead? good luck.
If you’d like to know more information about the Zipper Mast, you might go check out the original post at Hizook.com — http://www.hizook.com/blog/2008/12/22/geosystems-situational-awareness-mast-aka-zippermast