One-Motor Robot Arm #2 - Differential Drive
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
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Part 1: • One-Motor CVT Robot Ar...
Last time, I started a project to build a robot arm which only has one main drive motor, and uses a series of clutches to drive three separate axees.
I’d built something like this before which controlled a differential-drive robot on two wheels. In that project I built two continuously-variable transmissions using a ball which rotates and binds on two wheels. One wheel is driven by the motor, and the other is the output wheel which touches the ground.
As the ball rotates a different length circumference of the ball runs on each wheel which gives us either a reduction or enlargement in velocity. If the ball is rotated in the other direction, we can go into reverse, and there’s a hole in the ball on its very end - so there’s a dead-spot which means we can stop the output. This did however mean that the output wheel could free-wheel in this position.
This time I’m driving worm gears with the output of the secondary wheel so that the axees can be locked in place when they aren’t being driven. I now have three outputs to drive three axees of the robot arm. One of these drives the main waist rotation which is made from a Lazy Susan bearing - and this makes the whole thing rotate in place including the motor.
At the end of the last video, we left the other two worm gears driving nothing, so today we’re going to build most of the rest of the arm mechanics driven by these two outputs.
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XROBOTS
Former toy designer, current UA-cam maker and general robotics, electrical and mechanical engineer, I’m a fan of doing it yourself and innovation by trial and error. My channel is where I share some of my useful and not-so-useful inventions, designs and maker advice. Iron Man is my go-to cosplay, and 3D printing can solve most issues - broken bolts, missing parts, world hunger, you name it.
XRobots is the community around my content where you can get in touch, share tips and advice, and more build FAQs, schematics and designs are also available.
James I don’t know if you step back occasionally and appreciate your work but this project is absolutely incredible. This could be an entire mechanics thesis and you are just doing this as a fun project. As always I am absolutely blown away
As a professional applications and services developer, who has almost 10 years experience, and who does some hobbyist mechatronics I agree the stuff that James does is magic
This man brain is operating on another level entirely. brilliant and incredibly satisfying.
I really didn't even know it was possible to get so many different motions from one spinning motor like this, but this was a great and eye-opening demonstration. Bravo!
The crazy thing is that the system doesn't have to stop with 3 axes.
He could ad basically as many axes as he wants.
@@Jehty_ - The problem with Backlash in the gears would eventually catch up unless the gears were metal. It really would be nice to see how many axis' could be put in such a project tho.
Check out breaking taps video on a mechanism with similar concept which is used on JWST. Also don’t forget to check out the comments section on that video for links to other videos with similar concept. It is really fascinating 👍
@@reggiep75 gears being metal does not remove backlash, it is the tolerance between the gear teeth and valleys
James, you consistently have the weekly output of an engineering prototyping team. That's not including the additional work to shoot and edit the videos. I'm equal parts confused and impressed.
Might look into trying helical bevel gears for the joints. I've used 3D printed bevel gears inside of a similar project in college and we were able to clear up a lot of backlash by making them helical bevel gears. This project brings back so many good memories and I look forward to seeing this completed.
That arm is absolutely mental! Your sketchbook must be a work of art and displayed in a museum someday.
A big thanks to James's trifecta of sponsors; 3dfuel, Lulzbot, & simplybearings! With a surprise guest appearance from JLCPCB, that's a great deal.
I am starting to think that James has a whole team of people working for him. It just seems like a lot of work for one person to keep doing!
How does this man not own a Robotics company? How is this hobbyist?
This is beyond amazing. A refined and upscaled version of this could be used in factory robots. 1 motor and large relatively simple gear systems makes them cheaper to buy, operate and upgrade. Maintenance us still up ok the air.
And the possibilities are huge, imagine an artificial arm or leg that just needs 1 motor to run, making them more accessible.
The design of this is absolutely genius! I do have a difficult time trying to think of a practical use for such a design. (but what do I know, I could never create anything as cool as this!)
'Education'
@@jamesbruton Well consider me educated :)
@@jamesbruton x, y, zed !!!
Have recently started watching this channel, and I'm in constant awe at James' ingenuity and hardwork. Kudos!!
