If you're looking for a DIY project that's not only fun but educational, you may want to back this Kickstarter project. Alyssa Hamel just emailed us telling us about Kinetic Creatures, a set of three cardboard animal sculptures that actually walk! You have to watch the video – these creatures come alive with a simple mechanical motion! They can even walk on their own with a gear kit. Industrial designer Lucas Ainsworth and artist and art teacher Alyssa Hamel worked four years on this project. I can't help but think how perfect this would be for that valuable kid/parent time.
Hooray! With 335 backers pledging over $26K, it looks like they've already reached their goal of $22K. I really enjoyed the comments:
“Beautiful Video. I saw these in person at the Maker Faire. I was amazed at the way the legs of the animals moved. Pure elegance. It seems like other robotics could learn from this design. Awesome!” – Jay Silver
“This is one of the most exciting projects that we've seen in the time that we've been supporting Kickstarter projects. We just watched the video with my 11 & 14 yr old grandkids. They were really jazzed. In fact, we chose the $30 level in hopes of bringing Rory home! We wish you all kinds of luck, and I will be posting this on Facebook! Yeah!” – B.Z. Smith