This is a project I’ve been thinking on for a very long time. Shortly explained this is a sphere shaped hexapod that I plan to give the following features:

• Roll freely like a ball
• Have different sort of locomotion for moving in any direction
• Variable inner-body dimensions
• Transform from a sphere shape into a hexapod and vice versa
• Walk like a hexapod

Before I started to make any exact sketches or started building anything, I shared my ideas with my friend Jeroen Janssen (Xan). We talked about this project when I visited him in Netherlands this summer. At first I was thinking of using a fixed sized inner body with 6 x 4 DOF legs, similar to what I used for the T-Hex hexapod. Another problem was finding a sphere shaped material that I could use. Jeroen and I went to a local toy-shop and I just asked him to look for ball-shaped object. After a little while Jeroen had found a globe! At that moment I got the feeling that using a globe could actually work. After a few months and some searching in different book and toy-shop’s I found a 28cm in diameter globe from Toysrus. It was also cheap and the plastic material seemed to be relative solid (about 3mm thick).

I’m cutting out 12 identical sphere parts. Using a simple handsaw and cutting along the lines of the Longitude every 60 deg. The line of equator was made of 1mm thick dark blue plastic band and was very easy to remove, that resulted in a perfect clean edge too! Here are some pictures of the sphere parts:

The map coating was very easy to peel of. The trick was to preheat the surface carefully and then start in one corner and just peel off the whole layer. To the left is the original part. The middle part has the globe/map layer peeled off and the right part is sanded by hand. As you can see the material is very transparent, I do have some future ideas of mounting several LED’s for some cool lighting effects.

 Morphing inner-body:

The principle is very simple. I’m using one digital 5645 servo in the centre of the body, the servo holds two delrin gears.

I’m using 7x of the LPA gear sets from Lynxmotion.  One gear with SES holes is mounted to each of the 6 outer body sections.

This construction makes it possible to adjust the body dimension by about x2 using only one servo.

The main reason for making the body like this is to hopefully make some more free space for each leg when the robot are in the walking mode. Even with the increased body size the legs are still going to be highly restricted in free motion caused by  the large sphere parts, but I think it will work I’ve already done some changes to the body section, like replaced the 1,5 mm aluminium parts used on the 6 outer sections to 2mm for more strength and stability. And also some more stuff like an holder for electronics.

There is still a lot of work left and I’m currently working with assembling all the legs. In total there will be 31 servos, 12* 5990 + 19*5645.

A little update on MorpHex (2010/11/19)

I just wanted to post some minor updates. I’ve added two decks (acrylic, I’m not sure to be honest) that are going to hold the electronics on one side and the battery on the other side:

       

One big challenge was to guide the power wires from the battery from one side to the other due to all the gears and the outher (variable) body parts. I solved it by carefully drill a hole through the battery-deck and inserting two brass tubes.

The power wires are going to be guide through these brass tubes. The tubes protects the wires from being crushed between all the gears. That would be very messy using LiPo power.. 

Picture from the battery-deck:

   

Talking about LiPo. I’m considering to apply the 5990′s directly to the LiPo without any regulators. So I’m using some self-made power distributors, the principle is very easy. Only ground and signal are connected to the SSC-32. A picture of the power distributors:

I’m using an ARC-32 board. Its from Basic Micro.

For making the hexapod work with a variable sized body there are some math to do, simple trig (law of cosine). The input value to the math algorithm is the angle of the inner body servo. Then you’ve to calc the new bodyradius and a new coxaoffset. When you have the body radius its pretty easy to find the new body dimensions (coordinates) for a circular body.

After that you need to adjust the positions of the feet corresponding to the new body radius. In the walking gait you can re-set the inital positions when the leg is lifted.

Next step is to work more on the code (sphere mode) and start mounting the actual sphere parts.

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The TROLLLER 1D is an educational/hobby robot that can crawl (like a caterpillar) or curl itself into a circle and roll itself around.

