Preface:
There I was, just minding my own business, writing an exciting Storque Fresh Shops article, when the technology  mainstream media scooped up the story out from under my nose! It took only a matter of hours for tinyminds magical little Etsy shop to trickle up from Technabob's blog all the way to Corey Doctorow's recent post on Boing Boing. When something like that happens, it usually spells an Etsian's favorite four letter word beginning with S. As much as I would love to proclaim "great minds think alike," I find it more appropriate to give credit where credit is due: may I be the first to congratulate Jenny on all her success, and say keep up the good BOTS! Oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself...

Introduction:
In the grand tradition of Etsy's Pet Series, I discovered this fresh little shop (opened on Mar 18, 2008) when searching for related items for another article. Being a complete nerd, I revel in the wonderful geekery found on the Etsy, but when I found tinyminds' shop, I thought to myself: "OMG somebody is selling the cutest BEAM Robots I have ever seen right here on Etsy." I come from a short tradition of making robots, some of the first of which were the solar-powered bot circuits found on solarbotics, but frankly I think the care that has gone into making tinyminds' bugbots makes me hopeful for fleets of robot/pets in the future. This is just the kind of adorkable pet store I want to visit; one with pets who need only sun to reveal their true colors.

Cthulhu: 

I can't decide, but I think that Cthulhu the solar powered emo bot (who thanks to recent fame has sold out) might [have been] my favorite. In the spirit of writer H.P. Lovecraft, Cthulhu appear[ed] to be some sort of pitch black hopping cephalopod with slightly evil tendencies. I have to say however, it is really a tough call to decide which pet I would want to call my own when there's also Ernie the solar-powered light seeking bot (seen up top) or Bert the light seeking, solar-powered bugbot who are tiny, brightly colored light seeking bots.

 
Bert:

Can you tell us a little about the people behind tinyminds?

Tinyminds is me, Jenny, Mum to 15 month Bab, computer programmer, all round nerd and non-stop crafter. I stumbled across a link to Etsy and was immediately hooked. Somewhere I could put all of the various stuff I make under one roof, as it were.

Where did the idea for solar-powered robots come from?

I've always loved solar-powered stuff. There's something just magical about being powered by the sun, plus it gives your creations more life. No batteries which die, no on/off switches, just light. Perfect. The shape of the robots is biologically designed too, which is just a fancy way of saying they look like bugs! I searched out the simplest circuits with the fewest components, and these components with an eye towards the bugness shaped the little critters. They kind of evolve to the shape they need to be. So you could say they kind of build themselves.

What inspires you as a creative person?

Everything inspires me, but I have a bit of a thing about paper. I started with origami and then origamic architecture, then paper models, then paper automata (moving models). This then lead to wooden automata and then electronic robots. I also find a lot of inspiration in nature. I'm not a flowery type girl but I do love flower shapes and colors. I also love the tiny and intricate. I make ridiculously detailed 144 scale models (the size of a doll house in a 12th scale doll house) with things like 3 mm books with turning pages. I love to be able to stare and stare at an object and always find more to see.

How do you like Etsy so far?

Etsy is just fabulous. It is such a friendly place with beautiful creations wherever you look. I especially love the Treasuries  where you get not just the wonderful things people have made but also the skill of the curators putting a pile of treasures together. Forums are also really really helpful and full of great people.

I am really loving being part of such a vibrant and creative community, and with such beauty to choose from, I shall never have to buy a commercially made gift again. :)

See more Fresh Shops and say hey to a new seller!

Cruelty Free Etsy | The Dog Mafia | EFA Etsy for Animals | Handmade4Hounds |
All Pet-related Items | Etsy Pets on the Storque | Special Pets Showcase