Bronco Table

The bronco table is an autonomous robot, controlled by an arduino microcontroller.  The legs are actuated by 12vdc automotive motors (I think they might be windshield wiper motors), and they are powered by a lead acid battery that has been recessed into the tabletop.  Its primary sensor is a piezo-electric disc, the kind commonly used as buzzers or speakers. The piezo disc senses vibrations in the tabletop, and it’s essentially a “knock” sensor, so rather than sensing pressure or weight on the table, it “hears” you put something on it.  This leads to a surprising variety of things to respond to- you can yell at it, it will respond to a particularly echoey floor, or you can scratch or tap the surface with your fingertip, as well as putting something on the surface.