WalkerBot

WalkerBot is a proposed club research project whose goal is to create a walking robot used for generic robotics applications and to compete in the walking-robot category for the Trinity Firefighting Competition. This version, one of two walking robots, the other being Rambler, is being officially lead by Jeremy Bridon for the 2010-2011 academic year.

Several good example of what we want to aim for can be found here (best example here), here (not as complex as this one), here (faster), and here (not as flexible).

= Description = WalkerBot is a four-legged (quadruped robot) table-top robot used for generic applications & research. The goal is to make it an open-source hardware and software design, such that it is fully reproducible. It also uses current proven technologies developed within the club, such as the Arduino microcontroller to keep things as simple as possible.





= Project Goals =

WalkerBot must accomplish all of the following goals: win, cheap, stable, and easily reproducible!
 * Open-source hardware and software (Similar to the Arduino platform)
 * Cheap, targeting $250 US per robot instance
 * Small, less than a cubic foot
 * Maintainable, all parts are easily replaceable
 * Functionally works for 30+ minutes of normal operation
 * Mountable surfaces for sensors
 * Four legs
 * Least amount of servos needed
 * "Off the shelf" materials
 * Create the sensor "head" (a rotating head that has both range and light sensors)

= Current Tasks =


 * Research
 * Walking:
 * Leg implementations: http://www.lynxmotion.com/Category.aspx?CategoryID=95
 * Clean and simple implementation: http://www.lynxmotion.com/images/index/nqp01.jpg
 * This is the kind of motion we should be getting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_YN8-OwVf4
 * Very clean simple small implementation: http://www.sjlrobotics.20m.com/quad-pod.html
 * Good example of a Cad-based solution: http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x228/ncabalos/legConfig.jpg
 * The above implementation in hardware: http://www.hbrobotics.org/wiki/index.php5/Image:QUAD20b.jpg
 * Most flexible system seen thus far: http://www.hexapodrobot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=331
 * High-torque robot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guM1tXfgIjw&feature=related
 * Prototype in some AutoCAD - Start sketching models up
 * In progress
 * Sketch up costs
 * 4 legs X 3 servos X $15 per servo = 180 for the system
 * etc...
 * Controller systems
 * How can we get this to move organically, without feedback?
 * Are we going to do an on-board computational system, or a full PC wireless connection, or dedicated off-robot solution?
 * It has been suggested to implement an IK system?
 * Items list:
 * Chassis
 * Microcontroller
 * Servos

= Construction = It is currently unknown how this robot will be built. We are planning to build this robot from cutting through materials (think of cookie-cutting up the chassis materials) then connecting parts through either glue or bolts & nuts. We are aiming to make this mass-producible, so expect the use the PSU Learning Factory.