You are my favorate youtuber atm, legend.
As such it is my duty to give you advice so ingenius only smart people recognize it's brilliance..
Pulse Water pistol turret for ceilings with fire-sense stuff!
This channel always gives me the extra push to work on my own projects, the way stuff is presented is really inspiring.
My favorite project! :)
I cannot recommend spiral tooth bevels more highly. Straight tooth is very sub par as you could see with the backlash. In traditional manufacturing there's a reason we go through 10x the effort to make spiral teeth, and with 3D printing in this case its practical zero cost change
You have been a brilliant educator for thousands of students and people around the world. I thank your efforts.
Incredible work! I am very appreciative of the idea that 3d printing has given us all the ability to get a glimpse of the inside of your mind. I suspect we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg with all these incredible inventions.
Thank you for reigniting the maker in me again
Only for fans over 18 years old CUTE-LADIES.XYZ/?NAKED ⚡️
tricks I do not know
Megan: "Hotter"
Hopi: "Sweeter"
Joonie: "Cooler"
Yoongi: "Butter
So with toy and his tricks, do not read it to him that he writes well mamon there are only to laugh for a while and not be sad and stressed because of the hard life that is lived today.
Köz karaş: '' Taŋ kaldım ''
Erinder: '' Sezimdüü ''
Jılmayuu: '' Tattuuraak ''
Dene: '' Muzdak ''
Jizn, kak krasivaya melodiya, tolko pesni pereputalis.
Aç köz arstan
Bul ukmuştuuday ısık kün bolçu, jana arstan abdan açka bolgon.
Uyunan çıgıp, tigi jer-jerdi izdedi. Al kiçinekey koyondu wins taba algan. Al bir az oylonboy koyondu karmadı. '' Bul koyon menin kursagımdı toyguza albayt '' dep oylodu arstan.
Arstan koyondu öltüröyün dep jatkanda, bir kiyik tigi tarapka çurkadı. Arstan aç köz bolup kaldı. Kiçine koyondu emes, çoŋ kiyikti jegen jakşı dep oylodu. # 垃圾
They are one of the best concerts, you can not go but just seeing them from the screen, I know it was surprising
💗❤️💌💘
He said "bevel gear" so many times that it went all funky and now I can't say it myself.
Only for fans over 18 years old CUTE-LADIES.XYZ/?NAKED ⚡️
tricks I do not know
Megan: "Hotter"
Hopi: "Sweeter"
Joonie: "Cooler"
Yoongi: "Butter
So with toy and his tricks, do not read it to him that he writes well mamon there are only to laugh for a while and not be sad and stressed because of the hard life that is lived today.
Köz karaş: '' Taŋ kaldım ''
Erinder: '' Sezimdüü ''
Jılmayuu: '' Tattuuraak ''
Dene: '' Muzdak ''
Jizn, kak krasivaya melodiya, tolko pesni pereputalis.
Aç köz arstan
Bul ukmuştuuday ısık kün bolçu, jana arstan abdan açka bolgon.
Uyunan çıgıp, tigi jer-jerdi izdedi. Al kiçinekey koyondu wins taba algan. Al bir az oylonboy koyondu karmadı. '' Bul koyon menin kursagımdı toyguza albayt '' dep oylodu arstan.
Arstan koyondu öltüröyün dep jatkanda, bir kiyik tigi tarapka çurkadı. Arstan aç köz bolup kaldı. Kiçine koyondu emes, çoŋ kiyikti jegen jakşı dep oylodu. # 垃圾
They are one of the best concerts, you can not go but just seeing them from the screen, I know it was surprising
💗❤️💌💘
You have been the person who inspired me to do what i do!
Only for fans over 18 years old CUTE-LADIES.XYZ/?NAKED ⚡️
tricks I do not know
Megan: "Hotter"
Hopi: "Sweeter"
Joonie: "Cooler"
Yoongi: "Butter
So with toy and his tricks, do not read it to him that he writes well mamon there are only to laugh for a while and not be sad and stressed because of the hard life that is lived today.
