home · Tool · Ten homemade robots. Walking robot design parts list Walking robot made from paper clips design drawing

Ten homemade robots. Walking robot design parts list Walking robot made from paper clips design drawing

We usually talk about robots created by various research centers or companies. However, robots are being assembled around the world with varying degrees of success. ordinary people. So today we present to you ten homemade robots.

Adam

A German neurobiology student assembled an android named Adam. Its name stands for Advanced Dual Arm Manipulator or “advanced two-handed manipulator.” The robot's arms have five degrees of freedom. They are powered by Robolink joints German company Igus. External cables are used to rotate Adam's joints. In addition, Adam's head is equipped with two video cameras, a loudspeaker, a speech synthesizer, and an LCD panel that imitates the movements of the robot's lips.

MPR-1

The MPR-1 robot is notable for the fact that it is constructed not from iron or plastic, like most of its counterparts, but from paper. According to the creator of the robot, artist Kikousya, the materials for the MPR-1 are paper, several dowels and a couple of rubber bands. At the same time, the robot moves confidently, although its mechanical elements are also made of paper. The crank mechanism ensures the movement of the robot's legs, and its feet are designed so that their surface is always parallel to the floor.

Boxie Paparazzi Robot

The Boxie robot was created by American engineer Alexander Reben from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Boxie, somewhat similar to the famous cartoon character Wall-E, should help media workers. The small and nimble paparazzi is made entirely of cardboard, it moves using caterpillars, and navigates the street using ultrasound, which helps it overcome various obstacles. The robot conducts interviews in a funny, childish voice, and the respondent can interrupt the conversation at any time by pressing a special button. Boxie can record about six hours of video and send it to its owner using the nearest Wi-Fi point.

Morphex

Norwegian engineer Kare Halvorsen created a six-legged robot called Morphex, which can transform into a ball and back. In addition, the robot is able to move. The movement of the robot occurs due to motors pushing it forward. The robot moves in an arc rather than in a straight line. Due to its design, Morphex cannot independently correct its trajectory. IN this moment Halvorsen is working to solve this question. An interesting update is expected: the creator of the robot wants to add 36 LEDs that would allow Morphex to change colors.

Truckbot

Americans Tim Heath and Ryan Hickman decided to create a small robot based on Android phone. The robot they created, Truckbot, is quite simple in terms of its design: the HTC G1 phone is located on top of the robot, being its “brain”. At the moment, the robot can move on a flat surface, choose directions of movement and accompany all sorts of phrases with collisions with obstacles.

Robot shareholder

One day, American Brian Dorey, who was developing expansion boards, was faced with the following problem: it is very difficult to solder a double-row pin comb with his own hands. Brian needed an assistant, so he decided to create a robot that could solder. It took Brian two months to develop the robot. The completed robot is equipped with two soldering irons that can solder two rows of contacts at the same time. You can control the robot via a PC and tablet.

Mechatronic Tank

Every family has its own favorite hobby. For example, the family of American engineer Robert Beatty designs robots. Robert is helped by his teenage daughters, and his wife and newborn daughter provide them with moral support. Their most impressive creation is the self-propelled Mechatronic Tank. Thanks to its 20 kg armor, this security robot is a threat to any criminal. Eight echolocators mounted on the robot's turret allow it to calculate the distance to objects in its field of view with an accuracy of an inch. The robot also shoots metal bullets at a speed of a thousand rounds per minute.

Robodog

An American named Max created a mini-copy of the famous one. Supporting structure Max made the robot from scraps of five-millimeter acrylic glass, and to fasten all the parts together he used ordinary threaded bolts. In addition, when creating the robot, miniature servos were used, which are responsible for the movement of its limbs, as well as parts from the Arduino Mega kit, which coordinate the motor process of the mechanical dog.

Robot ball

The Kolobok robot was designed by Jerome Demers and works for solar powered. There is a capacitor inside the robot that is connected to the solar power parts. It is needed to accumulate energy in bad weather. When there is enough solar energy, the ball begins to roll forward.

Roboruk

Initially, Georgia Tech professor Gil Weinberg designed a robotic arm for a drummer whose arm was amputated. Gil then created automated technology synchronization, thanks to which a two-armed drummer could use a robotic arm as an additional hand. The robotic arm reacts to the drummer's playing style, creating its own rhythm. The robotic arm can also improvise, while analyzing the rhythm in which the drummer plays.

Electronics lovers and people interested in robotics do not miss the opportunity to independently design a simple or complex robot, enjoy the assembly process itself and the result.

You don’t always have the time or desire to clean the house, but... modern technology allow you to create cleaning robots. These include a robotic vacuum cleaner that travels around rooms for hours and collects dust.

