I can’t remember WHY this event at an atomic museum needed a robot ice sculpture, but I’ve always liked this sculpture and pic.
my robot ice sculpture design
If you’ve wandered around this website much, you’ve probably run into the pic at the top, of an old robot ice sculpture that I did, years ago. I’ve always liked this sculpture; I did it for an event at the National Atomic Museum (now the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History) in Albuquerque, NM, near (or on?) Kirtland Air Force Base.
This pic has been useful when I get on the topic of CNC machines and ice since it’s fun to talk about a robot ice sculpture vs. an ice sculpture robot (or ice sculpting robot). Calling a CNC a robot is a stretch, but not much of one. If a Roomba is a robot, then why not my Laguna?
It did occur to me that I should probably post my robot ice sculpture design at some point. Since I’m currently trying to get my ice sculpture design list up over 200 designs (I’m in the 190s at the moment), I thought this design would be a good addition.
this robot is more than a one block ice sculpture
My robot ice sculpture is technically a multi-block ice sculpture, but only just. It takes about 1 1/8 blocks to make. The robot’s head is outside the block, but it’s not that big. Also, if you wanted to also make the base a little thicker, so that it’s taller and more stable, you could make the piece out of 1 1/2 blocks by adding a 1/4 block slab underneath.
my robot is a bit on the unemotional, cold logic side. But feel free to give yours some personality!
adding the head is a simple flat weld. Just make sure it’s straight and level!
I've made other robot ice sculptures since
Robot ice sculptures are not a big seller. In fact, I don’t know that I would ever make another robot ice sculpture except for one thing: my kickball team has a robot mascot. I’m not going to get into the whole odd reason for the name, but it’s called the Ruebots. All of the league’s kickball teams put on parties and since I’m not much good at contributing to a potluck, I bring an ice sculpture. (It might be an ice luge, actually.) Here are a couple of Ruebot robot ice sculptures that I’ve done in the past, no explanation provided π
Some of the Ruebot graphics are surprisingly similar to my old robot ice sculpture design. I of course added my own flourishes and design elements, which may or may not have been influenced by my previous ideas.
look, robots aren’t all that smart yet. He has no idea that this is an obscene gesture!
I’m not sure what the guy in the back is trying to do, but the robot doesn’t seem happy about it!
random tips
Here are a few random tips about making and setting up this robot ice sculpture.
You COULD certainly attach the head after set up. It’s an easy weld and it eliminates the risk of the head falling off during transport. Plus, a headless robot fits in more places than a taller robot with a head.
I wouldn’t blame you if you left the hands connected to the body. If you did, it’s a simple procedure to cut them free after set up. Just carefully use a small handsaw. You’d want to cut them free so that the sculpture melts properly.
Changing the shape of the mouth and eyes can change the robot’s expression dramatically. You can even give the robot eyebrows π You’re not stuck with the cold logical stare of my design.
is this robot CNC friendly?
Wouldn’t it be ironic if this robot ice sculpture design was NOT CNC friendly?
This design would work well on many CNC machines. But annoyingly, making my robot ice sculpture on MY ice sculpting robot (my CNC) would be a challenge. But still doable. I’d like to try it and I think it would be a fun video too. So maybe, with all of my free time, I’ll give it a shot shortly. Stay tuned!
links and stuff
Since I don’t really have much on the site directly related to my robot ice sculpture design, I’ll offer up some related to CNC machines. Check out the main CNC page (which I need to pay more attention to). Also, my robot shows up in a couple of old posts: ice sculpting robot and man vs. machine.
Check out the design page for many more ice sculpture designs. Also, check out the design usage guidelines to see what uses are permitted.
You could also find photos and info from this entry on the ice sculpting secrets Instagram account or the facebook page. ice sculpting secrets is also on TikTok (sort of, so far, lol), although videos there aren’t really tied to posts as much. You can comment on IG and fb as well as below. And if it won’t LET you comment below, then definitely comment on fb and/or IG. Thanks!
