DIANA LI
Engineering, Design, Medical Devices & DIY
SWINGING GRIPPER
Skills: CAD, Design for Manufacture and Assembly, Rapid Prototyping, Gear Analysis
Machines: Laser-cutting
Software: SolidWorks, MotionGen
The objective of this project was to build and optimize a walking robot with legs consisting of four bar linkages. The walking robot would be used for search and rescue operations, so it was assessed on stair obstacles, hurdles, and rocks.
Our robot was assigned to prioritize hurdles and rocks, so we focused on analyzing and replicating the gait of a cockroach since they are agile in any terrain. We chose a leg coupler curve that steps high and has a fast pull-up motion, accomplishing the tasks quickly. For our first design, our robot would keep on stalling since there wasn’t even torque.
However, for our final design, we modified the robot’s gear system and made a foot design with more traction. The big foot design also maximized contact surface area with the ground and prevented slipping between rocks. Bigger feet also meant better stabilization, especially for the back part of our robot which was where most of the weight was distributed. Our robot ended up passing the rocks and hurdles obstacles successfully.
