Sid the robot

Lab notes: Sid the office robot

Hack projects

Feb 11, 2014- Hack projects

By

Alex Crooks

After a rollercoaster first month of releasing Sid to the world it’s time to summarise the successes, failures and the battle against griefers!

If you haven’t met Sid yet, he is a robotic arm that sits in our office and is controlled over the internet by players from around the globe, all in realtime.

We quietly launched Sid on 20th November and before we knew it the traffic started to pour in. Players were submitting Sid to some of the big news sites like Reddit and Hacker News. Fast Company tweeted a link to their 936,000 followers and traffic surged again.

At one point we had 701 simultaneous viewers with a wait time of nearly 4 hours, and yes, some people did wait that long to play! Players started creating YouTube videos about Sid and some even set up Twitter accounts just so they could Tweet their score.

Highscores for everyone!

The scoring system consists of push switches under each hole, when the ball falls through a hole it triggers the switch which tells everyone the player has scored. We found a rare angle of ball entry into one of the holes that meant the ball got stuck holding the switch down. The moment your go started you were then continually awarded points every couple of seconds! We found the issue and re-seated one of the switches in under 30 minutes and bought Sid back online. For similar applications we would definitely choose some form of motion detection rather than physical switches which can degrade over time with so many people playing.

Enter 4chan

One afternoon we saw a rise in traffic from boards.4chan.org. A referring domain in your logs that instantly raises the heart rate and gives you that feeling in the pit of your stomach.

Anonymous, rapid-fire imageboard 4chan has a reputation for a reason, some of their members are behind some of the biggest high profile attacks on websites in the past 5 years including the public facing website of the CIA. So naturally, when we started seeing a surge of visitors we knew something bad was no doubt on its way.

And so it began, a torrent of abusive messages in the 4chan thread with many trying to share tips on how they might be able to break the arm. Luckily we built Sid with the mindset of abuse and he had plenty of motor limit protection to stop the arm hitting the staging area or moving “out of bounds”. After 3 hours Sid was still standing and they’d been unable to wreck any havoc, until we suddenly saw a message appear on screen that wasn’t sent by us…

We built in a global notification system so we could send messages to players and give them updates when required. A clever 4channer had found a logic bug in the code and was able to send 3 admin messages before we detected the issue, fixed it and closed him off! Thankfully 3 unsolicited messages were the only damage and the next 24 hours were business as usual.

4chan even started tweeting with the hashtag #freesid2013 to spur efforts to “free” Sid from his human masters!

On reflection, we’re glad 4chan paid us a visit. We are confident in the security and reliability of the systems we build and it was reassuring to see Sid hold up against the worst.

YouTube Gamers

What amazed us the most about this experiment was the response we had on social channels. Although we “gamified” Sid we never really considered him a full-blown web game, but that’s not how our visitors saw it. We saw people challenging each other for top scores over Twitter, YouTubers with millions of subscribers were uploading videos about Sid and 2 months on we are still receiving thousands of visitors from these videos every day.

They say practice makes perfect, according to our database @lancethackeray played 330 times to achieve his high score. He recorded a video of his victory which you can watch. Now that’s dedication!

Burnt motors

After 130,000 plays one of Sid’s motors finally gave in. One afternoon he was unresponsive to left and right movements, after taking him offline to investigate we found one of the motors had completely burnt out and the cog’s teeth threaded! We placed an order for a replacement motor and within 24 hours Sid was once again online. For future hardware projects we will definitely have spares on hand, and would recommend metal gears rather than plastic for longevity.

Relying on Twitter to restrict profanity

When dealing with user generated content (in this case player names) you always have to be aware of both security and profanity. We are all grown ups here but we were wary that young children might enjoy playing with Sid, so we wanted to keep our leaderboard as PG as possible. We knew using Twitter usernames would help the issue of security (if the username is deemed safe for storage and display by Twitter than it must be for us) but we naively thought they used some form of profanity filter for usernames! That was a bad assumption of course, especially when 4chan joined the party. However, we now have a reasonable list (NSFW) of “bad” Twitter accounts we came across if it’s of any use. Some usernames aren’t bad, but their avatars are!

Interactive marketing

Sid was the third in a series of digital marketing initiatives we’ve worked on. The last two of these have combined the digital and physical world to engage on a deeper level with our audience. Each marketing campaign has seen a vast increase in traffic and interest for us.

We’ve invested the time and energy in honing the technology, providing video streaming with less than a second lag and the hardware skills to keep Sid going with almost 100% uptime for 2 months solid and over half a million visitors during that time.

There is a huge potential for this kind of digital marketing campaign. We are now looking to work with a like-minded brand who sees the potential in engaging with its audience in a unique way.

To discuss the opportunities, drop us a line

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Next Post

Sep 02, 2014- Hack projects

By

Alex Crooks

Sid The Science Kid: Reused Robot

Science

Enjoy our collection of fun science stories for kids. With favorites like Sid the Science Kid and Hayley Rides into Space, you're sure to find stories your child will love.