The TROLLER 1D is my newest robot project. The concept uses a series of simple ‘links’ to make up the TROLLER. Its locomotion can be similar to that of a caterpillar or snake while laying flat, but the novel concept is that it can roll itself into a large circle and still propel itself (like tank treads) by shifting links in the proper sequencing.

Video demonstrating the TROLLER changing shape from round to oval and slowly moving forward about 1 revolution.

TROLLER 1D Prototype Test

Troller Prototype Images 

I laser cut and assembled a complete new TROLLER prototype.

I made this version wider, to make it more stable.  Then I doubled up some of the servos to get extra torque at the master link.

I still have countless hours of programming ahead of me; but a after a short while I was able to get it a complete revolution out of the new prototype.

TROLLER 2nd Iteration Prototype

Although the new prototype demonstrates my need for better servo motors and equipment it also is teaching me more about how to make this TROLLER go round-and-round.

The goal of this project is to refine the second iteration prototype design into a functional robotic product kit. The first version will be the TROLLER 1D. This version of TROLLER will only be capable of moving along 1 dimension. By limiting the focus of this project to a single dimension, I will be able to perfect the initial two concepts –’Propulsion by Self Rolling‘ and ‘Crawling‘.

Propulsion by Self Rolling works by shifting the links in sequences to rotate itself around the perimeter. To refine this concept the TROLLER 1D will use motion sensing capabilities like the sensors found in a Wii remote (accelerometers and gyroscopic sensors). These sensors will allow the control programming to learn how to roll at different speeds, how to change directions, and how to transition into crawling mode. Crawling propulsion will be achieved by mimicking the movements of a caterpillar. Proper sequencing of the servos will allow smooth transitioning.

TROLLER First Full Servo Test 10-24-12

Mechanical design: I will begin this effort by refining the mechanical link design into a ‘Master Link‘ and ‘Link Units‘. The ‘Master Link‘ will enclose the main controller, motion sensing & wireless communication circuitry, a battery pack, and servo motors. The ‘Link Units‘ will have servo motors and additional battery packs It would then take 1 Master Unit and 3 or 4 Link Units to make up a full TROLLER 1D.

Below is drawing showing the newest CAD layout and the design I’m putting together now. Click On The Images to enlarge.

Motion Sensing & Control:  The main controller will be responsible for controlling the TROLLER 1D.  It will use wireless (Bluetooth or WiFi) communication to the host PC and motion sensing electronics to measure acceleration and rotation, while rolling.  This circuitry will be designed during the project phase.

This Kickstarter effort will provide the funding needed to further develop the motion sensing and locomotion concepts and turn my crude prototype into a functional product kit.  The funds will be used to purchase and test more powerful servo motors, micro-controllers, motion sensing circuitry, wireless Bluetooth or WiFi modules, and the hardware needed to assemble the TROLLER.

More Resources About This Project – http://kck.st/JO98iM

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About This Project

Here is “InMoov”, the robot you can print and animate. You have a 3D printer, some building skills, This project is for you!! This is a hand builded for a job (still picture commercial), it was supposed to be mobile but not animated and mostly be able to take human hand positions. Cables or fishing rods might be added in order to control it, but it was not the purpose of this work at first. I am now working on another model(for the fun), trying to animate it, I really would like to do it with computer control but I have never worked in that field.

It has evolved quite a bit since I started with designing the hand. Both arms are now functional with a torso and a head. I am using two Arduino boards controlled through MRL.

With the help of Myrobotlab and GroG, we will be trying to make the robot see and grab objects after a voice command.

This hand was printed on a 3D Touch and designed in Blender, controled through Netfab and sliced with Kisslicer.

RESOURCE Files (3D Printable Files ) and Necessary Software

In this project first we recommend you to download all necessary files, software etc. Examine them first then follow the steps.
Here are the links to download free robotic resources of this project.