Köz karaş: '' Taŋ kaldım ''
Erinder: '' Sezimdüü ''
Jılmayuu: '' Tattuuraak ''
Dene: '' Muzdak ''
Jizn, kak krasivaya melodiya, tolko pesni pereputalis.
Aç köz arstan
Bul ukmuştuuday ısık kün bolçu, jana arstan abdan açka bolgon.
Uyunan çıgıp, tigi jer-jerdi izdedi. Al kiçinekey koyondu wins taba algan. Al bir az oylonboy koyondu karmadı. '' Bul koyon menin kursagımdı toyguza albayt '' dep oylodu arstan.
Arstan koyondu öltüröyün dep jatkanda, bir kiyik tigi tarapka çurkadı. Arstan aç köz bolup kaldı. Kiçine koyondu emes, çoŋ kiyikti jegen jakşı dep oylodu. # 垃圾
They are one of the best concerts, you can not go but just seeing them from the screen, I know it was surprising
💗❤️💌💘
brother james… you are insane. 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾😮💨
This thing is spectacular! I'm so genuinely impressed and I've been watching you be impressive for many years!
With everything pivoting around that center it seems like the perfect use case for a slip ring to get the encoder feedback and run an end effector with no angle limits.
You are incredibly brilliant, good sir.
This is so cool, love the large 3d printed pieces. Personally I work with smaller pieces and its so hard to manage the tolerances at that scale. Sadly they have to stay small as the parts are mostly meant for small drones.
Are you using SLA or filament? With SLA you get excellent tolerances and it became very affordable in the last 2 years
I'm happy with my 3D Fuel so far. Works pretty nice.
Only for fans over 18 years old CUTE-LADIES.XYZ/?NAKED ⚡️
tricks I do not know
Megan: "Hotter"
Hopi: "Sweeter"
Joonie: "Cooler"
Yoongi: "Butter
So with toy and his tricks, do not read it to him that he writes well mamon there are only to laugh for a while and not be sad and stressed because of the hard life that is lived today.
Köz karaş: '' Taŋ kaldım ''
Erinder: '' Sezimdüü ''
Jılmayuu: '' Tattuuraak ''
Dene: '' Muzdak ''
Jizn, kak krasivaya melodiya, tolko pesni pereputalis.
Aç köz arstan
Bul ukmuştuuday ısık kün bolçu, jana arstan abdan açka bolgon.
Uyunan çıgıp, tigi jer-jerdi izdedi. Al kiçinekey koyondu wins taba algan. Al bir az oylonboy koyondu karmadı. '' Bul koyon menin kursagımdı toyguza albayt '' dep oylodu arstan.
Arstan koyondu öltüröyün dep jatkanda, bir kiyik tigi tarapka çurkadı. Arstan aç köz bolup kaldı. Kiçine koyondu emes, çoŋ kiyikti jegen jakşı dep oylodu. # 垃圾
They are one of the best concerts, you can not go but just seeing them from the screen, I know it was surprising
💗❤️💌💘
To get rid of the backlash for testing purposes, you could pretension each axis on one direction with a bit of bungee chord. It put some more load on the gearbox, but it gives you more consistent positioning.
This is really cool, I think improvements could be made to the drive system, theres an awful lot of gears in series introducing friction and backlash. Trying to think of how you could drive each axis more directly from the CVT.
As an idea, you could have a timing belt pulley, with a hemisphere on one side of the pulley. The hemisphere meshes with a driven wheel. You can tilt the hemisphere against the driven wheel as you currently do, this would result in some belt twist but as long as the pulley is relatively small or the distance to the next pulley isnt too small the belt should be fine taking up that twist. Then you can drive the axis directly with the belt. Eliminates many of the gears and worm drives for less friction/backlash.
Wow, this is awesome! Very nice project!
I should be asleep but then I saw this.
Only for fans over 18 years old CUTE-LADIES.XYZ/?NAKED ⚡️
tricks I do not know
Megan: "Hotter"
Hopi: "Sweeter"
Joonie: "Cooler"
Yoongi: "Butter
So with toy and his tricks, do not read it to him that he writes well mamon there are only to laugh for a while and not be sad and stressed because of the hard life that is lived today.
