The buzz started late last month when a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln decided to publicize his new invention. He has since fielded hundreds of calls from the press and professionals wanting to learn how his three-wheeled orange creatures work and how they can be used.
Just about the only question not yet asked is Where do I send my check, says Shane Farritor, who holds two advanced engineering degrees from MIT. He says the idea stemmed from a general irritation with highway work zones and the dangerous job of setting up and taking away cones and barrels by hand. Anything that is easy and dangerous for people to do says robots to me, the inventor adds.