-Download GLC PLAYER Software: If you are not familiar with .STL file format download this free software (http://sourceforge.net/projects/glc-player/)
This is GLC Player, it will open .SLT file format which is 3D printable document format. (Please recommend us if there is a better software)

 -Download .SLT Files for Robotic Arm of INMOOV –  RIGHT HAND – After downloading this  zip file open it to a folder and you can browse .stl files with GLC Player. Here you will find RIGHT HAND fingers, etc. parts which you can print with a 3d printer.

 -Download .SLT Files for Robotic Arm of INMOOV –  LEFT HAND – After downloading this  zip file open it to a folder and you can browse .stl files with GLC Player. Here you will find LETF HAND fingers, etc. parts which you can print with a 3d printer.

 -Download .SLT Files for Robotic Arm of INMOOV – ROTATIONAL WRIST – After downloading this  zip file open it to a folder and you can browse .stl files with GLC Player. Here you will find WRIST parts which you can print with a 3d printer.

VIDEOS About Inmoov Animatronic Hand Robot

Here are some videos about inmoov, in these videos you will see the assembled robotic hand and arm.

Video Working on Right Robotic Hand – Part 1   

Video Robotic Left Hand Details and Fingers moving with cables – Part2

Video Robotic Right Hand Improvements and Servos for Fingers – Part 3

Animatronic Fore Arm And Hand Assembled and Connected to Computer Video – Part 4

 Robotic Arm Attached to Shoulder and Working – Part 5

Testing Robotic Hand and Wrist with Servos – Part 6

Robotic Hand Grabbing a Ball – Shoulder, Arm, Hand Assembled to Function Together – Part 7

Robotic Arm Improvements on The Biceps – Part 8

InMoov Arduino Animatronic Robot Hand 3D Printer – Part9

Assembly Sketchs Robotic Arm 

Click on the images to enlarge…

For More help on Assembly – http://inmoov.blogspot.com/p/assembly-help.html

OTHER RESOURCES For This Project

This Projects Blog – http://inmoov.blogspot.com

Software For This Robot – http://myrobotlab.org/service/inmoov

Forum of This Project – https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/inmoov

Converting STL Files into CAD Problem

http://robosavvy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=34865

http://www.solveering.com/products/products_stl2step.html

https://sketchfab.com/search/inmoov

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Target audience of Veterobot

At the first step we are targeting researches in robotics, artificial intelligence and computer vision as well as hobby robotics enthusiasts. For this purposes, we identified and addressed the following key requirements:

-should be complete open (hardware and software)
-equipped with typical and widely used set of sensors
-easy customizable to integrate new or different types of sensors and actuators
-energy efficient yet powerful on-board computer
-provide bi-directional communication link to transmit sensor and control data in real-time
-set of software modules which support distributed data processing and provide hardware abstraction layer.
-considerably lower cost comparing to the similar available products

Chassis and body

We are using Dagu Rover 5 Tracked Chassis with two motors and two quadrature encoders.
The whole body is 3D-printed and provides:

– rotated “head” (to mount camera on it)
–  folding mast for EMS-sensitive sensors (such as, for example, digital compass)
–  place for exchangeable batteries
–  “doors” to access the inside electronic connectors
–  extension options for additional electronic, sensors and actuators

Application of the 3D printing significantly simplifies customization of the body. In addition, it opens the natural way to integrate new types of sensors and actuators. All 3D models are developed using popular open-source modeling tool Blender. All the models required to print the body are also available as open-source. The following set of pictures provides some examples:

The first two pictures shows our current model and the last two represent rendered 3D models of the alternative bodies we are currently working on.

Sensors and on-board electronic

In the full configuration the following sensors are available:

• four ultra-sound range finders (on the sides, front and back)
• two video cameras
• pan/tilt compensated digital compass
• GPS receiver

The front sonar and cameras could be mounted on the “head” which is rotated by the servo motor. All peripheral devices are connected to the on-board computer over USB and connectors provided by the daughter board. Current robot version uses TI’s BeagleBoard-xM as on-board computer. BeagleBoard is an open-hardware embedded computer with dual-core CPU (ARM+DSP). It provides enough power to compress video stream with H.264 codec in real-time, control the hardware and run advanced navigation algorithms. We are using standard in modeling domain Nigh batteries. For development, the robot could be powered with external power supply.

