There are few things more annoying than sitting down on the sofa before realizing you left your drink on the table 10 feet away.
But instead of having to get up to retrieve it, what if the table could come to you?
That’s a dream turned to reality by one expert in the Netherlands, who has built a 12-legged, remote-controlled walking table.
Like a cross between The Luggage from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels and Theo Jansen’s Strandbeest sculptures, Carpentopod has two motors that power 12 legs – six on either side.
Amazing footage shows the table making its way over to the user with a full bottle of beer perched on top, without spilling a drop.
The remote-controlled Carpentopod has two motors that power 12 legs – six on either side. Amazing video shows it making its way over to the user with a full bottle of beer perched on top
The Luggage from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels (pictured) is a trunk with legs – and has a nasty habit of biting people
Carpentopod was built by Giliam de Carpentier, a programmer and carpenter based in Amsterdam, who detailed his creation in a lengthy blog.
He said Carpentopod is ‘relatively practical and aesthetically pleasing to have’ in the home, further describing it as a ‘fusion of the robotic with the organic’.
‘Enjoying the fruits of my labor now that I finished my 12-legged “Carpentopod2 table project,’ he said.
‘I choose its name by combining old Latin and Greek words – carpentum (being a carriage), and pod (for feet or legged).’
Carpentopod started off as a software design before de Carpentier employed his carpentry skills to bring it to life.
Just like Theo Jansen’s wind-powered Strandbeest sculptures, Carpentopod features a clever internal rotating mechanism that lifts up one leg when the leg directly opposite is on the ground.
When it needs to change direction, legs on only one side of the table will move – much like rowers’ oars in a boat.
Carpentopod started off as a software design before Giliam de Carpentier employed his carpentry skills to bring it to life
Carpentopod blends into the surroundings – meaning guests could be taken by surprise once it starts moving
‘As each individual leg in the Carpentopod linkage is only a third of the walk cycle on the ground, the table itself therefore would require twelve legs to be stable at all times,’ de Carpentier said.
‘Between the six legs on one end and the six on the other, I also left room for a hollow central “belly” to contain the electronics, motors and battery.’
The programmer can move his table with a remote, but until then it blends into the surroundings – meaning guests could be taken by surprise once it starts approaching.
He acknowledges its similarity with The Luggage from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels – a trunk with legs that has a nasty habit of biting people.
‘To make this not look all angular, I designed the frame and belly to be curved, like an upside down treasure chest,’ de Carpentier said.
Theo Jansen’s inspiring Strandbeest sculptures (pictured) are able to move on their own, sometimes propelled by wind
‘This probably contributed to some people commenting that it looks likes The Luggage from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels.
‘But I promise this similarity is purely coincidental and that a Carpentopod table is far less dangerous.’
The device seems to have several prospective buyers already, with commentators calling it ‘incredible’ and ‘inspiring’.
One person posted on de Carpentier’s blog: ‘Oh please, can I buy one? Amazing.’
Another user said: ‘I love every single bit about that.’
They added: ‘The amount of work with regard to the (lack of) usefullness makes it even more fantastic in my views.’
Someone else posted: ‘The clackety clack of its little legs… sublime’, adding: ‘This is certainly the best thing I’ve ever seen.’
Although de Carpentier admitted ‘many people have asked if they could get one’, he said he’s not currently ‘making these on demand’.
