Single Motor Steerable Hexapod Robot

This is a hexapedal walking robot that is driven by a single drive motor powering all 6 legs. There is a single servo for steering, the walking stride motion is performed by a mechanical linkage. Further information on the project wiki here: wikis.utexas.edu/display/RMD/...

[@lynnwilliam]

This kind of engineering was common on the 60,70 and 80s. When only 1 motor was ever allowed due to budget

[@Clay-Builds]

Yea small motors are dirt cheap now. Most hexapedal robots at this scale use 12-18 servos. Although you can’t control legs individually this way, it’s a clever way to simplify the electronics while maintaining steering ability.

[@christianmontagx8461]

Not only the 80s. I saw expensive video recorders from the 90s and 2000s with up to three motors. But also very cheap ones with just one motor and a gearbox sometimes with servo sometimes with elektromagnets to distribute the motor power where needed.

[@atomipi]

No, wrong - NOT common in the 1970's and 1980's they used separate motors for everything, and products were expensive, and had complex belt, and cog engineering. As an example, an early VCR, had up to 10 motors! and 5 actuators (solenoids)! Each motor did one simple function, forward, reverse, load, unload, raise lower. Then gradually, during the 90's and onwards 00's - manufacturers begun to use small coils / actuators, to engage plastic gears at correct timing to minimise functions to use less motors. Even an old PC disc drives, or a CD player, had individual motors for tray loading, mechanism raise, and even the disc motor was a brushed motor early on (eventually all were PCB based BLDC) In the 90's they started minimising, and using one motor for all mechanical - including the rotary, and also stacker based multi CD/DVD players! They even started reducing screws, along with multiple PCB's, and everything began to clip together with toggles (cheaper to mass produce!). I know, I was there, as a service technician!

[@suruadamable]

It's funny how much better this electronically simple and mechanically genius structure works than most DIY robots here on UA-cam with 1000 motors.

[@Clay-Builds]

Yea that’s probably the biggest advantage of this mechanism. Control and electronics are super easy and cheap.

[@chipcode5538]

I am impressed, brilliant thinking. ❤

[@Clay-Builds]

Thanks, it was a group effort. Read the link in the description for some more info/writing by my colleagues.

[@glowytheglowbug]

Adorable we get less of these machines now but they are always amazing compared to 30 motors lol

[@retireeelectronics2649]

Very Nice

[@eightbit3342]

thats fantastic dude!! such a smooth stead gate and only one motor!! now thats efficiency

[@Clay-Builds]

I’m curious to compare the power efficiency against other similarly sized hexapods. Although there’s a lot of frictional loss from 50+ joints, I bet one large motor is more efficient than many small ones. Plus less weight and it doesn’t consume power just keeping itself upright.

[@lynnwilliam]

Amazing

[@phylippusvonhohenheim3232]

Sensacional

[@domsau2]

Hello. It's impressive and perfect!

[@Clay-Builds]

Perfect is a strong word

[@domsau2]

@@Clay-Builds I'm French. My usage of this word may be different, but I want to build one! Thanks!

[@srsct123]

So simple and clean
Is this open source project

[@Clay-Builds]

Not fully, but check the link in the description for some more info

[@omnianti0]

Is THEIR ANY WAy to make the step more tall because with this low ground clearance its serve no point to have a walker that also seem to drift a lot
it will be more honest to demonstrate it on sand ground

[@Clay-Builds]

The linkage geometry could be altered to increase the step height, but we optimized for a low step height to maximize efficiency. This robot doesn’t handle uneven terrain well.

[@omnianti0]

@@Clay-Builds can you name one advantage of walker that dont handle uneven ground ?

[@Clay-Builds]

In an environment like the flat floors shown in this video, the linkage driven gait saves a lot of cost and complexity compared to a software controlled multi-actuator leg. Also makes control trivially easy. This robot was never intended for rough terrain, it’s a research type project studying mechanical linkage dynamics.

[@omnianti0]

@@Clay-Builds i agree with the mecanical part but what the purpose of legged vehicules on flat ?also this logic also apply to copters when using linkage and crank and a single motor with servo in theory better than multi motor but in pratice more expensive and less reliable and less energetic after few use without maintenance

[@HarveyChen253]

hey we really liked your project, do you think we can do any collab project together---PCBWay

[@tonystarks315]

Its very cool want to sell it ?

[@Clay-Builds]

Nope