Connectivity

Robot is equipped with the IEEE 802.11 b/g/n WLAN-Adapter. Currently, we are testing the operation mode with 3G-Modem (UMTS). It is already possible (there is an available software) to remotely control the robot over the Internet using real-time video streaming from on-board camera. Of course, the autonomous operation mode is also possible. In particular, we support cloud-robotics paradigm: complex navigation algorithms could be executed on external powerful computer if the on-board computer does not provide enough performance.

Software

The whole software is open-source and is available on git-hub. We offer the complete stack from operating system up to communication infrastructure and client-side user interface and visualization applications.

• -We provide customized image based on popular Angstrom Linux distribution which is optimized for the the BeagleBoard.
• -We are using Xenomai Linux real-time extension for motor control and other time-sensitive tasks.
• -Sensors and actuators are remotely accessible (over the network) using corresponding software components.
• for all remoting purposes we are using ZeroC’s Ice (Internet Communication Engine) middleware.
• it allows developers to use wide range of programming languages (C++, Python, Ruby, Java and all .Net-languages) to develop own software components.
• Ice also supports different communication paradigms such as for example Publisher/Subscriber, RPC-stile remote invocations, etc. It provides great flexibility for developers when designing own software components.

There is an OpenGL-based application “cockpit” available to remotely control the robot manually. Sensor data (including video from cameras) are rendered in real-time and control commands are sent back to the vehicle. Keyboard and USB joysticks are supported as control devices. The following picture illustrate the current version of the cockpit application.

To demonstrate how to develop solutions for typical problems from robotics domain using our platform we implement several homework assignments from “Programming A Robotic Car” online course taught by Prof. Sebastian Thrun. These examples illustrates the applicability of our platform in educational domain. In particular, comparing to popular LEGO Mindstorms systems, our system offers more computational power and more flexible set of software building blocks to solve typical robotics problems. Cloud-robotics and distributed autonomous robotic systems are promising future directions. Our platform is the step towards this direction and our customers could benefit by reusing our software and hardware and concentrate on their areas of competence.

MAIN STEPS

We are constantly developing and improving our robot. As a result, the building instructions could quickly become outdated. However, our project wiki is kept up to date. That is why we decide to provide here high-level overview of required steps and refer to the corresponding wiki articles for more details.

If you decide to build the robot yourself, here are the main steps to accomplish:

STEP 1 – 3D print the robot’s body.

Currently we are using Ultimaker 3D printer. All the models (original Blender files and generated STL files) are freely available from our git repository.

Download 3d Files for parts of the image below:

For This Project Web Site: – http://veterobot.com/

For Assembly Instructions: – https://github.com/veter-team/veter/wiki/assembling

This Project’s Blog:  http://veter-project.blogspot.com/

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Parts needed to build this one:

Ice cream/popsicle stick
Paper clips
Drinking straw
Gear motor
Terminal block
Bolts, nuts and locknuts
Wire
Double sided tape
Black electric tape (optional)

If there’s any confusion found in this tutorial, feel free to ask me.

To improve the contents of this channel, please subscribe, share and leave a comment.

Music
“Rollin at 5 – electronic” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Resources

https://www.facebook.com/Homemade.Robots

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+galopante78/posts

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Kinematics is a modular robotic construction kit, consisting of kinetic modules and adaptor blocks, which can be connected freely and without the use of cables. Kinematics is suitable for children from the age of 5 years and upwards, and with no computer skills being necessary, they may build interactive robots which have the ability to move.

Exploring and playing with the Kinematic Blocks introduces children to the world of mechanics, sensors and renewable energy. The construction kit is a highly entertaining and useful teaching tool with an intuitive interface. The adaptor blocks enable Kinematics to be connected to other leading construction kits.