Where to start if you want to create a robot with your own hands? Of course, the first robots should be easy to create. The robot that will be discussed in today’s article will not take much time and does not require special skills.

Continuing the theme of creating robots with your own hands, I suggest trying to make a dancing robot from improvised materials. To create a robot with your own hands you will need simple materials, which can probably be found in almost every home.

The variety of robots is not limited to the specific patterns by which these robots are created. People always come up with original interesting ideas how to make a robot. Some create static sculptures of robots, others create dynamic sculptures of robots, which is what we will discuss in today's article.

Anyone can make a robot with their own hands, even a child. The robot, which will be described below, is easy to create and does not require much time. I’ll try to describe the stages of creating a robot with my own hands.

Sometimes ideas for creating a robot come completely unexpectedly. If you think about how to make a robot move using improvised means, the thought of batteries comes to mind. But what if everything is much simpler and more accessible? Let's try to make a robot with our own hands using mobile phone as the main part. To create a vibration robot with your own hands, you will need the following materials.

Walkers made from paper clips and a motor are not just homemade toys, but also a whole arsenal of technological techniques and engineering thinking.

Making such a robot with your own hands is not only interesting, but also develops fine motor skills of the fingers, and for a child it will be a revelation - after all, a real walking robot is created out of nothing!

To assemble a simple working robot from ordinary paper clips with your own hands, you will need several simple and easily accessible materials. Firstly, these are the metal clamps themselves, as well as a small set of tools. The tools you will need are a soldering iron, solder, pliers, wire cutters, round nose pliers, and also a small Electrical engine with gearbox and battery for it.

First, you need to make a support frame from a long and thick paper clip, that is, bend it into a rectangle and securely solder its ends with solder. Parts and elements of the robot will be installed on this frame during the assembly process.

Next, you need to make loops on which the robot’s legs will be attached. They will need to be soldered to the rectangular frame using a soldering iron. Then the small legs of the walking robot are made from paper clips. In this case, it is advisable to first assemble the complex front legs, and then all the rest.

After assembling the robot's limbs, you need to start making the crankshaft. The clamp for it must be strong and absolutely even.

The crankshaft should be carefully prepared using pliers and round nose pliers. When the shaft is finished, it should be carefully placed on the motor gear. After this, special connecting rods are made that will connect the robot's legs to the crankshaft. The gear is then soldered to the crankshaft.

Then a battery and a switch are installed on the robot frame. If everything is done correctly, the robot will begin to walk.

Here is a video instruction on how to make a homemade walking robot from paper clips with your own hands, watch it if you don’t understand something from the article.

Part II. Joints and ligaments.

Tell students that joints allow our limbs to bend and ligaments hold the bones of our skeleton together. How will the mobility of parts in a robot be ensured, the parts of which must freely change their position relative to each other?

Have teams find the following pins in their robotics kit boxes.






Ask students how the pins in each pair are different?

Ask students in teams to connect two beams with each pin and test the rotation of the beams relative to each other. Beams connected by which pins rotate more freely?

Make a conclusion about which pins are most suitable for movable joints.
Ask the question, what other elements from the construction set can students suggest using in places of movable joints in addition to pins?

Part III. Prototyping a robot leg.

Have each team member make a schematic drawing in their notebook for a walking robot or the part of it that is responsible for walking. When creating a diagram, have them focus only on the parts from the existing kit. Upon completion, students should discuss their schemes within their teams:

  1. Are there different proposals for the type of robot movement? According to the fundamental structure of the pedipulator (pedis - leg, lat., the concept was introduced by analogy with the manipulator)?
  2. What trajectory, in their opinion, is described by the extreme points of the resulting pedipulators relative to the robot?
Discuss the resulting diagrams. Can students suggest more options after discussion?

Have students create a diagram similar to the following:

Ask to set the gear in motion through an axle and ask if the free beam attached to the gear can be considered a prototype leg? What happens if you place some surface underneath the beam? Will a robot be able to rely on such a leg? What's missing from this design?

To add additional rigidity to this “leg” design, change the mechanism to:

Note that with this design the beam no longer dangles freely - it is fixed on top, which gives it additional support. And due to the fact that the beam is now fixed in two places, its lower end now strictly describes a certain trajectory.
Add a surface again under the bottom end of the beam. What happens when the gear rotates?

Explain that we will consider this design to be the first prototype of a leg. Now it needs to be transferred to the motor.
Before doing this, ask students to identify critical points in the design that should then be found on the motor.

If you look at the motor, it also has places for attaching parts of the pedipulator.


Students will now need to transfer the entire structure needed to create the pedipulator onto the motor. The work should be done in pairs - each pair makes a pedipulator on one motor. The end result is this:


Ask students to connect a motor to a controller and write a program on the block to move one motor for a few seconds.


