Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialMike Sowden @mikeachim.bsky.social · 12/05/2025OK, this is wild. In September 2023, geophysicists across the world started monitoring a very odd signal coming from the ground under them. It was picked up in the Arctic. And Antarctica. It was detected everywhere, every 90 seconds, as regular as a metronome, for *nine days*. What the HELL? 1/ 737225117753
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialRob Cruickshank @robcruickshank.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Modern remotes modulate the infrared signal at around 40 khz because the first optical remotes used receiver circuitry that was adapted from the acoustic receivers. So in a sense, they are still with us. 833691
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialJamorobo @jamorobo.bsky.social · 17/07/2026Wonderful first day at #EMFCamp. So many amazing things going on. It's an incredible feat that this gets put on every other year. Hats off to @jonty.bsky.social and everyone else involved. 062
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialJamorobo @jamorobo.bsky.social · 20/07/2026A belated #EMFcamp day 2: 084
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialLaura James @laura.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 19/07/2026#emfcamp was excellent. Didn't go to any talks or workshops, just chats, meetups, dancing, puzzles, volunteering, and wandering admiring the art. Huge thanks to everyone who made it happen ❤️ Maybe see some of you in 6 weeks for #OSHCamp? https:// oshug.org/event/oshcamp2026 #OpenSourceHardware 0155
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialHitchin Hackspace @hackhitchin.bsky.social · 16/07/2026It has taken a while to be assembled by the team but the #HitchinHackspace #GameBoy #Monumemtal has been assembled, raised in to position and is up and running at #EMFCamp. As it isn't waterproof it is currently cosseted beneath a purple gazebo. Do come along and have a game 🙂 132
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialTerence Eden @edent.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/07/2026Checked in to Electromagnetic Field 2026, Eastnor Castle Deer Park, United Kingdom Damien from HackyRaces is an absolute legend for helping us lug our stuff up to #EMFCamp swarmapp.com/user/56367/checkin/6a5…swarmapp.comElectromagnetic Field 2026Electromagnetic Field 2026 022
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialDr Lucy Rogers @drlucyrogers.com · 14/07/2026Just preparing my slides for my talk at @emfcamp.bsky.social on Friday. It's all about looking Up (it's a huge book plug). But there may also be Easter Eggs in the book ... #RobotWars #EMF2026 1202
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialDr Kat Day (she/her) 🎃🌒 @chronicleflask.katday.com · 02/07/2026#TIL that the Vanta in Vantablack stands for ‘vertically aligned nanotube array’. I’m sure this wasn’t hard to find, but it had never occurred to me that it was an acronym… 1184
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialDr Lucy Rogers @drlucyrogers.com · 21/06/2026I'm selling a professional (very heavy) woodturning lathe - where do I advertise it?? It's in Oxfordshire. Vicmarc VL300 ESVX +magnetic remote switch Vicmarc 1000mm Bed Extension Vicmarc VM120 Chuck Woodcut Straight Head Pro-Forme Hollowing Tools Vicmarc Camlock Banjo Vicmarc 600 mm Tool rest 6712
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialChris Tregenza @tregenza.bsky.social · 11/06/2026Sharing this because some people may find it useful but also ... To point out this is the sort of document they put in museums about genocide to illustrate how people at the sharp end knew what was coming. 123
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialExtreme Electronics @extelec.bsky.social · 09/06/2026Yay, we have a village and installation at #EMF Anyone wanting to join us playing with HV over the weekend are welcome at "Spark Life" www.emfcamp.org/villages/202...emfcamp.orgVillage: Spark Life (HV Village) 182
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialBristol Bot Builders @bristolbotbuilders.com · 29/05/2026June in European Robot Combat: bbb.gd/events 3 Combat Robotics NI 454g meet in Belfast 🇬🇧 3-4 Fightfest feathers in Birmingham 🇬🇧 4 QRFL ants in London 🇬🇧 6 Jelgava 200g, 454g & 907g in Jelgava 🇱🇻 6-7 XR heavies in Stevenage 🇬🇧 13-14 Makerfight feathers in Mulhouse 🇫🇷 14 I Robottari ants in Rome 🇮🇹 211
