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13yo "Spider Boy" scales walls using recycled vacuums
- Matti 16y agohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1qoINo2MPM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1qoINo2MPM
- dc2k08 16y agofootage and interview with boy who references that show: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10458134.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10458134....
- paulnelligan 16y agocould be a money spinner if he got sponsored by a vacuum cleaner company for their next ad...
- mkramlich 16y agoimagine this kid being sponsored by James Dyson the inventor behind the cyclone-based vacuum company.
- r3570r3 16y agoThis has been done earlier, but not by a 13 year old boy!
- ck2 16y agoI think people are missing the point, it's not the invention itself, it's how a 13 year old kid made his imagination into reality (instead of, for example, playing video games all day). Just imagine what they can do at 20 with the right encouragement.
- amichail 16y agoVideo games can encourage imaginative thinking. Check out Scribblenauts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh65m-3o1co http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh65m-3o1co
- RiderOfGiraffes 16y agoYes, but video games don't necessarily encourage going out and actually doing something, as opposed to just imagining it. Not to say imagination isn't important, but imagination without action is definitely not first best.
- ck2 16y agoIt probably depends on the kid/environment. My first attempt at programming was to write Breakout in Basic, so video games can inspire I guess (this was longer ago than I care to disclose). But today's video games are so advanced I get the impression kids wouldn't even bother to try to write their own game because it wouldn't compare to their experience.
- dunstad 16y agoI halfway agree with you - they probably wouldn't try to write something like Halo, because they wouldn't know where to start. Simple, fun games still exist though. Just look at all the Flash ones.
- Groxx 16y agoSimple, fun games are usually the most successful games out there. The hard-core gamer market is small comparatively, especially if you're counting by players instead of purchasers. (Numerical comparison: Half Life life-time sales: 9.3 million as of the end of 2008[1]. Bejeweled life-time sales: 50 million+ as of Feb this year[2]. And how many play FarmVille (though it's not overly simple)?) [1]: http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/56193 http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/56193 [2]: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/27183/Bejeweled_Sales_Hit_50_Million.php http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/27183/Bejeweled_Sales_Hit...
- 16y ago
- wesley 16y agoHe got the idea from a TV show.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1qoINo2MPM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1qoINo2MPM
- Groxx 16y agoEh, there have been vacuum-based wall-climbers for far longer than 1 year. I remember seeing robotic ones built by high school students at least a decade ago.
- thefool 16y agoHe clearly didn't do that all by himself though. It looks like there is some machining on there that he probably had his dad or dad's friend do. Doesn't make it less cool though.
- noonespecial 16y agoThen he's on the right track. If you do all of the fabrication for your prototype yourself, you are probably doing it wrong.
- daleharvey 16y agoI was confused at how he had enough body strength to hold on to the wall with one hand and only slight foot holds, but then I seen the foot holds coming down from the suction pad things. doesnt really matter if he got some help, kid has a bright future.
- mkramlich 16y agosomeone call Dean Kamen and Elon Musk, stat! but seriously, let's make sure that kid gets good mentors. has talent and could do brilliant things in the future if he stays on the right path. (up the frickin wall)
- nailer 16y agoAnyone know how it seals? This is the part I admire - brickwork is porous so it may be difficult to attach to.