Köz karaş: '' Taŋ kaldım ''
Erinder: '' Sezimdüü ''
Jılmayuu: '' Tattuuraak ''
Dene: '' Muzdak ''
Jizn, kak krasivaya melodiya, tolko pesni pereputalis.
Aç köz arstan
Bul ukmuştuuday ısık kün bolçu, jana arstan abdan açka bolgon.
Uyunan çıgıp, tigi jer-jerdi izdedi. Al kiçinekey koyondu wins taba algan. Al bir az oylonboy koyondu karmadı. '' Bul koyon menin kursagımdı toyguza albayt '' dep oylodu arstan.
Arstan koyondu öltüröyün dep jatkanda, bir kiyik tigi tarapka çurkadı. Arstan aç köz bolup kaldı. Kiçine koyondu emes, çoŋ kiyikti jegen jakşı dep oylodu. # 垃圾
They are one of the best concerts, you can not go but just seeing them from the screen, I know it was surprising
💗❤️💌💘
I don't know how you do this stuff so quick. It's unbelievable
I wish this video existed like a year ago. Would have been a great reference for some very similar mech art I was working on.
Incredible love the way you think and design youre models 👌
Me watching the differential drive: that's a really clever use of that mechanism!
James: there's nothing particularly clever about this
This is a mechanical engineering marvel!
I understand the individual words but not so much altogether. But I do like the pretty colours! Great videos, thank you for sharing them with us.
This is abousolutly incredible
Open dog is my fav of all time. I wait for the day you do v4.
This really is astonishing. Very much looking forward to the next video!
Using fine pitch gears should eliminate a good bit that nasty backlash. Just a suggestion cause that beautiful piece of engineering is way above my pay grade.
Please do more of the very useful robot
“There’s nothing particularly clever about this” - looks pretty clever to me!
Always amazing James. I don’t know how you do so much so quickly.
I remember at one point designing a locked diff 4 wheeler with forced wheel tilt for steering, and dammit wasn't it glorious
@8:30 Funny, I was thinking wasn't this the same as some toy from the 80s right before you mentioned it.
You know how factories back in Victorian times had one giant steam engine for the whole building and all the machines are driven by it directly? If those factories got robot arms its how I'd imagine they'd work
You are amazing James.
Комментарий в поддержку канала и ролика, а также труда мастера.
The economics of this approach are interesting. A single large, powerful motor can be used for all joints. That means a lot of power can be delivered at all joints (provided the clutches can handle the torque). This could be cheaper and lighter than using individual motors for each degree of freedom, however system introduces a lot of mechanical challenges, and complicates control of the arm.
Yeah, he mentioned the Armitron. Best example of a robotic Arm that only used one motor.
This pleases me greatly.
OH MY GOD JAMES WHAT IF YOU PUT A 3D PRINTER NOZZLE ON IT THAT WOULD BE THE COOLEST 3D PRINTER EVER
The demo at 0:55 looks so much like the drive mechanism of a "Scrambler" carnival ride...
He always makes things look easy.
I'd put a slip clutch within the gears at each of the arm joints, Lego has a fairly simple design that'd be entirely 3D printable. Since the two arm joints, so far, are driven entirely mechanically based on multiple drive inputs, there's not really a way to put a limit switch in the system to avoid crashing one arm segment into the next; plus a limit switch wouldn't do all that much in a drive system like this, other than turn off the motor, as a servo return to zero wouldn't be as effective as a motor shut-off. Slip clutches are the physical analog to the digital limit switch, the arm sees resistance in movement and the slip clutch slips under excessive torque. Since the bevel gears have fairly thick bases, these would be a great spot for a slip clutch, one in each of the shoulder pivot drive, and one in the drive at the elbow.
I posted this in a comment thread on the last video, but I still believe the rotational base should have the drive motor vertical, for expansion reasons. This orientation would contain the drive motor and drive system within the base fully. Need a more powerful motor? The universal base could house a stronger motor. Need more outputs? Just extend the height of the base, possibly even via modules, and you can achieve more drive outputs. This would also minimize the footprint, as you're not swinging a motor around with the shoulder swivel, not to mention mass reduction.
