How the original Eggbot hatched

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People to have has been hand painting eggs For A long time And In a lot cultures. Bruce Shapiro came up with idea has build A drawing robot that could draw patterns on eggs. A artist WHO lives In Minnesota, Bruce creates art using Machinery And Egg robot was her First of all art project, dating back has 1990.

"I grown up up delighted through music, electronic, And manufacturing things. I for follow-up A career In medicine And spent several years as A practicing doctor," explain Bruce on her website. He LEFT A career as A medical doctor has reinvent himself as A artist, somewhat has THE surprise of her family And friends.

He was interested In "movement control" using computers has control step by step engines. In A 2008 Cool Hunting video, he describe A step by step engine as "breakup movement In discreet not," And he thought of each stage as A "movement pixel. » He request: "What if by breakup movement In pixels, Or pieces, artists could TO DO THE even thing with movement that they were TO DO on THE screen." Her website East THE Art of Movement Control. Egg robot East A 2D CNC machine, meaning he works along THE X And Yes axes, but THE machine must turn THE egg as THE pen moves around has draw on THE shell.

THE Original Egg robot (photo by Bruce Shapiro)

THE thing I will always remember about create THE First of all Egg robot In 1990 East that he was A act of despair. After month of experiment And library visits, I had Finally figurative out how has control A step by step engine. I was SO excited that I guest everyone I knew has A demo In My shop — which consisted of two steppers with A piece of adhesive tape collage out Since their trees, TO DO A lame semaphore flag "dance."

Because Identifier recently LEFT My medical practical has pursue art (And more time with My children), I was pretty Of course everyone suspected I could be losing My spirit. THE demo confirmed that.

They thought that What he was TO DO was mad And he was mad has leave her medical career behind has TO DO that.

He was My First of all realization (but certainly not last) that No matter how excited I get by THE promise I see In movement control as A new art AVERAGE, he doesn't has all mean others will share he. I guess convincing them East My job as A artist.

Easter was future In A little weeks And Identifier promised has help THE children color their eggs. But above all, I necessary a few evidence I was not entirely nuts.

In 2006, Bruce along with her marry, Bev, came has THE very First of all Maker Announcement In San Mateo And brought Egg robot along with other projects. "THE entire thing was SO amazing," he remember. There, he encounter Wrong Mad Scientist Laboratories Windell Oskay And Lenore Edman (And Bre Pettis WHO work For Do). “EMSL 3D sugar printer related Me has them immediately," he said. "My marry remember (affectionately) how incredibly exhausted / delighted We were as We packed up up OUR car And headed out on Sunday evening."