Robot Examples

The highly creative modular robotic system, Kinematics, allows a wide range of applications. It is possible to construct models based on bionics as well as autonomously moving vehicles – anything is possible. Only a few examples are available now but in the next couple months many new models will be added.

Additional Kits And Components

Kits

In addition to the extant basic construction kit we intend to offer a series of additional kits, which will enable the user to add specialized motion modules and passive components. These additions will greatly extend the design possibilities and opens a whole new world to kinematics users. The range of possibilities will be grouped in different themed sets, which will cover topics such as: renewable energies, sensor technology as well as the field of bionics. Special purpose modules, including solar panels, grabbing tools or sensor modules are currently in the development stage but will be available soon. The following robot examples will give you an idea of the whole Kinematics range.

Components

To enhance the modular robotic system, Kinematics offers various additional components to enable children (from the age of 8 years) to build more complex mobile models. Besides small gear drive components, tooth belts and steering wheels are planned. This will enable the user to build very detailed models, closer to reality. By playing with the robotic construction kit and exploring different types of movement, children attain substantial knowledge about the world of movement, mechanics and robotics.

Research & Development

The Kinematics Construction Kit was invented by Leonhard Oschütz at the Bauhaus University Weimar (field of studies: Product Design, supervisor: Prof. Wolfgang Sattler) in 2009. As a part of a semester project Leo built a first prototype (Prototype I), patented it and presented it at various international conferences and trade fairs.

During his master’s thesis in 2011, and in close collaboration with the University of Applied Science, Jena, Prototype I was then further developed to Prototype II. This process involved visual and structural revision of all the modules. A small batch was finally injection molded, assembled and ready to test. The new features of Prototype II were patented in the summer of 2012.

Since late 2011 Leo, Matthias and Christian have been working together on the project. The team is supervised by “Gründerwerkstatt NEUDELI, Weimar” and acquired an EXIST-start-up grant from the European Union and plan to set up a limited company, as a spin-off, within the next few months. The aim of this company is the product development of the construction kit and the exploitation of Kinematics IP rights under a licensing agreement.

Links

http://www.robotee.com/index.php/kinematics-modular-robotic-building-blocks-81010/
http://www.kinematicblocks.com/en/
http://robotland.blogspot.com/2013/04/kinematics-next-generation-robotic.html
http://www.kinematicblocks.com/en/baukasten/der-baukasten/

Videos

http://youtu.be/A4ozXEWLhqw
http://vimeo.com/kinematicblocks

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As engineers and scientists are able to create more capable robots, managing system complexity becomes a risky proposition. As a result, developers are forced to discover new methodologies to help mitigate the risk associated with complex and novel designs. One such methodology is to develop early phase prototypes that can help reduce the risk associated with developing robotic applications. Prototyping offers benefits to engineers by providing early feedback into the design process while engaging potential clients, customers and investors.

Here are some tips that will help you prototype your next robotic system

1. Ideas are Cheap
With the advent of the Internet, ideas are being shared faster and more cheaply than at any time in history. Technologies like YouTube and Twitter drive cost and time involved with sharing an idea to virtually nothing. The most costly part of creating a new robotic system is not in coming up with the idea, but rather in determining whether the idea holds any economic value.

By creating a robotic prototype, you can show potential customers and investors an idea in a concrete form. This provides a platform for you to solicit feedback and test whether the idea has value in the marketplace; something that is challenging to do when an idea only exists on a whiteboard or technical specification document.

2. Don’t Optimize for Cost While Prototyping
As engineers, we’re tempted to always aim for the best and most elegant solution. When creating the final customer-facing robot, this is an admirable and necessary trait. However, when designing a prototype system, this is not always desirable. A potential pitfall when creating the electromechanical system is getting caught in endless cost optimization while selecting processors, memory, sensors and motors, trying to squeeze as much performance out of each of these subsystems. The same can hold true for the software engineers on staff, constantly refining and optimizing code, resulting in slipping deadlines. This process of optimization can often become a giant time sink at the beginning of the project, a time when it is most important to validate whether the project is possible and economically viable. Many projects run out of money and time before anyone ever sees what the engineers have been working on.

