MIT nerds build 18-foot robot called Stompy you can build yourself

Dan Seitz Contributing Writer, Tech

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Open source hardware and software is both a wonderful and terrible thing. It’s a wonderful thing in that it drives down the cost of making advanced technologies and allows new applications to be tried cheaply and simply.

It’s a terrible thing in that occasionally nerds lose track of the idea that maybe not everybody should have access to an 18-foot robot nicknamed “Stompy.”

“Stompy” is a six-legged robot weighing about two tons designed for you to build at home if you’ve got a lot of time on your hands or you happen to be a supervillain. Here’s their pitch video on Kickstarter:

To be fair, an open-source walking robot has its uses. It’s six feet off the ground, so it can, for example, be used by emergency responders to walk through earthquake-ravaged areas. And the overall idea is to drive down the cost of large-scale robotics by developing cheap, practical hydraulic designs.

On the other hand, we’ve also got to ask why they had to call it “Stompy.” Granted it’s basically a robot insect you ride but… “Stompy?”

Stompy: The Giant Rideable Robot [Kickstarter]