High torque. Low cost. Open source.

• Fast
• Cheap
• Good

The usual trade-off is to spend more to get things done quicker. What if you adjust the slider the other way?

Life is just fine done slowly. There's no race to get to the end, we're all going to arrive when needed.

So, let's enjoy the ride and live simply!

By reducing our costs, we don't need to work as much.

By extending the time taken to achieve tasks, we can do them using smaller, cheaper energy sources and components.

ie, we can lift a 50 kg load up 10 metres in seconds, using costly equipment and a short burst of expensive fuel.

But, if we can wait an hour to lift that same load, it allows us to use very small, cheap components and very low voltages/amps.

The cost difference may be 100, 1,000 or incalculable times cheaper by going slow.

If you're dependent on shipping to receive your components, smaller ones may be free to ship, where larger ones may be cost prohibitive to freight, especially internationally.

Less shipping is an obvious win for mother nature, but using less continuous power draw means you can more easily adopt renewable energy sources, like wind or solar power.

I've always wanted to Do More With Less. Here are some loved sources of inspiration:

• OpenBSD - The minimalist, safe, quality conscious open source operating system. Using Vim and Tmux within cwm(1) here is a blissful, distration free way to work. The environment and community encourages, simplicity and quality.
• Low-Tech Magazine - Showing us how low-tech often worked in olden days and can still be a solution today.
• Ancient engineers - identifying the Five Simple Machines and building amazing things, like treadwheels and shadufs, showed we can move anything with the right designs.
• 507 Mechanical Movements book - by Henry T. Brown. Reading these or finding animations of them is very inspiring for building things.
• Tim Hunkin - veteran tinkerer, whose Secret Life of Components series on YouTube helped me start thinking I could build things in the physical world, after a life of digital building.
• Jeremy Fielding - Another YouTube find, who really encourages DIY electronics and robotics, using salvaged components where possible.
• Scott Wadsworth / Essential Craftsman - Really inspired and taught me some good basics of traditional hand and power tools, along with simple and brilliant mechanical advantage uses.
• r/automata this subreddit showcases some brilliant mechanisms made for fun/art/inspiration.
• People with lifelong curiosity - there have been several mentors and inspiring friends along the way, who look at things differently and are continuously learning.

-- Leon Stafford, founder of Slobotic

• low power requirements
• cheap/upcycled components
• intuitive, user-centric controls
• functionally beautiful - just enough to do the job, no cruft

• Sponsorship and donations - want to support indie makers and/or get some perks?
• pre-assembled kit sales - unable to source locally or prefer not to DIY everything?
• Custom prototyping work - got an idea and want to hire me to proof of concept it or work out the kinks?
• Consulting work - want to lower costs by introducing Slowbots into your existing or new process?
• Craft/automata sales - want some fun creations of mine to decorate and inspire?