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialDr Lucy Rogers @drlucyrogers.com · 11/05/2026Engineering misconceptions: 1) we all wear hard hats all the time 2) we all get our hands dirty all the time 3) we are all male 4) we are all 'boffins' 5) we can count and follow instructions. 2186
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialJohn Self @john-self.bsky.social · 05/05/2026Incredible chart (from otherwise depressing news story about bad advice being given to new parents) showing how cot deaths fell by 50% in the first year after the 'Back to Sleep' campaign was launched, and have continued to fall since. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... 18605195
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialBristol Bot Builders @bristolbotbuilders.com · 29/04/2026A mega packed May in European Robot Combat! bbb.gd/events Possibly the most countries ever with a Spanish debut and the return of Belgium and Portugal! 🇬🇧🇳🇱🇪🇸🇱🇹🇨🇭🇨🇿🇮🇹🇵🇹🇱🇻🇧🇪🇳🇴 044
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialScary (they/them) @emfcamp @scaryboots.bsky.social · 28/03/2026More #art. A cute blåhaj with a #trans rights message in the pink notebook I only draw on with blue and pink, which is SO NEARLY FINISHED. (And then what do I do?) 0121
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 21/03/2026Mostly controller issues, the game pad and hub take a beating as the teams scramble between the pits and quick turn around matches, so there are often intermittent connections. Mechanically, it's misaligned chains, skipping gears and difficult-to-access loose screws. 010
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 21/03/2026Great match in the tele-op period by the red alliance too..too! They got some really long shots in. 011
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 21/03/2026Fantastic autonomous period performance by this team. Full auto collection, aim, shoot and gate release. 110
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 21/03/2026This event's being live streamed, so you can follow along: www.youtube.com/live/1Hvn_XD... They're doing practice matches now, the competition will start this afternoon.youtube.comFTC UK South East Regional - ASL 2026 | FTC DECODEYouTube video by Griffins 1884 110
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 21/03/2026I'm at another First Tech Challenge robot event today. I'm helping in the Robot Hospital, fixing broken bots! Our hosts, American School in London, have provided an amazing stock of spare parts. 261
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialBrian Corteil @cannonfodder.bsky.social · 20/03/2026Been working on my Hacky Racers autonomous robot, been vibe coding with Claude. Experience has been very good so far, been able to improve my code and add lots of tests and enhancements including GUIs local/web for the robot, an app calibrating the camera to help with distortion at the edges. 162
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialPaul Stoffregen @paulstoffregen.bsky.social · 05/03/2026Researchers from Prof. Joohyung Kim's KIMLAB at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) used #Teensy to develop a low-cost, easy-to-reproduce "pneumatic skin" that gives robots a sense of touch www.pjrc.com/pneumatic-ro... 021
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialAdaptive Machine Patterns @adaptive-machine-patterns.com · 03/03/2026AMP has been kitting out for a build recently... this looks like an interesting project: mitxela.com/projects/scr...mitxela.comSimple Screw Counter - mitxela.com 001
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialBristol Bot Builders @bristolbotbuilders.com · 03/03/2026🇬🇧 🇱🇹 🇳🇱 🇨🇿 🇱🇻 🇮🇹 🇦🇹 bbb.gd/events 🇪🇺🤖⚔️📅 March in European Robot Combat! ~ 4th Combat Robotics NI 456g in Belfast 🇬🇧 5rd QRFL ants in London 🇬🇧 7th Bristol Uni ants in Bristol 🇬🇧 7th Klaipeda ant & 454g in Klaipeda 🇱🇹 8th Rock & Robots sportsman ants in London 🇬🇧 14th Robodojo sportsman feathers in York 🇬🇧 101
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 28/02/2026Ah, that explains it! The middle phase wire from my weapon has pulled out of the esc. 010
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 28/02/2026Ok, I know why my drive was bad at the end, one of the drive belts was slipping. The weapon belt is still in place, so I don't know why the weapon stopped. 110
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 28/02/2026That was great! I think I took out the other big spinners in the first half chaos, but then I lost my weapon (belt snapped?), so then it was a sad hobbling match between me and Fig Roll. Rob had lost drive on one side (all the wheels had taken weapon hits) 110