The transfer of the prototype to the robot motor was a success!


After observing the system, have students construct a diagram of the system in their notebooks. mechanical system, and also put down the dimensions. If some dimensions must be calculated, then students must describe the process of calculating these quantities.

Nowadays, few people remember, unfortunately, that in 2005 there were the Chemical Brothers and they had a wonderful video - Believe, where a robotic hand chased the hero of the video around the city.

Then I had a dream. Unrealistic at that time, because I didn’t have the slightest idea about electronics. But I wanted to believe - believe. 10 years have passed, and just yesterday I managed to assemble my own robotic arm for the first time, put it into operation, then break it, fix it, and put it back into operation, and along the way, find friends and gain confidence in my own abilities.

Attention, there are spoilers below the cut!

It all started with (hello, Master Keith, and thank you for allowing me to write on your blog!), which was almost immediately found and selected after this article on Habré. The website says that even an 8-year-old child can assemble a robot - why am I any worse? I'm just trying my hand at it in the same way.

At first there was paranoia

As a true paranoid, I will immediately express the concerns that I initially had regarding the designer. In my childhood, first there were good Soviet designers, then Chinese toys that crumbled in my hands... and then my childhood ended :(

Therefore, from what remained in the memory of toys was:

  • Will the plastic break and crumble in your hands?
  • Will the parts fit loosely?
  • Will the set not contain all the parts?
  • Will the assembled structure be fragile and short-lived?
And finally, a lesson that was learned from Soviet designers:
  • Some parts will have to be finished with a file.
  • And some of the parts simply won’t be in the set
  • And another part will not work initially, it will have to be changed
What can I say now: not in vain in my favorite video Believe main character sees fears where there are none. None of the fears came true: there were exactly as many details as needed, they all fit together, in my opinion - perfectly, which greatly lifted the mood as the work progressed.

The details of the designer not only fit together perfectly, but also the fact that the details are almost impossible to confuse. True, with German pedantry, the creators set aside exactly as many screws as needed, therefore, it is undesirable to lose screws on the floor or confuse “which goes where” when assembling the robot.

Specifications:

Length: 228 mm
Height: 380 mm
Width: 160 mm
Assembly weight: 658 gr.

Nutrition: 4 D batteries
Weight of objects lifted: up to 100 g
Backlight: 1 LED
Control type: wired remote control
Estimated build time: 6 hours
Movement: 5 brushed motors
Protection of the structure when moving: ratchet

Mobility:
Capture mechanism: 0-1,77""
Wrist movement: within 120 degrees
Elbow movement: within 300 degrees
Shoulder movement: within 180 degrees
Rotation on the platform: within 270 degrees

You will need:

  • extra long pliers (you can't do without them)
  • side cutters (can be replaced with a paper knife, scissors)
  • crosshead screwdriver
  • 4 D batteries

Important! About small details

Speaking of “cogs”. If you have encountered a similar problem and know how to make the assembly even more convenient, welcome to the comments. For now, I'll share my experience.

Bolts and screws that are identical in function but different in length are clearly stated in the instructions, for example, on medium photo below we see bolts P11 and P13. Or maybe P14 - well, that is, again, I'm confusing them again. =)

You can distinguish them: the instructions indicate which one is how many millimeters. But, firstly, you won’t sit with a caliper (especially if you are 8 years old and/or you simply don’t have one), and, secondly, in the end you can only distinguish them if you put them next to each other, which may not happen right away came to mind (didn't occur to me, hehe).

Therefore, I’ll warn you in advance if you decide to build this or a similar robot yourself, here’s a hint:

  • or take a closer look at the fastening elements in advance;
  • or buy yourself more small screws, self-tapping screws and bolts so as not to worry.

Also, never throw anything away until you have finished assembling. In the bottom photo in the middle, between two parts from the body of the robot’s “head” there is a small ring that almost went into the trash along with other “scraps”. And this, by the way, is a holder for an LED flashlight in the “head” of the gripping mechanism.

Build process

The robot comes with instructions without unnecessary words - only images and clearly cataloged and labeled parts.

The parts are quite easy to bite off and do not require cleaning, but I liked the idea of ​​processing each part with a cardboard knife and scissors, although this is not necessary.

The build begins with four of the five included motors, which are a real pleasure to assemble: I just love gear mechanisms.

We found the motors neatly packaged and “sticking” to each other - get ready to answer the child’s question about why commutator motors are magnetic (you can immediately in the comments! :)

Important: in 3 out of 5 motor housings you need recess the nuts on the sides- in the future we will place the bodies on them when assembling the arm. Side nuts are not needed only in the motor, which will form the basis of the platform, but in order not to remember later which body goes where, it is better to bury the nuts in each of the four yellow bodies at once. Only for this operation you will need pliers; they will not be needed later.

