Robotic Wellington Boot Thrower 128
An anonymous reader writes "A long established "sport" in the UK is that of welly wanging or seeing how far you can throw a wellington boot. Scientists at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth have built a robotic arm to perform this task, using an engine from a concrete mixer, and a gearbox from a Citroen along with several computers."
Violates the purity of the sport (Score:5, Funny)
-Eric
Re:Violates the purity of the sport (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Violates the purity of the sport (Score:5, Funny)
Anyway, I'll start with Holborn. Over to you.
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I'll see your Holborn and raise to Swiss Cottage
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RTBM (Score:3, Funny)
Correction (Score:2)
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Anyone?
Wellington Boot (Score:2)
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What about AOL CDs? (Score:2)
I'd like a robotic arm for that one, too
Re:What about AOL CDs? Here ya go! (Score:1)
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Two Threads? (Score:2)
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Incomplete story.. (Score:2)
It's a sleepless night, what else to do but refresh slashdot.
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"A long established "sport" in the UK is that of welly wanging or seeing how far you can throw a wellington boot. Scientists at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth have built a robotic arm to perform this task, using an engine from a concrete mixer, and a gearbox from a Citroen along with several computers." makes sense.
Just take out "More details and a video at "
i emaile
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Junkyard Wars / Scrapheap Challenge (Score:2)
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Editor? (Score:2)
RTFS!
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i've always wanted... (Score:3, Funny)
e.
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Microsoft Update (Score:5, Funny)
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Apple responded by claimng that Microsoft's robotic chair-thrower was really just a cheap copy of one of their already existing Dashboard widgets. Security experts have issued several security advisories detailing the fact that the chair-thrower hooks directly to the Vista kernel, making it a major security risk.
Why the lord is not my shepherd (Score:2, Funny)
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Welly boots keep the sheep's hindlegs dry and thus easier to hang on to. Probably.
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Re:Why the lord is not my shepherd (Score:4, Interesting)
For the uninitiated: You wear the wellies. You put the sheep's hind-legs into the wellies. The sheep then can't escape.
Velcro gloves are another useful extra. Allegedly.
And apparently it's better done at the edge of a cliff - the sheep tends to push back more. Again allegedly.
Grab.
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US Military tradition (Score:1, Interesting)
Thought it was funny that a variant on this was used in the movie "Wag the Dog" as a substitute for the yellow ribbon thing that is popular now.
Something similar happens in maintenance shops. People thro
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Robotic wanger (Score:4, Funny)
And then Lister and Rimmer attached it to Kryten and showed him how to enjoy the delights of the space brothel.
better word? (Score:1)
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Look, we don't laugh at your 'fanny bags' so let us have our wangers. Same goes for enjoying a fag.
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Useless?
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They are going to call it the 'Welly Wii-anger'.
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Well at least it is conclusive (Score:4, Funny)
In England they play this infernal thing called cricket. Some two guys take turns to face a red ball that is chucked from some 22 yards away surrounded by some 11 players and two umpires. It goes on and on for some three days. They break every hour for drinks, and then take a lunch break and a tea break. Then they take a rest day. Then they all come back and continue the damn thing for two more days. One would think it has long enough and they will have a winner at the end. But the most common result after five days is, get it, a DRAW .
Fans, or monorons who paid good money and their time watch this farce pretending to be a sport, threw whatever they had in their hands at the players and the umpires out of frustration and one guy managed to hit the umpire with a well aimed wellington boot. Thus was born the great sport of well chucking. Say what you will about it. The contest is over quickly and the winner is declared. Take that you fanboys of MCC.
no jokes about how boring life must be in England (Score:1)
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Maybe that's what your perception of life is like in England - however, in Wales (where this refers to) is a lot more interesting.
Maps are interesting things - can I recommend buying one
I'm off to watch rounders\n\n\n\n\n\n\n baseball - that's alot more interesting.
Not really news - but it is silly season. Next up, a made-up survey about how little work everybody does.
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Hint, say "So, what's it like being English?" in a pub on the Falls Road (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_road [wikipedia.org]).
Kneecaps, what kneecaps.....
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And no-one who plays baseball is in a position to criticise cricket! Especially with a "World Series" with no teams from outside the US. At least the UK managed to export cricket (although God only knows how or why - you'd think other countries had their own bizarre sports).
