SWARM (2007 and beyond)

SWARM are six autonomous aluminum orbs that made their debut at Burning Man 2007. A generous grant from the Burning Man organization assisted in bringing this project to fruition. Measuring some 30 inches in diameter, these amazing aluminum creations are the brainchild of Michael Prados and a group of dedicated volunteers. The Orbs steer by moving their battery tray side to side; forward and reverse motion is achieved via a scooter motor. These spherical robots come equipped with an ARM based 'brain', GPS, an IMU, accelerometers, a zigBEE wireless link, a sound system and four illuminators. The Orbs can be controlled via the Mother Node controller in autonomous mode or they can be controlled remotely. Light, sound, and motion effects can be choreographed via a custom Java application that runs on the Mother Node controller. Light and sound effects are fully controllable when the Orbs are run via remote control. An integral part of SWARM on the Playa is the Mother Ship. This four seat Human Powered Vehicle designed by Ray Sykes allows for transport of four Orbs; the Mother Ship also carries the Mother Node controller. A unique feature of the Mother Ship is its circular steering wheel; riders face each other and pedal as well as steer. Dawn did a significant amount of the Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) of the aluminum Orb hemispheres. She also worked on illuminator assembly. Rick designed and built the illuminators for the Orbs. In 2008 two more illuminators were added to each Orb.