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 28/02/2026I'm in a fun whiteboard fight soon, against Fig Roll ( @pinski1.bsky.social spring flipper, but the weapon is broken), Aesop (shell spinner), Stuffy (dual reaction walking spinner!) should be a fun fight. 110
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 28/02/2026Another fight, another loss by pinballing into the pit. I was probably winning this one, right up until I was out. Unfortunately the self-righting loop failed early on, so I was even more out of control than usual, flailing around trying to get back upright. I'm out the comp, may get a whiteboard 110
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 28/02/2026My next (and possibly final) fight is against Tupperscare, a lifter. 110
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 28/02/2026That was a great fight! Konkushun tapped out fairly early on (cracked chassis). Paradigm Spin & Babrog had a great tussle for most of the rest of the match, with lots of pinballing & self righting. Ultimately I pinballed into the pit, but I'm very happy the bot worked perfectly for the whole match. 120
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 28/02/2026The fight draw is out, my first match is against Babrog (excellent grab and lift bot) and Konkushun (spinning beater weapon?). Should be a good match. 110
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 28/02/2026Paradigm Spin may look very similar to last year, but a lot has changed. The 4-in-1 drone esc has been replaced with separate drive & weapon Escs, the Rx is electrically protected, link changed to an internal switch & the self righting mast has changed from ali & foam to 3D printed nylon & TPU. 110
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 28/02/2026I've passed tech check, ready to compete :-) 😁 The tourney bracket for today is at bbb.gd/fight and the spectator programme is at BBB.gd/prog 130
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 28/02/2026It's been a year since I've competed with Paradigm Spin, but I'm back in Bristol to fight again! I've never been happy with Paradigm's reliability, so I've been doing lots of testing and development. This clip is a montage of that, full vid on youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB8J... 110
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialBristol Bot Builders @bristolbotbuilders.com · 25/02/2026Just some of the over 50 incredible robots coming to fight at BBB Beetle Brawl 2026! We will be streaming from 11am GMT on Saturday at bbb.gd/stream 073
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 24/02/2026How cool is this! All done by school students. They have code for auto-aiming based on odometry too! 141
markmellors.bsky.social @markmellors.bsky.social · 24/02/2026It's robot season again! I'm volunteering at a First Tech Challenge event in Oxford today. New for this year: ball launchers! 161
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialcastpixel ⚧️⚢ @castpixel.bsky.social · 19/02/2026Due to popular demand, here is a demonstration video of how to make 3D printed PCBs using just vector drawing software, a 3D printed (PETG filament for mine) and self-adhesive copper tape. Any questions, let me know! 34777294
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialDr. Princess Vimentin PhD | Cancer Biologist @princess-vimentin.bsky.social · 06/02/2026I have encountered a little of this. My brother historically has received more praise than I. When I visit India it’s awkward for me. The women talk in the kitchen about cooking while the men sit in the living room talking about global affairs. There is no space to talk about me or science. 98229
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialEast Essex Hackspace @eehackspace.bsky.social · 31/01/2026Yesterday, Tim was looking at turning a luggage cart into a powered one with the idea of eventually having several in a 'wagon train'. Motive power will be hoverboard hub motors but fitted with pneumatic tyres. Good progress was made, next it will involve chopping the rear frame and some welding. 162
Reposted by @markmellors.bsky.socialNick Reynolds (he/him) @ncmreynolds.bsky.social · 25/01/2026Did a session at @bridgecommand.bsky.social this afternoon with friends. Stereotyped myself by playing shuttle engineer. Also bumped into a couple of people I know from LARP but haven't seen for years. 132