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Robot in Space

Hayley Rides Into Space

My Terrific Spaceship

Sid The Science Kid: Reused Robot

Sid the Science Kid: Hello, Doggie

Sid The Science Kid: Rolie Polies

Sid the Science Kid: Optical Illusions

Sid the Science Kid: Gravity and Weightlessness

Sid the Science Kid: Primary Colors

Sid the Science Kid: Ants

Sid the Science Kid: States of Water

Sid the Science Kid: Pollination

One membership, two learning apps for ages 2-8.

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Full Text

“Check out my favorite robot toy. This is Flip. Meep. Zap. Beep. I’m. Flip. The robot. Pleasure. To. Meet. You.” As Sid lifts Flip’s arms to wave, they come off with a big SNAP. “Uh-oh! Hmm.” Sid tries to fix Flip’s arms by pushing them back on, but it’s no use. They are broken. “I’m looking for my purple pen. I can’t find it anywhere. Have you seen it?” Sid shakes his head no. “I really need a better place to keep my pens. What do you have there, Sid?” “It’s my robot, Flip. He’s broken. See? I have to throw him in the trash.” “Maybe you could fix him.” “I tried fixing him, but he won’t go back together. His arms snapped right off. Now I have to throw him away.” Sid throws Flip into the trash. “Hmm.” Sid has a big question. “What will happen to Flip once he’s in the trash? What does happen to our trash?” “Sid, let’s look on the computer to see where trash goes.” “Oh! I know this part. We put our trash in a trash bin at the curb. Then the garbage truck comes to pick it up, and it crunches the garbage into the truck!” “That’s right. Then the garbage truck takes the garbage to a landfill. It’s a big hole in the ground filled with trash.” “That’s where my garbage goes? What happens after that?” “The trash gets covered in dirt.” “And the dirt makes it go away?” “I’m afraid not. Most of the trash stays there for a long, long time.” “Wow. I didn’t know that. So Flip will go to a landfill and sit there for a long, long, LONG time?” “I’m afraid so.” “I want to learn more about this! Can we make less trash?” “That sounds like a great question to bring up at school, Sid.” When Sid gets to school, he looks around the classroom. “Hmm. Let’s look around and see if we can find anyone throwing something away.” “Gabriela just used the last bit of yellow paint from the paint jar. Look, she’s tossing it in the trash.” “And look over there! May just finished drinking from her water bottle. Uh-oh, there she goes. She’s throwing it in the trash bin. And look! What’s Gerald doing?” “I’m a cereal monster! Roar, yum yum yum yum!” He dumps the empty cereal box in the trash bin. It lands with a loud thud. At rug time, Sid asks about his big question. “Teacher Susie. I’m trying to understand what happens to our trash.” “That’s very interesting, Sid. What did you come up with?” “First I observed how we make trash.” “Smart thinking! What did you see?” “Gabriela tossed a paint jar in the trash. May threw out a water bottle. And Gerald threw away a cereal box. There are lots of other things in here too. An old paper towel roll. A newspaper. A soup can. Is there anything else we can do with all this trash?” “Of course! One way we can make less trash is to recycle it.” “Recycle? What does that mean?” “I’ll show you! Come on, everybody! To the . . .” “Super Fab Lab!” “Investigate! Explore! Discover!” “We recycle by sorting trash in these special trash bins, and then our trash gets taken to a recycling center. This bin is for paper and cardboard. ” “Like my cereal box!” “Yes! Paper and cardboard can be made into new paper. And this one is for glass.” “Gabriela’s paint jar can go in there.” “That’s right!” “And what about my water bottle?” “That goes in the plastic bin. Glass and plastic can be turned into other glass and plastic things. By recycling, the trash stays out of the landfill and makes brand new things.” “Cool!” “There’s something else you can do with your trash instead of recycling or throwing it away. You can reuse it. Reusing is a way to make something that you can use out of something you would have thrown away or recycled. I’ve reused something right here in the Super Fab Lab. Can you see it?” “The crayon holder! It used to be a soup can, and now it holds our crayons.” “That’s right! I didn’t throw away the empty can. I reused it! Now everyone look at a piece of trash from the recycling bins. Can you think of another way to use it?” “I have a glass paint jar. If I turn it upside-down I can make a musical instrument. ” “When my bottle is like this, it reminds me of a fuzzy caterpillar. I’ll make a caterpillar toy!” “If I draw a face on it, it can be a cereal monster! And I’m an expert on cereal monsters. Roar, yum yum yum yum.” “OK, scientists. Time to record your observations in your journals. Let’s draw more ways to make something new out of something old. First, think of something else you throw away. Then, think of a way to reuse it!” “I throw away my T-shirts when they get too small. But instead of throwing them away, I can sew them together and, TA-DA, it’s a blanket! I always need blankets in the winter. Brrr.” “Smart thinking, Gabriela. It’s wonderful to make something we need. What about you, Sid?” asks Teacher Susie. “What kind of trash can you reuse?” “Well, I threw my robot Flip away this morning, but now I don’t want to. Maybe I can turn him into something new!” Suddenly Sid gets a very big idea. “I know what I can do with Flip!” When Sid gets home from school, he runs to his room to take Flip out of the trash, but Flip isn’t there. “Hey Mom, have you seen Flip? I need him. I know just what to do with Flip instead of throwing him in the trash.” “Sorry, Sid. I already took the trash outside so the garbage truck can pick it up.” “Mom! We’ve got to get that robot. I can make him into something else!” “Well, maybe if we hurry . . .” Sid runs outside as fast as he can. He sees the trash bin at the curb, just as the garbage truck turns the corner. Flip sits right on top. “Aha! There you are, Flip!” The garbage truck screeches to a stop right in front of the house, ready to take the trash away. “Phew! That was close.” Sid clutches Flip, excited to work on his big idea. Soon Sid is ready to show Mom. “Mom, Mom! I have a surprise for you! I reused Flip by making him into something else.” “What a great idea, Sid. What is it?” “Flip is now . . . your very own pen bot! Ta-da! Now you never have to worry about where your pens are. With a pen bot they will always be right here so you can find them!” “Great thinking, Sid! Where did you come up with that idea?” “Well, Mom, like you said, most of our trash goes into a landfill, and that’s bad for the environment. But there are other things we can do with our trash. We can recycle it and reuse it. That way you take something old and make it new, like when you take a robot and make . . . a pen bot!”