After about 30-40 minutes, each of the 4 motors was equipped with its own gear mechanism and housing. Putting everything together is no more difficult than putting together Kinder Surprise in childhood, only much more interesting. Question for care based on the photo above: three of the four output gears are black, where is the white one? Blue and black wires should come out of its body. It’s all in the instructions, but I think it’s worth paying attention to it again.

After you have all the motors in your hands, except for the “head” one, you will begin assembling the platform on which our robot will stand. It was at this stage that I realized that I had to be more thoughtful with screws and screws: as you can see in the photo above, I didn’t have enough two screws for fastening the motors together using the side nuts - they were already screwed into the depth of the already assembled platform. I had to improvise.

When the platform and main part of the arm are assembled, the instructions will prompt you to proceed to assembling the gripping mechanism, where it is complete small parts and moving parts - the most interesting!

But, I must say that this is where the spoilers will end and the video will begin, since I had to go to a meeting with a friend and had to take the robot with me, which I couldn’t finish in time.

How to become the life of the party with the help of a robot

Easily! When we continued assembling together, it became clear: to assemble the robot yourself - Very Nice. Working on a design together is doubly pleasant. Therefore, I can confidently recommend this set for those who do not want to sit in a cafe having boring conversations, but want to see friends and have a good time. Moreover, it seems to me that team building with such a set - for example, assembly by two teams, for speed - is almost a win-win option.

The robot came to life in our hands as soon as we finished assembling it. Unfortunately, I cannot convey our delight to you in words, but I think many here will understand me. When a structure that you assembled yourself suddenly begins to live a full life - it’s a thrill!

We realized that we were terribly hungry and went to eat. It wasn't far to go, so we carried the robot in our hands. And then another pleasant surprise awaited us: robotics is not only exciting. It also brings people closer together. As soon as we sat down at the table, we were surrounded by people who wanted to get to know the robot and build one for themselves. Most of all, the kids liked to greet the robot “by the tentacles,” because it really behaves like it’s alive, and, first of all, it’s a hand! In a word, the basic principles of animatronics were mastered intuitively by users. This is what it looked like:

Troubleshooting

Upon returning home, an unpleasant surprise awaited me, and it’s good that it happened before the publication of this review, because now we’ll immediately discuss troubleshooting.

Having decided to try to move the arm through the maximum amplitude, we managed to achieve a characteristic crackling sound and failure of the functionality of the motor mechanism in the elbow. At first it upset me: well, new toy, just assembled - and no longer works.

But then it dawned on me: if you just collected it yourself, what was the point? =) I know very well the set of gears inside the case, and to understand whether the motor itself is broken, or whether the case was simply not secured well enough, you can load it without removing the motor from the board and see if the clicking continues.

This is where I managed to feel hereby robo-master!

Having carefully disassembled the “elbow joint”, it was possible to determine that without load the motor runs smoothly. The housing came apart, one of the screws fell inside (because it was magnetized by the motor), and if we had continued operation, the gears would have been damaged - when disassembled, a characteristic “powder” of worn-out plastic was found on them.

It is very convenient that the robot did not have to be disassembled entirely. And it’s really cool that the breakdown occurred due to not entirely accurate assembly in this place, and not due to some factory difficulties: they were not found in my kit at all.

Advice: For the first time after assembly, keep a screwdriver and pliers at hand - they may come in handy.

What can be taught thanks to this set?

Self confidence!

Not only did I find common topics to communicate with complete strangers, but I also managed to not only assemble, but also repair the toy on my own! This means I have no doubt: everything will always be ok with my robot. And this is a very pleasant feeling when it comes to your favorite things.

We live in a world where we are terribly dependent on sellers, suppliers, service employees and the availability of free time and money. If you know how to do almost nothing, you will have to pay for everything, and most likely overpay. The ability to fix a toy yourself, because you know how every part of it works, is priceless. Let the child have such self-confidence.

Results

What I liked:
  • The robot, assembled according to the instructions, did not require debugging and started immediately
  • The details are almost impossible to confuse
  • Strict cataloging and availability of parts
  • Instructions you don't need to read (images only)
  • Absence of significant backlashes and gaps in structures
  • Ease of assembly
  • Ease of prevention and repair
  • Last but not least: you assemble your toy yourself, Filipino children don’t work for you
What else do you need:
  • More fasteners, in stock
  • Parts and spare parts for it so that they can be replaced if necessary
  • More robots, different and complex
  • Ideas on what can be improved/added/removed - in short, the game doesn’t end with assembly! I really want it to continue!
Verdict:

Assembling a robot from this construction set is no more difficult than a puzzle or Kinder Surprise, only the result is much larger and caused a storm of emotions in us and those around us. Great set, thanks