I know that this sounds pretty far fetched......

[Ceph Roy]

I was reading a post yesterday about putting an octopus in a hamster ball so it can roll around....I know the obvious problems of something like that but the thought of an otopus being able to explore the house at it's lesiure was irrisitable to me...I've decided to try and create the device that will allow for something like that to happen..... I'm working on the designs and requremnets, so I can biuld a kinda "reverse minisub"(no, not the kind you get at subway!) Tell me what you think.

 

[Ceph Roy]

Basicly the design is a modertly sized plastic tank attached a fairly big remote control truck. The tank will be cemented to the truck, but between the tank and truck will be a "wing" of plywood to prevent the turck from flipping over... on the top of the tank will be a remote control, which will extend into the tank with two small plastic pipes(to aviod contact with any metal). the tank will be sealed but have an opening hatch to pinsert the octopus.
thats just the basic plan so far...I'm having problems with the details

 

[Nancy]

So the octopus will have two pipes to operate the remote control?

One problem might be the hatch - inserting the octopus may not be too easy. If it didn't want to go through the hatch, it could be plenty of trouble for you (after all, it has 8 arms to resist with!). Maybe you could dangle food

I'm curious to see how this experiment turns out!

I have a theory, based on what's happened with our Tonmo member octopuses, that it's about mid-life when the octo is most curious about the world around it. That might be the time to try.

Nancy

 

[Ceph Roy]

Mabye i should put some ghost shrimp in the tank....

I can just imagine it chasing my cats around the house.....

 

[O. Eye]

This is doable

It just has to be possible. How cool would this be - an octo tooling around the house going where it wills. Make it happen! You'll be on Letterman for sure and maybe even CNN.

 

[OctopusV]

I'ts definately plausible, but it sounds so crazy, like the reverse-scuba suit from that one episode of Futurama.

 

[joel_ang]

I'd really like to see that happen :o

So the octo has to push the pipes to start right? I wonder if it can manage to co-ordinate steering and throttle?

 

[cthulhu77]

Make sure it has flames and a chopped front end...good gearing too !
greg

 

[corw314]

You mentioned chasing the cats.....I think Inklet would love to get ahold of our new kitten!!! I could see him sitting at the controls manuvering after the kitten all over the house!!! What a concept!!!!! Hey Phil....Don't you have a talent for drawing????How bout a picture of an octo at the controls........

Carol

 

[Ceph Roy]

I'm going to try to make the controls as simple as possible....octopuses may one of the smartest inverts on the planet but lets not push....i still think that they could learn how to control a few joysticks and use them to their advantage.....The only problem is that i've encontered is the filtration and circulation in the "mini sub". :? My solution is that if i were to cut the visits to only about 15 minutes then the octopus should be fine.
Despite how farfetched this all is I am still trying to make this as logical as possible.
Oh, sorry about the crappy drawing,(I wish that i had a scanner, My hand drawn version looks better) but this is what it should look like:
(I still haven't gotten the sizes for all of the parts)

 

[OctopusV]

Let's just hope that the octo dosen't pull on a tube wrongly, causing the truck to lurch forward and stressing him out.

 

[Phil]

Hey Phil....Don't you have a talent for drawing????How bout a picture of an octo at the controls........

Carol

Er....you mean something like this? Thanks to Inklet, by the way!

 

[NickA5582]

Sweet. 8)

Wasn't there something like this a while back, I think it was an octoglove or something, the person wanted to put their octopus in a special glove thing so it could "walk" around the house. :?

 

[Ceph Roy]

good one
The octo needs to see ahead of it though, or otherwise it would be just the same if you gave it a bottle of beer before the drive.

Sweet. 8)

Wasn't there something like this a while back, I think it was an octoglove or something, the person wanted to put their octopus in a special glove thing so it could "walk" around the house. :?

i wanna get a link to that thread.

 

[pirate]

Yo! I guess I sparked a revolution of really sweet ideas with my crappy little idea....Awesome idea, and much more plausible than a hamster ball! **Pirate Seal of Approval** as for the drunk driver problem....Is there any way to hack off the front of the truck with a dremel to allow the octo a full field of view? or are the electronics in that part of it?
another option may be to get one of the old GI Joe R\C tanks? those have a nice low center of gravity, and as I recall, They accelerate slowly, so the octo wouldn't get smacked against the back of the tank. But remember , in any case, it's agaisn't the law to drive without a seatbelt.
Best wishes,
Pirate