Engineering on Friday ‘toon: Star Wars Day(s)

You know you got them. A box full of lanyards somewhere. We love them. They're simple, practical, and you can carry anything with you at all times. I got a lanyard for every occasion.

I thought, if I were a Jedi, how would I carry the lightsaber? Lanyard, of course.

May 4^th is Star Wars Day. Get it? May the 4th be with you? And that new edition to the day, May 5^th, aka Revenge of the 5^th. Wouldn't the 6^th work there, too? Time to expand the celebration? Call it “Star Wars Days,” May 4^th to the 6^th. I don’t think fans need convincing on this one.

I believe that Star Wars as a whole has been the most influential science fiction work in history. You remember being younger, and maybe you had the Force? Waving flashlights around in the fog, adding your own sound effects? When you were older, remember thinking, "How can I make this-or-that real?" 

Of the many Star Wars ideas-to-real-world-devices I’ve had, it was a simple luggage-carrying droid in the background of Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith that really sparked a fire in me.

So, back in 2005, I wanted to make a robot that would follow me around and could carry at least 700 pounds. At the time, I had a 700-pound CNC mill, among other heavy equipment. I got about as far as a robot that could track a tennis ball. But life has a way of distracting us from those hard projects. I put it in a box, somewhere. 

Then, 20 years later, I see massive weight-carrying robotic platforms on the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) floor. Oops, I missed that one big-time. It's one of those "I had that idea blah-blah years ago" cliché moments. Don't we all have too many of those?

I checked my videos on YouTube, and I found the following. It was in addition to the article I wrote at the time about Episode VII - The Force Awakens. It was a teardown of the new (at the time) BB-8 toys for Machine Design. 

In the video, I show how I cut the Sphero BB-8 apart on one of my lathes. In this video, you won't see it, but my 700-pound mill is right behind me. :) 

That said:

Did you know someone made a working lightsaber?

Did you know people routinely make working Droids?

Did you know these DIY Droids were in the sequel movies?

You can see all this and more at the semi-annual Star Wars Celebration. I went to the one in Chicago a few years back. Besides the REAL armor and other props people make, it's the custom-made droids that really stand out. They're true works of robotic art.

I tried to pry one maker on how he 3D-printed a perfectly smooth, life-sized BB-8 and BB-9E, but the response was hush. The secrets await me — if I join one of those Droid Builders Guilds, I'm sure.

What Star Wars thing did you want to build? Sound off in the comments below.

Didn't see last week's cartoon? Check out the Engineering on Friday comic gallery. or I illustrate how to handle those projects you never get to – but with a cat. Check it out, after the jump.

Speaking of that, May 2^nd is Free Comic Book Day. Every single local comic store (LCS) is doing it. Go there, get free comics, buy some others. And, if you're lucky, your LCS will have some artists there, drawing sketches or signing their books. Have fun!

(Update) Free Comic Book Day is over. But, trust me, if you go to your LCS, they'll still have a bunch of them you can get. Of course, tons of interesting comics on their shelves.   

(Update 2) I drew the lightsaber and the little Yoda on the lanyard separately, then pasted them in, and scaled down. But, it doesn't make the scale detail of the rest of the drawing. They almost look real. Weird. I'll have to fix that in the future. :)