Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout
haven't archived this post yet. have a subscription? use the importer!

Content

Here's next week's video, early for Patrons. This one goes out publicly on Tuesday 7th March. I wanted to drive it all from one motor, and I almost achieved it!

Files

Previews only

Robot Centipede - PREVIEW VERSION

This is the next video about coming up with an idea for something I’ll eventually make big enough to ride on. I really want to make a giant rideable land-worm, and last year I made an eight-wheeled snake bike which bends to steer. That had wheels but I’d really like to build something that can move in an unconventional way or walk on legs. I’ve been experimenting with wave drives, the first one used a spiral shaped former inside a flexible track, and I tried a cam-shaft driven design a few weeks ago. At the end of that video I mentioned it might be better to turn all the cams around 90 degrees and use them to drive legs in a wave formation. This leg mechanism is half of the walking mechanism I used in each unit in my omni-directional walking machine, so I decided that perhaps I should just use the whole mechanism and line a bunch of those up to make a centipede. I got this leg mechanism idea from the DIY walkers YouTube channel which you should check out. I want to make this machine four or five segments long and drive the whole thing from a single motor, so I’ve designed universal joints to link all of the sections, and a gearing arrangement to drive everything from one overhead drive shaft. You can support me on Patreon, join my Discord, or buy my Merchandise: *************************** Discord: https://discord.com/invite/fc6MedG7eW Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/xrobots Merchandise: https://teespring.com/stores/james-bruton *************************** Other socials: *************************** Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xrobotsuk Twitter: https://twitter.com/xrobotsuk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/xrobotsuk/ *************************** Affiliate links - I will get some money of you use them to sign up or buy something: *************************** 10% off at https://www.3dfuel.com/ - use code XROBOTS at the cart screen. Music for your YouTube videos: http://share.epidemicsound.com/xrobots *************************** CAD and Code for my projects: https://github.com/XRobots Huge thanks to my Patrons, without whom my standard of living would drastically decline. Like, inside out-Farm Foods bag decline. Plus a very special shoutout to Lulzbot, Inc who keep me in LulzBot 3D printers and support me via Patreon. HARDWARE/SOFTWARE Below you can also find a lot of the typical tools, equipment and supplies used in my projects: Filament from: https://www.3dfuel.com/ Lulzbot 3D Printers: http://bit.ly/2Sj6nil Bearings from: https://simplybearings.co.uk/ Lincoln Electric Welder: https://bit.ly/2Rqhqos CNC Router: https://bit.ly/2QdsNjt Ryobi Tools: http://bit.ly/2RhArcD Axminster Micro Lathe: http://bit.ly/2Sj6eeN 3D Printer Filament: http://bit.ly/2PdcdUu Soldering Iron: http://bit.ly/2DrNWDR Vectric CNC Software: http://bit.ly/2zxpZqv

Comments

Michael Bigby

I am interested in the timing of the legs. I wonder if you could have each of the legs on one side of a segment timed from a different point. If they were 180 degrees out of phase this would allow you to move both forward on a segment or both back. Maybe you could make a split half cam that allows you to adjust the timing of the legs within a segment? My two cents…

XRobots

Yeah I just adjusted the internal gears in each one to sync them, I'm not sure that each actual segment isn't fighting itself with this mechanism.

Al Pieroway

would it be cheating to put more thought into your wooden obstacles - i.e. sturdy, screwed together, more repeatable?

Brian Brunswick

Very nice idea with the nested universal joints!

Adam Purdie

I really like the google eyes at the front :D I have been thinking about building a centipede and you've given me new inspiration!I wonder if each stegment would walk smoother with just the one pair of legs instead of two? Obviously the lever geometry would need to change. I was thinking of one that had about 30 segments that were about the size of a tennis ball :)

XRobots

It might do, as long as each section was balanced with the legs in the middle I guess?

Adam Purdie

That's what i was thinking, I was trying to work out how to use only 3 motors per segment - walking, rotation and lift angle. The only part where a rotational linkage for the walking comes unstuck is when the segments are rotating, technically the ground-contact point should form an arc but when they're moving straight, they should be in straight lines.... I had thought of linking some kinda link-leverage that changes the gait based on the rotational difference between segments but I've not really figured that out.

Adam Purdie

Also, when the segments are in an arc, the inside foot should travel less distance than the outside to prevent dragging/sledging...