I still want to see Skyentific's opinion on this kind of drive system for robotic arms, since he's covered a variety of systems. I think the main concern is power and efficiency, each additional drive will sap that additional amount of power. But there's also nothing telling the motor to run at a specific speed to meet the same efficiency as more typical drives. But then the issue becomes that the motor itself needs a transmission, to achieve the various speed and power requirements as various outputs get turned on and off, to have higher efficiency. It's a massive balancing game that would just make this system inefficient compared to having discrete motors per degree of freedom. I think the only practical use, when efficiency is concerned, is having a dual CVT acting as a controllable differential, much like what VW is doing with wet clutches on the rear AWD bevel gear (not a differential) drive system in the newest Golf; but outside of a differential, I think all practicality very quickly tapers off outside of some very specific use cases. It is an interesting concept, though, I just think disadvantages of a multi-output system like this outweigh any practicality.
You are a very clever man.
I thought of hydraulics and then you started talking about it ;)
Nice projet!
never mind! should wait the video out :)
Great job!
I really like the idea of utilizing a single load motor the way you designed it.
As a sidenote I have a feeling that at some point with all vibrations and back and forth load the nuts on the axels will unlock and start moving on the axels with the gears which may lead to linear motion tearing the whole thing apart. Maybe you could make a flat spot on the axel for a lock screw for the gears?
Also backlash would probably be less noticeable with worm gears
Excellent as always James! I don't understand how you prototype these things so fast.
Sir, can you make a video about the Bluetooth robotic arm tank.
Look into the Inception Drive. It's another kind of continuously variable gearbox, possible to 3D print
BRILLIANT!!! I would probably be doing the same stuff if I had listened to those PSA's and never got into drugs 😢 I am the living embodiment of failure. KIDS, DON'T BE LIKE ME. BE LIKE JAMES! :D
As the motor runs constantly it would be ideal for use with a steam engine. YAY steam powered robots XD
всегда like шикарная работа
this type of drivetrain reminds me of the age of steam. Where one engine would run complete factories.
Yup,I was thinking of the resemblance to line shafting as well.
That final differential rotation could be a worm gear extension control instead. Don't know why that would be useful, but just a thought!
Great job
This is amazing.
Cool stuff! I got to know your channel a while back!
I wonder if these designs are also being used in practice and if not, have you considered patenting before sharing this piece of art with the world? Keep up the great high-quality entertainment 😄👌
Most of my stuff is specifically open source, this will be once it all works
@@jamesbruton Thank you for your contribution!
my dream is to become an engineer like you sir
Should we be worried? I am starting to think James workshop will be the place the robot overlords will arise.
As Always bang on James. Have to say my brain was going but there are no read spots on those gears for when it runs the end stops. But then I slapped my self and reminded my self there is a friction train in the middle so hit the end stop and your just on tire on tire. So hope it don't mash gears to bad. My head sales the shaft up the middle might be contributing to the slop as it's all relying on the wrist gear to carry the resistance down. Any advantage to changing that to a pair of threaded bars so it's not relying on thread so much? You always get my head in the game on a Tuesday morning. Xxx
jargon
Superb robot
Super intresting concept! I wonder if the same system can use in a exoskeleton so you can use just one powerful motor to move all the joint
Would adding internal struts, inside the box, not make for a more supported and stronger structure? It would take planning and adding additional metal struts into the plastic struts would be drastically minimise slackness and improve transmission. It's a fair amount of work but would be perfect for the acme level of the device.
sweet! thanks for sharing.
James can you make a quadcopter drone with a single drive motor? It would be a great PoC and may lead the wat to internal combustion engine drones.
This makes me wonder if there are any real world machines where all the movement is powered by the single drive on an engine
I'm fairly sure there was a DARPA or NASA project in the 60's or 70's which used this sort of mechanism to drive the legs on a four-legged person-carrier. Can't find a picture of it now though. I know it's not the Walking Truck, that was hydraulic.
this was great, i always thought how i could implement this kind of system
you voice is slightly nasal which can be addressed with a 3 month self practice or a professional voice coach if you are interested
wow this is really cool, goddamn
A Bungie from the top of the arm to the bottom of the orange plate for the slop?
