Walking Robot- Initial Concepts

Partners: Lia and Esther

This challenge consists of making a device that moves from one place to another by some means other than wheels. The device will be powered by a continuous DC motor or by a hobby servo motor. Connections can be made with screws and threaded standoffs , press-fit music wire, or a “heat staking” process.

We began this project by analyzing the motions of various animals. We were inspired by previous projects that were made in this course and by Youtube videos of "walking" robots. We found the movements of snakes, frogs, and monkeys particularly interesting. We quickly started developing ideas for different kinds robots. Many of our ideas were very complex and required more than two motors, for example with our snake-like robot. We also had to remember to avoid using a wheel-like motion and we also wanted to create a robot with a unique motion, for example like a springing motion. This was a fun process, but also a difficult one because even if we could visualize a specific motion, it was hard trying to design a robot that could do it. This is why we played with legos, to experiment with the different kind of motions we could create.


After playing with legos and searching for ideas on the web, we came up with 5 main concepts:

The Ostrich

This concept consists of two separate movements. The "neck" rotates down to the ground and the "head" shifts right to left as the head reaches the ground. The head's motion was inspired by the motion module presented in the last challenge. A picture of it is attached below. This is a useful motion that would enable the head to extend and lengthen the neck and it would be powered by a dc motor. The whole robot would require two motors, one to move the neck down and another to move the head. They would have to be synchronized so that as the neck reaches the floor, the head is extended farthest right. Then, once the beak (attached to the head) touches the floor, the motor powering the motion module would bring the head back in to the left. This would cause a dragging motion caused by the beak unto the rest of the body. By repeating this motion, the robot would move and appear like an ostrich continuously planting its head unto the ground, hence its name.







The Ski Walking Box Dude

For this concept, we tried to create a robot that would imitate the motion of actually walking. The main challenge with this is balance. Separate legs would have a hard time keeping the robot balanced, so we decided that flat platforms (like skis) would keep the robot stable. This robot would have a total six legs and they would be attached two platforms. The robot would walk forward, one leg at a time. Each set of legs would be powered by a servo motor which would create a shuffling motion. This would be a complex design and would require a lot of gear, but the final result should look pretty cool and work very well.

The Inchworm

Like with the The Ostrich, for this concept we were inspired by a motion module. This motion module was made of legos and it was made up of many rod-like pieces attached to each other so that whenthey rotate, the whole module would either contract or extend. This reminded us of an inchworm and we designed a robot where a servo motor would extend the front of the robot (where the head would be located), so that as the head moved forward, the rest of the body followed. The head would have a beak-like piece attached to it so that it could better grip unto to the floor. The rest of the "legs" would be attached to platforms, to better slide unto the floor. This design would look pretty neat, but the only downside was that a previous group had designed a inchworm-like robot and we wanted to create something completely unique.

The Jumping Frog

For this concept we were inspired by a youtube video. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o-bvoHt7p4 . We found this motion very interesting because even though this motion was entirely rotational, it was able to create a "hopping" motion. This was also a relatively simple concept because it only required a DC motor that would rotate an axle where the legs would be attached. The legs would be made of two parts. It is important for the legs to located far back so they would be able to propel the rest of the body forward. Our only concern with this design is that it was too similar to a wheel-like motion, but we were definitely intrigued with motion

Modified R2D2

This concept consisted of a motion powered by a DC motor where R2D2's front legs would come forward and its last leg would follow up. This design would be really fun especially to make a realistic R2D2. It would allow us to learn new laser cutting techniques, such as engraving. And since this robot would be relatively thin, we would use new connecting techniques, such as wire pressing and heat staking. The whole downside for this concept is that it is too similar to the "inchworm" movement from the previous robot that served as an example. As we have seen, it is an effective motion, but it would better if we could come up with a completgely unique one.