My tortoise has no ability to walk backwards. This poses problems when an obstacle is encountered. When Amy comes to the side of his cage or up to a rock or tree outside he has to push his shell up it using his hind legs and hope that he rolls in any direction but backwards. Although this is entertaining to watch, it is quite dangerous when unsuccessful and nobody's around to flip him back over.

The device will consist of a battery, a button, a motor, a wheel, a solar panel, a controller chip, and a buzzer. The button is mounted near the front of his shell where the object is normally contacted, and when pushed it activates the motor, which lowers a rear-mounted wheel and rolls Amy backwards a few inches. The solar panel is optional and can be shell mounted so that the battery will not need to be changed. The buzzer is to make a "beep beep beep" sound as he rolls backwards, as Amy really can't see behind himself and those nearby should be cautioned.
-- Worldgineer, Jun 05 2003

Tortoise Flipper http://www.halfbake.../Tortoise_20Flipper
The alternative method [Worldgineer, Oct 21 2004]

You should get him a wheely bar like on the back of dragsters.
-- thumbwax, Jun 05 2003


You might want to make him a little spinning yellow light to go with the backup beeper, and maybe an "I stop for just about everything", bumper sticker.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jun 05 2003


You have a tortoise named "Amy?" How did that happen?

(see below) That's what I meant, P.Silly, a boy tortoise named Amy... Where's my coffee?
-- k_sra, Jun 06 2003


//You have a tortoise named "Amy?"// //When Amy comes to the side of *his* cage//

How did *that* happen?
-- PeterSilly, Jun 06 2003


World, with every tortoise bodymod idea you post, the clearer in my mind I imagine Amy as being a sort of Borg-esque biomechanical beast, perhaps belching smoke from a series of blackened copper exhaust stacks on his shell.
-- my face your, Jun 06 2003


Borgoise - "Resistance Is Insurmountable"
-- egbert, Jun 06 2003


k and peter, my niece named him back when whe thought he was a she (though at the time my niece was naming everything Amy, so that might not have changed anything). It's kind of hard to tell in tortoises - when they get older their shell shape is different.

my face, now I'm seeing an eye scope for seeing what's behind him - now that would be borg-esque.
-- Worldgineer, Jun 06 2003



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