Cool i've seen similar things in auto industies
Does anybody else want a stupid long video of him making these things in fusion 360? I would watch 6 hours of design for learning purposes.
Would be awesome if you made a slip ring mechanism so you could run power from outside of the arm without having to worry about wires when it rotates
James, do you think that a v2 system with less backlash could be controlled by an entirely mechanical PID control loop? The ball-wheel mechanisms are nearly mechanical integrators and differentiators already so this could be a really cool addition. I’m just imagining a robotic arm with motion smoothing that could have existed during the industrial revolution!
I may be missing something here but how are the plastic gears not ground into oblivion with all this movement and skraping on other gears? All this constant spinning has to affect them, no?
I suppose I can be accused of being a pedant. This arm has 4 motors 3 servos plus the power motor which is one more than the number of degrees of freedom. In fact any movement caused by electricity involves a motor of some sort, even a solenoid is a motor.
Absolutely brilliant piece of engineering though. As far as i can see the only way of eliminating motors would be to use mechanical computing.
😃
Any recommendations on where to study up on gears? It’s been a while since I looked at them in school and I’d love to brush up. Thanks!
Just WOW
Are the controls going to be done with servo motors? Would they need to be big ones?
Only for fans over 18 years old CUTE-LADIES.XYZ/?NAKED ⚡️
tricks I do not know
Megan: "Hotter"
Hopi: "Sweeter"
Joonie: "Cooler"
Yoongi: "Butter
So with toy and his tricks, do not read it to him that he writes well mamon there are only to laugh for a while and not be sad and stressed because of the hard life that is lived today.
Köz karaş: '' Taŋ kaldım ''
Erinder: '' Sezimdüü ''
Jılmayuu: '' Tattuuraak ''
Dene: '' Muzdak ''
Jizn, kak krasivaya melodiya, tolko pesni pereputalis.
Aç köz arstan
Bul ukmuştuuday ısık kün bolçu, jana arstan abdan açka bolgon.
Uyunan çıgıp, tigi jer-jerdi izdedi. Al kiçinekey koyondu wins taba algan. Al bir az oylonboy koyondu karmadı. '' Bul koyon menin kursagımdı toyguza albayt '' dep oylodu arstan.
Arstan koyondu öltüröyün dep jatkanda, bir kiyik tigi tarapka çurkadı. Arstan aç köz bolup kaldı. Kiçine koyondu emes, çoŋ kiyikti jegen jakşı dep oylodu. # 垃圾
They are one of the best concerts, you can not go but just seeing them from the screen, I know it was surprising
💗❤️💌💘
why don't drive each axis directly from the clutch? One clutch to the first joint and second clutch to elbow?
I have just one question: Is there any bevel gears in this design?
Awesome.
So basically when you finish this project, you used three servos and a motor to do a job three servos could do on their own? :p
What exactly would be the advantage of this system other than having fun at building it? Is it that you can have a strong motor and only need weak servos?
Is there a benefit I'm not seeing of using two outputs mixed together to control the shoulder and elbow? It complicates the control significantly compare to simply using one output for the shoulder and one for the elbow.
More torque at the shoulder, but otherwise no.
@@jamesbruton I'm assuming then that a single CVT is unable to transfer the full torque of the motor? Or is there something I'm missing that would provide more torque?
very cool
Some one give this man a metal
Does this man ever sleep?
Why did you use 5 gears at the base of the arm? Why wouldn't you use 3 instead by having two of them double sided. That would reduce the flex slightly at least the flex of the shafts.
Is there an advantage to this design besides being super interesting mechanically? Normally you would use one motor per degree of freedom. This one would require one main motor plus three stepper motors to run the clutches. Is it that you can use one high powered main motor and three lower powered smaller ones? Does this work out to being more efficient power wise ?
It's more of a curiosity piece tbh.