Robotics

“RHex is an autonomous robot design, based on hexapod with compliant legs and one actuator per leg. A number of US universities have participated, with funding grants also coming from DARPA. Versions have shown good mobility over a wide range of terrain types[1] at speeds exceeding five body lengths per second (2.7 m/s), climbed slopes exceeding 45 degrees, swims, and climbs stairs.” — Read more…

These robots are noteworthy for how they intereact with their environment, rather than how they locomote over sand. 1. BeBot A new robot called the BeBot is designed to help clean up smaller plastic waste, traveling back and forth on beach surfaces sifting through the sand’s top layer. As the Read more…

The study concerning animal locomotion over granular surfaces (here) inspired me to look into animal adaptations to travelling over (or through) sand, as well as robots designed to mimic them. The sidewinder snake is one of the most iconic desert animals, mostly due to its distinctive movement pattern (“sidewinding”). Researchers Read more…

This blog post will introduce some robotics project using cardboard, cardboard robot exercise, and the fabrication instructions when using cardboard. Cardboard robot projects Zuri Robot DASH: a DIY Origami Robot Prototyping Folded Robots Easy Cardboard Robot Other projects Fabrication Cardboard types and how to design with them Prototyping guide book Read more…

Maximizing performance over granular surfaces Looking at two research studies concerning robot locomotion over sand and other natural substrates, we observe some common pieces of advice: Robots attempting to move across sandy terrain should move their legs more slowly, especially if the sand is loosely packed. The speed of the Read more…