Dan Granett and his team want to build a giant robot. Not a human sized robot, but a robot capable of juggling three Volkswagen Beetles. As a proof of concept the team is running a Kickstarter campaign to fund a human scale prototype.
A human user will wear a control sleeve that will act as the remote control for the robot mechanism. The arm will be capable of tossing a 235 pound cast iron weight, to prove that the design is feasible before scaling up to giant size.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/958028900/human-scale-prototype-for-bugjuggler-a-car-jugglin
Shoulder rotation and tilt, arm elevation, elbow bend, wrist control and finger control will all be a part of the control sleeve system. Granett seems most excited about the haptic feedback that will be built into the control sleeve. When the cast iron weight drops back into the robotic arm, the user will feel a proportional load in the control sleeve.
The long term goal of the project is a 70 foot tall robot that is demonstrated through CGI on the campaign page. A user must climb a ladder to the top of the robot, enter the control booth and then lock themselves into the control system.
Granett has an incredible history of massive engineering projects, from glass crushers to Tesla turbines to toy design. His project has been seen in movies and television shows, including The Living Daylights and the potatomobile from McDonald's commercials.
Building a robot that can juggle Volkswagens is a great goal to have. It's engineering for the sake of the project, but the lessons learned here will be valuable for years to come. Understanding how the valves, pistons and control systems can work together to accomplish this massive feat will be great for every engineer.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/958028900/human-scale-prototype-for-bugjuggler-a-car-jugglin