For my money, I'd like to see more kabaddi. Great game, like a sl
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As was said in the movie Independence Day, "That's not entirely correct." There was a time when the Montreal Expos were part of baseball and thus, World Series, was correct. However, they moved to Washington, D.C. and are now known as the Washington Nationals.
Get it? Washington Nationals, located in Washington, D.C. Get it? Yeah, that's what I thought when I h
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On the flip side, they seem to be the only Canadian team left in Major League Baseball.
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Now if you could get a Mexican team involved, you could at least call it the North American Series.
Baseball is dull. But it just can't compete with Cricket, which is truely monumentally dull.
Congradulation..... ? (Score:2)
These guys are pretty piss-poor scientists. Having troubles with an overly and unnecessarily complex system. Trying to use finesse to gain distance when additional power is highly available. Flings 6 boots; have they thought about counterweight problems, balance, efficiency, etc. These guys need a large dose of KISS eng
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Any idiot can do some sums and design a machine that can hurl a boot the optimum distance, but that's hardly any fun, is it?
Th
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Sounds like trouble with third-party drivers. So I'm pretty sure Microsoft is to blame for the problem...
some decent pictures of it (Score:2, Informative)
and this is why... (Score:3, Funny)
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You didn't, say, just steal the concept of rounders [wikipedia.org] at all.
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Wikipedia has a nice article on The Origin of Baseball [wikipedia.org].
Punkin Chunkin (Score:2, Funny)
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Brings tears to my eyes.
Just try that with a stodgy old boot...
Those Wild and Crazy Brits! (Score:1, Funny)
What is it about the British Isles (Score:2)
I mean, welly-wanging and conkers (England), hurling and road bowling (Ireland), caber toss and golf (Scotland). OK so maybe golf turned out to have pretty wide appeal. There are probably weird Welsh and Manx games too, and no doubt. I don't even want to think about what they're up to on the Isle of Scilly.
It makes you wonder whether there is some hallucinagenic compound that when consumed in warm beer makes young drunks think throwing telephone poles around is a test of manlines
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So many sports, so little appeal :)
Mind you, cheese rolling's pretty odd: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper's_Hill_Cheese- Rolling_and_Wake [wikipedia.org]
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Kiddie Curling (Score:1)
How often does the robot actually hit the cat? (Score:1, Funny)
Experts make robotic welly wanger (Score:1)
From TFA: If you want your welly wanged, look no further than this bright idea.
Something about the diesel engine from a concrete mixer and a gearbox from a Citroen 2CV makes me NOT want to let it wang my welly...
Yes but... (Score:1)
Obvious name for the contraption (Score:3, Funny)
The only thing missing is the earth-shattering kaboom.
Not only a UK sport!! (Score:2, Funny)
I am very good at it myself, and so are most slashdotters I guess...
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You fight like a woman! (Score:2, Funny)
wtf?! (Score:1)
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This is not a robot. (Score:1)
'Robotic' boot chucker? No. 'Mechanical' boot chucker? Yes.
with a few simple mods... (Score:2)
Inquiry By Parliament Needed.. (Score:3, Funny)
>gearbox from a Citroen
There have been any number of pithy comments about the desecration of this purest of sports by the use of a mechanical apparatus. I, for one, am shocked by the inclusion of French components in what should be a purely British endeavour. Granted, the ease of finding a dead Citroen may have contributed to this, but for form's sake I should have thought using an old Anglia transmission would have been a nice touch.
Charity (Score:1)
Well... (Score:2)
(Where does he get those wonderful toys?)
I prefer pumpkins (Score:1)
http://www.punkinchunkin.com/ [punkinchunkin.com]
What's more fun than shooting a pumpkin over 4,000 ft?! http://www.punkinchunkin.com/results2005.htm [punkinchunkin.com]
A similar device in Australia (Score:2)
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From TFA: "Team members Richard Shipman, who teaches artificial intelligence, Andy Shaw, a researcher in space robotics, and computer technician Ian Izett, have built the wanger using scrap metal and discarded mechanical parts."
Yeah, seriously. This is just a couple of know-nothing teachers and some techie guy. There's no "science" involved in anything they're doing...
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There, I see the connection. can I have my cookie now?
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I don't know about you, but I'd rather have a physics major working on something related to his major than trying to find a cure for cancer when he probably knows very little about chemistry or the human body.
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If you're waiting for university students to come up with an effective cure for cancer, you're living in the wrong universe.
Oblig Simpsons (Score:1)
Re:Oblig Simpsons [ii] (Score:1)