Product Review: Egg-Bot Kit

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By Robert Cong and William Cotter

Robots have been designed to duplicate images on paper, create designs on canvas, even paint parking grids on asphalt. The Egg-Bot represents an advancement in art robot technology, for it is capable of reproducing images on round surfaces.

Egg Bot

Egg-Bot Uses

As the name implies, the Egg-Bot can re-create a graphic image, drawing or photograph on an Easter egg. You can create eggs resembling family members and have fun separating the "good eggs" from the "bad eggs." Other holiday uses include decorating Christmas ornaments and etching mini pumpkins.

You can put images on golf balls and ping pong balls. You can forge signatures on baseballs (you didn't hear that here). Advanced users can put designs on wine glasses. Substituting an engraving tool for a pen, you can create designs on hard objects. You may use just about any round or egg-shaped object between 1.25 and 4.25 inches in diameter.

Building the Egg-Bot

Assembly is relatively simple and should take less than two hours. All tools are included, instructions and software are available online, and no soldering or programming is required. The robot is compatible with Mac , Windows or Linux and is normally controlled through a free vector graphics program such as Inkscape. Take care to calibrate carefully. The suction cups that hold the object require precision to hold the egg steady without breaking it. Calibrating the pen is critical for ensuring the artwork is duplicated accurately.

Friends and Family Will Be Amazed

A typical egg, held upright, holds a canvas of 800 vertical steps and 3200 horizontal steps - or about 2.56 million plot points - a resolution that compares favorably with that of many computer monitors. Accuracy of your creations will only be limited by the fineness of the drawing instrument. When you show off yet another of your engineering marvels, once again your admirers will ask, "how did you do that?"

Order the Original Egg-Bot kit for $194.95 or the Deluxe Edition for $219.95. The Deluxe kit includes the original kit plus brass hardware upgrade kit, precision egg coupler and 5/64" balldriver.

A video of the Egg-Bot in action.

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Robert is a graduate from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in Electrical Engineering. He is originally from Lincoln Heights in Los Angeles, CA, and currently resides in Belmont, CA where he works as a Technical Copy Writer/ Product Manager for Jameco Electronics. His interests include sports, movies, music, and playing with cool, new gadgets.

William works as the Marketing Content Manager for Jameco is a graduate of Santa Clara University.

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