# Ep037: 2 Flavors of Robot Dog, Fitness Tracker Hacks, Clocks Wind Themselves, Helicopter Chainsaws

- Show: [Hackaday Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast)
- Published: 2019-09-27
- Length: 56m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2019-09-27-ep037-2-flavors-of-robot-dog-fitness-tracker-hacks-clocks-wind-themselves-helico
- Listen: https://hackaday.libsyn.com/ep037-2-flavors-of-robot-dog-fitness-tracker-hacks-clocks-wind-themselves-helicopter-chainsaws

## Summary

Hackaday editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams discuss recent community hacks, including Ben Katz’s ‘Mini Cheetah’ robot dog, which uses brushless motors and planetary gears to achieve fluid movement on a budget. They also cover a Kenyan engineer’s air quality sensor for indoor pollution, a 100-year-old self-winding atomic clock synchronized via telegraph, and various other projects like 3D printed meat and fitness tracker hacks. The episode highlights the intersection of low-cost hardware innovation and practical engineering solutions.

## Chapters

- [0:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2019-09-27-ep037-2-flavors-of-robot-dog-fitness-tracker-hacks-clocks-wind-themselves-helico#t=4) Introduction: Hackaday Editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams
- [1:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2019-09-27-ep037-2-flavors-of-robot-dog-fitness-tracker-hacks-clocks-wind-themselves-helico#t=85) Cheap Inverter Welders and Thermal Camera Sensors
- [9:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2019-09-27-ep037-2-flavors-of-robot-dog-fitness-tracker-hacks-clocks-wind-themselves-helico#t=568) Indoor Air Pollution Sensor by Alois Mbutura
- [15:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2019-09-27-ep037-2-flavors-of-robot-dog-fitness-tracker-hacks-clocks-wind-themselves-helico#t=953) Ben Katz’s Mini Cheetah Robot Dog
- [20:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2019-09-27-ep037-2-flavors-of-robot-dog-fitness-tracker-hacks-clocks-wind-themselves-helico#t=1213) 3D Printed Meat and CO2 Footprint Discussion
- [27:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2019-09-27-ep037-2-flavors-of-robot-dog-fitness-tracker-hacks-clocks-wind-themselves-helico#t=1676) IoT Safe for Latchkey Kids and Asynchronous C Routines
- [35:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2019-09-27-ep037-2-flavors-of-robot-dog-fitness-tracker-hacks-clocks-wind-themselves-helico#t=2104) Fitness Tracker Hacks and Quick Hacks Roundup
- [43:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2019-09-27-ep037-2-flavors-of-robot-dog-fitness-tracker-hacks-clocks-wind-themselves-helico#t=2639) Camp Miss: Boston Dynamics Robot Dog and Atomic Clock

## Topics

- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Sensors & measurement in products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sensors)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- Mini Cheetah (product)
- Boston Dynamics (company)
- Alois Mbutura (other)
- Ben Katz (other)
- MIT (other)
- Redefined Meat (company)
- Burger King (company)
- Impossible Burger (product)
- Beyond Meat (company)
- ESP32 (chip)
- ESP8266 (chip)
- Arduino (product)
- Protothreads (other)
- Duff's Device (other)
- GCC (tool)
- OpenSCAD (tool)
- Latte Panda Alpha (product)
- Western Union (company)
- US Naval Observatory (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Robots Everywhere with Aaed Musa](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-01-20-robots-everywhere-with-aaed-musa) (The Amp Hour)
- [An Interview with James Bruton](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-11-19-an-interview-with-james-bruton) (The Amp Hour)
- [Three Hundred Down, Three Hundred To Go](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-05-27-three-hundred-down-three-hundred-to-go) (The Amp Hour)
- [Episode 140: Robot balance and agility - Amir Patel](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-01-16-episode-140-robot-balance-and-agility-amir-patel) (Robot Talk)
- [534: I Think We'll Add a Head](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2026-09-17-534-i-think-well-add-a-head) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

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