Adam Savage’s One Day Builds: Pedal-Powered Strandbeest!

This One Day Build is a special one: Adam assembles a pedal-powered Strandbeest of his own design as an Artist in Residence at the Exploratorium science museum in San Francisco. The outdoor build was open for public view, and Adam has to test and problem-solve the build on site with a mobile workshop deployed from his Land Cruiser!

Shot and edited by Joey Fameli

Comments (16)

16 thoughts on “Adam Savage’s One Day Builds: Pedal-Powered Strandbeest!

  1. I was wondering how this one ended up. Considering the significant difference in weight, I’m really surprised it worked as well as it did (I had my doubts).

  2. another great video from you guys….the best part and what intrigued me the most is the problem solving going on throughout the entire build…that is where you really see how a builder (Adam this time) thinks as he puts something together…well done..great piece

    Brian

  3. Myth – someone other than Theo Jansen can build a working Straandbeest…

    But my what a worthy effort – Now let’s see a 1-day build to perfect and motorize it!

  4. Fantastic build. I’d have loved to see it walk more. I hope he revisits this build and improves upon it. a seat and maybe a gear reduction on the bike chain would do this some good to be able to ride it comfortably.

    I was lucky enough to be there at the night time event. Even got to show Adam the cardboard mock-up of my own strandbeest creation: https://www.instagram.com/p/BHoDVkcja0_/

    which looks like this so far: https://www.instagram.com/p/BJrnuf8Dyjy/

    and took its first steps here the night before i left for burning man (which it was made in the hopes of bringing with me): https://www.instagram.com/p/BKCJN6XDq74/

    unfortunately it broke shortly after this because the crankshaft wasn’t robust enough. i had aluminum plates interfacing with a steel d-profile drive shaft and the shaft chewed through the aluminum and caused the shaft to spin in place. I’m hoping to get steel parts cut soon now that i’ve saved up some money.

  5. Really nice everfalling! And thanks for sharing this process Adam! Good pronunciation on Standbeest as well (I’m Dutch). 😉

  6. His notebook appears to be a larger version of the standard Field Notes notebook (which I love). However, I don’t see larger ones on the Field Notes website that aren’t coil bound. Curious.

  7. I visited The Exploratorium this previous summer (trip from Sweden) knowing about the strandbeest exhibit in advance (from the Tested site). Imagine my frustration when I watched the awesome demonstration and they announce that in 3 days, Adam Savage will come to demonstrate his own creation, but my flight home was in just 1 day ;P

    Still the best trip ever! Love the video!

  8. both adam’s machine and that one you linked to come from Theo Jansen’s Strandbeest. Theo is the inventor of that walking leg linkage.

  9. That is abundantly clear, but thank you for stating the obvious. Though i have not yet seen Theo make a pedal powered strandbeest. Last time i looked, his “pets” are all wind powered… which was kind of the point of linking the bone shaker bigwheel.

  10. ah i see i misunderstood. you were talking about the fact that it was pedal powered and not just the use of those legs in general.

  11. Lots of fun and especially appreciate that we get to see most of the problem solving and challenges that come along. For a maker builder dealing with problems, mistakes, and learning curve is really important. Terrific job.

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