Friday, February 20, 2009

Evil Mad Scientist's "BristleBot" project boosted by Scholastic / Klutz for book, no credit in sight - Engadget

Evil Mad Scientist's "BristleBot" project boosted by Scholastic / Klutz for book, no credit in sight - Engadget 

"From the comments there doesn't seem like anything in terms of copyright here, but I really like the video, so ......HSM"

Evil Mad Scientist's "BristleBot" project boosted by Scholastic / Klutz for book, no credit in sight

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Feb 19th 2009 at 3:02PM

 

In an upsetting -- though somehow not surprising -- turn of events, it appears that Scholastic and partner company Klutz have ripped off the work of two Makers, Windell and Lenore Oskay. The duo (also known as Evil Mad Scientists) created a charming little droid called a BristleBot which can be easily constructed using the head of a toothbrush, a pager motor, and a tiny amount of elbow grease. Apparently, Scholastic liked the idea so much that they turned it into a kit and book for kids (with the help of Klutz), but failed to involve or even credit the gadget's original creators. Knowing how open and excited the Make crew (and friends / cohorts) are about sharing their ideas, this comes as a particularly disheartening piece of news. Check out the read link for the whole story, and we're including Scholastic's media relations page below if you want to get in touch. Video of the original project after the break.
Read - Sad day for makers - unauthorized book from Klutz and Scholastic "BristleBots"
Read - Scholastic media contact

Evil Mad Scientist's "BristleBot" project boosted by Scholastic / Klutz for book, no credit in sight - Engadget

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