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D6GF1 - six-speed robot Kia Ceed 6DCT

Technical characteristics of the 6-speed robot D6GF1 or Kia Ceed 6DCT, reliability, resource, reviews, problems and gear ratios.

The 6-speed Hyundai-Kia D6GF1 robot or EcoShift 6DCT was produced from 2011 to 2018 and was installed on the second generation Ceed and ProCeed models with a 1.6-liter G4FD engine. This preselective with two dry clutches was also installed on the Veloster coupe with the same engine.

Other Hyundai-Kia robots: D6KF1, D7GF1, D7UF1 and D8LF1.

Contents:

• Features
• Numbers
• Application
• Problems

Specifications Hyundai-Kia D6GF1

Gear ratios, automatic transmission Kia 6 DCT

, on the example of the 2016 KIA Ced with a 1.6 liter engine:

On which cars the Hyundai-Kia D6GF1 box was installed

Shortcomings, breakdowns and problems of manual gearbox 6DCT

We got this box only in 2015 and already in a modified version

But the first owners were not lucky, the Internet is full of negative reviews strong vibrations

Also on the forum, not always adequate switching is noted, especially in a traffic jam

The weak point of the transmission is the low resource of the clutch pack and its forks

Additional materials

EcoShift DCT construction animation

Kia Ceed (Kia Ceed) in modification 1.4 Robot at a price of 1,095,580 rubles in Yekaterinburg - "Prime Auto"

Complete sets and prices

Specifications

Comparison of complete sets

1.4 AMT

140 hp, front, petrol

Cash price

On credit until April 10

Loan payment

Luxe 2018

1,725,180 R

1,095,580 R

Loan payment: from 8,700 R/month

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1 925 180 R

1 295 580 R

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Prestige

2,025,180 R

1,395,580 R

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Premium 2018

2,125,180 R

1,495,580 R

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Prestige 2018

2,125,180 R

1,495,580 R

Loan payment: from 11,900 R/month

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Premium

2,325,180 R

1,695,580 R

Loan payment: from 13,500 R/month

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Premium+

2,425,180 R

1,795,580 R

Loan payment: from 14,300 R/month

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Special offer for cars, with participation in the Trade-in program** Special offer, with participation in the recycling program** Kia Finance**

Hide identical options

Characteristic	1. 4 AMT Gasoline Front 140 hp
brief information
Volume	1353
Volume in liters	1.4
Engine type	Petrol
Drive	Front
Transmission	Robot
Number of gears	7
HP	140
Power, kWt.	103
Country	Korea
Seats	4
Engine
Supercharging type	Turbocharging
Engine power system	Direct injection (direct)
Cylinder arrangement	inline
Engine location	front, transverse
Number of cylinders	4
Number of valves per cylinder	4
Bore	71. 6
Stroke	84
Compression ratio	10
Maximum torque	242
Turns maximum torque	1500.3200
Performance indicators
Maximum speed	205
Acceleration to 100 km/h	9. 2
Combined fuel consumption per 100 km	6.1
Fuel consumption on the highway per 100 km	5.2
City fuel consumption per 100 km	7.7
Fuel brand	AI-95
Environmental class	euro 6
CO2 emissions	142
Volume and mass
Curb weight	1260
Gross weight	1850
Trunk volume min	395
Luggage capacity max	1291
Wheelbase	2650
Clearance	150
Wheel size	205/55/R16, 225/45/R17
Suspension and brakes
Rear brakes	disk
Front brakes	disc ventilated
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