In a way, it’s kind of refreshing to see tech-savy engineer Crabfu construct a hamster powered Strandbeest, because these days, let’s be honest, people are doing much creepier things with pint-sized pets. Modeled after a Theo Jansen-inspired Strandbeest kit, Crabfu’s walker doesn’t need rely on wind power for movement, instead utilizing planet Earth’s other most untapped resource: hamster ball energy. Thanks to a few customizations, some chain and a hamster ball, Crabfu was well on his way to engineering the latest breakthrough in gerbil-sized pet technology.
But why would someone ever waste their precious time creating a hamster powered walking skeleton? Well that’s easy: because it was a stupid idea, that’s why. No, really. Honest.
The hamster powered? that’s just stupid, which is the exact reason why I did it. It’s different, hasn’t been done before, yet it’s in so many what’s-under-the-hood jokes. It also had a high likelyhood of working, so I had to attempt it. Only problem: I don’t have a hamster, I don’t want a hamster for a pet, and I don’t know what sort of power and weight a little critter like that has. All I know is that I’ve seen them go ballistic on the hamster wheel, and so they must have great weight to power ratio. [CrabfuArtWorks]
As you can see, Crabfu is a rather intelligent guy, which is nice, because it means that people like you and I get to reap the benefits of his creations. Like today, for example, we get to revel in the hypnotic power that is a video of a hamster powering a Strandbeest. Tomorrow? Who knows…better wear a helmet.
Video of the hamster powered marching Strandbeest after the jump: