Prototype This
Joe Grand of Grand Idea Studio is a co-host of Prototype This, an engineering entertainment program on Discovery Channel that premiered in October 2008. The show is centered around the conception, design, and testing of gadgets, machines, and robots, and aims to follow the real-life engineering process of a unique prototype every episode.
Joe is the team's electrical engineer and hardware hacker, and shares the screen with Zoz Brooks, a roboticist and software designer specializing in human-machine interaction, Mike North, a material scientist and mechanical engineer, and Terry Sandin, a special effects veteran.
As each new episode goes to air, this page will be updated with Joe's technical design documentation (schematics, source code, and development notes) that he personally created for the build. This information is for educational purposes only, cannot be used for any commercial endeavor without prior approval from Grand Idea Studio, and is unsupported.
Be sure to visit Discovery's official Prototype This fan site for everything else related to the show.
Episode 6: Robotic Firefighter Assistant
The team attempts to build a hi-tech PyroPack to help firemen see in burning buildings and a robotic fireman to carry gear up flights of stairs and a victim back …
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Episode 5: Backyard Waterslide Simulator
The team of inventors takes on the future of thrill rides. Can they engineer a waterslide simulator that replicates the water park experience from the comfort of home?
Documentation:
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Episode 4: Six-Legged All Terrain Vehicle
Inspired by the "legs" of an innovative robot called RHex, the prototypers decide to use this basic design with its synchronized alternating tripod gait and build it BIG! What …
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Episode 3: Traffic Busting Truck
The boys take on the challenge of building a car that will beat traffic by rising up — and driving over it. And as an added bonus, the lift allows …
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Episode 2: Boxing Robots
The prototype team looks into the future of gaming — and giant, boxing robots are what they see. Joe and Zoz utilize a technology called optical glyph tracking to allow …
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