Robot Worms! (Patreon)

Peristaltic Vehicle - PREVIEW VERSION

Worms locomote using a system of Peristalsis, or Peristaltic motion. This means that sections of their body expand and contract to push themselves along. There have been quite a few research projects for robots that move like this, and I previously built my own simple version which used four concertina mechanisms driven by servos to make four expanding and contracting sections. This didn’t work very well because as each section expands and contracts it also gets longer and shorter which pulls or pushes the other sections in and out either side, so with all of the sections doing this, getting it to be synchronised efficiently was quite difficult. Worms have little bristly hairs on them which act a bit like a ratchet to help them go forwards and not slips backwards, so ratchet wheels would probably have helped on my mechanical worm, But this time we’re going to try to make a more efficient design without putting wheels on it. The plan is to keep the concertina parts but make them slide independently of each other so they don’t push and pull the sections either side. Let’s get the parts 3D printed and assembled, and it’ll be clearer how it’s going to work. 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 3D Printer Filament: http://bit.ly/2PdcdUu Soldering Iron: http://bit.ly/2DrNWDR Vectric CNC Software: http://bit.ly/2zxpZqv