While cost is an important factor, the goal of the prototype is to create a platform that is within a striking distance of profitability. The robotic team should focus on building a system that clearly demonstrates the value the robot offers. Setting this as your bar of success will help your team showcase your technology to the public before running out of capital. Once customers and investors are interested and supportive, your team can then focus on optimizing the design down to an efficient and profitable system.

3. Reconfigurable I/O
Sensors and actuators are what allow a robot to experience and manipulate the world. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the design process, it’s almost impossible to know all the details about the inputs and outputs of the system, including what voltage levels are required, sampling rates, number of channels of input and number of digital lines just to name a few. That being said, incorporating I/O in your prototype is essential in creating a truly functional system. By adding sensory input and control output, engineers prove their design can be implemented in the real world. Creating a paper design, implementing that design in software and even simulating the design in a virtual environment are still largely conceptual exercises. To prove the value of your design to skeptical investors, the prototype needs to receive data and respond accordingly. Additionally, data from prototyping operations helps you refine functional requirements with clients and the rest of the design team based on actual performance.

Choosing a prototyping platform that allows engineers to quickly swap out I/O and try new combinations allows your robot to be dynamic and change as the engineers learn more about the problem they’re trying to solve.

4. Design for Reuse
One aim of the prototype is to be able to move to a subsequent design, either one more optimized and closer to the end product or one that incorporates customer feedback. In either case, the engineering team must decide which components can be used in the next iteration of the design. Extra focus must be given to these components—whether a communication protocol or software algorithm—to ensure that their interfaces and implementations make them as portable as possible in the next phase of development. This involves making sure you have consistent interfaces, decoupling components and maintain a modular design.

5. Demonstrate Your Prototype
It should be easy to demonstrate your robotic prototype. This prototype will become your calling card–the first thing that customers, venture capitalists, and potential employees notice. A prototype that is easy to set up and quickly illustrates what differentiates your product is the best way to generate positive buzz around the company and robot. When pitching your idea, show the demo as quickly as possible. An impressive demo can do so much more for your company and product than simple slides on a projector.

Links: http://www.deskeng.com/articles/aaazmm.htm

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Online GEAR GENERATOR

http://woodgears.ca/gear_cutting/template.html

http://woodgears.ca/gear/howto.html

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The Legged Robotics Team at ETH Zurich’s Autonomous Systems Lab is doing research to build fast, versatile, and efficient quadrupedal robots. This movie illustrates some of the work that was done in the past years. Inspired by nature, the team built different types of electrically driven robots that can do various maneuvers from slow and careful climbing to very robust dynamic trotting.

Further information can be found here: http://leggedrobotics.ethz.ch

Robotics Microlectures are produced in cooperation with Switzerland’s NCCR Robotics (http://nccr-robotics.ch/) and Robohub (http://robohub.org/).

StarlETH 3D Trotting on Treadmill with Obstacles

Trotting experiments with StarlETH on a treadmill with up to 0.7m/s (2.5km/h) over small obstacles. This quadrupedal robot (24kg, 0.2m segment lenght) is driven by 12 series elastic torque actuators and works with onboard state estimation. An external motion capture system is used to continuously adapt the the treadmill velocity.

Maneuver Collection

This is a collection of maneuvers that our quadrupedal robot ALoF can conduct: a turtle like crawling motion (right) that was applied in the ESA Lunar Robotics competition to collect stones from a volcanic crater, standup and walking (middle), and a turnover for recovery from tipping over (left)

Video Links:
1-http://youtu.be/6igNZiVtbxU
2-http://youtu.be/Wuc7mL0hkGo
3-http://youtu.be/F5HsFyirhZI

Resource Link: http://leggedrobotics.ethz.ch/

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