World Spider – 2006

Mondo Spider is a giant robotic spider species that walks on 8 paws. It was designed and presented to Burning Man 2006, a great musical annual festival that takes place in the United States in the Nevada desert (the last weekend of August) and that gives free rein to all the wildest possible artists. Every year, a number of extraordinary vehicles are created for the occasion.

The spider symbolizes fear, Mondo Spider kinematics was made so that the public have the impression of being in front of a real live spider while in motion.

She weights 600 Kilos, it is powered by a gasoline engine Honda V-Twin 24 hp 3600 t / mn. The blood of the beast is the hydraulic oil at high temperature under pressure from several pumps and electric motors. Its top speed is 1,22 meters per second, is 4,4 Km / h for a radius of 14 max kilometers. it poses 2,6 feet per second at high speed ground. It is controlled by two valves left and right proportion that allow it to move forward, to retreat, or turning on itself. A total shutdown is necessary for rotation.

The machine was created by 5 Vancouver engineers : Leigh Christie, Jonathan Tippett, Charlie Brinson, Alex Mossman et Dillard Brinson. Some sponsors were required and a bunch of buddies who all had a hand in the dough !
They summers inspired by the TV series “Scrapheap Challenge and Junkyard Wars USA”. Firstly, they thought realize that “walking machine” for a local contest. Following the Patent Joe Klann who discovered a link mechanism to animate 6 paws, they decided to use this method.

The machine Joe Klann in model

and life-size, 6 tonnes expected to walk 80 Km / h, remains to the motorize…

The first machine to walk our team who finished in the trash after 20 course !

It was after this first prototype, a Burning Man sponsor came to their aid and proposing to build a real metal model.

At work !

First shop tests

First step of Mondo Spider, I let you admire the result.

Then at Burning Man 2006

truly sublime !

Small demonstration of the Mondo Spider in the street.

There was also a Spider-Chair, the Playa Crawler on Burning Man always legged. Engineer Mark Ellis created The Playa Crawler , a brilliantly designed kinetic walking chair that he uses at Burning Man . The legs of this chair were inspired by the wind powered Strandbeest of the’ Dutch artist Theo Jansen (previously) and are specially designed to withstand the alkaline soil of the Black Rock Desert .

The Playa Crawler is what is considered a "mutant vehicle" or a "car of art" and is a kinetic work of art. I did it to be used as my own personal vehicle to get around Burning Man and I wanted something interesting and unique, so I created a chair that works with legs. the leg link was invented by Theo Jansen, a Dutch artist who creates these massive walking sculptures called Strandbeest who walk along the beach pushed by the wind. It was designed to roam the alkaline apartments of the great Black Rock desert.

The Playa Crawler was built in 2017 made of laser cut aluminum and steel. The personal vehicle is also equipped with two electric wheelchair motors and batteries and is controlled by an electric wheelchair joystick. Ellis posted a behind the scenes video showing how the Crawler was built.

There is a YouTube video of the complete construction of the Playa Crawler, but this video cannot be viewed from a site other than YouTube, and even with hacks, it does not work,
so here is the link to this nice video to see !