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| Shadow Air Muscle - Shadow Air Muscle Company | |
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EDUCATION RESOURCES | ||||||
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Finance and other motivations If you have read this whole story you'll remember this sentence: 'The team are driven by the ultimate value that humanoid robots might have for humanity, by their excitement at their potential and a determination to produce something that satisfies them - rather than by the money to be made from manufacturing them.' However, they have to have an income to keep their project going. For some time Richard financed his project from the proceeds of his previous work as a photographer - selling companies the right to use pictures from his picture library. The income from this supported two people working on his robotics project. With the grant monies there are now five people working full or part-time on the Shadow Robot Project, housed in a very small ex-shop and cellar buried in north London. Richard patented the air muscle system because he knew that others working on similar approaches to robot building would use his invention. He set up a company - 'The Shadow Robot Company' - alongside the project to bring in finance by every means: commissions, grants and licensing the robot technology, as well as selling air muscles in various sizes. Richard's first sales started when his daughter's Design and Technology teacher thought schools would want the air muscle. He is very interested in schools exploring robotics because he believes that students could learn maths., physics, chemistry and language skills through doing so.
The air muscle sales provide a small but steady stream of income for the main project and more income comes from related projects and research. For example, the company designed and made a simple humanoid robot (arm and head movements only) for the BBC recently. This trained pigeons in London's Trafalgar Square to carry out a simple operation for a TV programme demonstrating how pigeons learn. Another project for the BBC involved making a robot to iron clothes. Another project for a television advertisement for the government's Department for Education and Employment was designed to show how interesting robotics work could be, to encourage children to stay on at school. The Shadow Company's current figures (2001) are these: Using air muscles yourself The Technology Enhancement Programme (see web link list or 4/7 Red Lion Court, London EC4A 3EB) supplies air muscles to schools. They also provide a small booklet and a kit of parts which together provide a series of activities for building control devices with air muscles. Apart from their basic tasks they offer the following ideas for other student uses of air muscles:
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If you experience any difficulties with this site email info@designcouncil.org.uk |
A
20mm (small) muscle 
