HEXBUG Spider

This is the challenge in answering HEXbug product design product variants competitor products on the market. By applying the coordinates of the wheel 360 degrees on this robot and LEDs to the front of the eye made a six-legged creepy crawlers are interesting enough to operate and watch. 










Utilizing two-channel infrared remote control of inchworm HEXbug, to design a unique walking mechanism and the remainder is formed by rapid development. Here are some key steps and supporting drawings that document the development of Spider HEXbug.

Folded Robots

As the size of a robot decreases, the ratio of its surface area to its volume increases. Because the mass of a robot is proportional to its volume, the increase in this ratio means that surface forces (electrostatic attraction, for example) become large compared to inertial forces. So, as robots (and machines in general) become smaller, friction in their moving parts can become a major source of energy loss, wear, and unpredictable behavior. In the Biomimetic Millisystems lab, we have developed a process called "Smart Composite Microstructures" (SCM) that enables us to build small, strong, lightweight, robots and structures whose ability to move comes from bending of compliant polymer hinges that connect rigid links made from carbon fiber and other composites. These structures are made as single flat pieces and are folded up to form more complicated shapes and linkages. They can also be integrated with smart actuators like piezoelectrics and shape memory alloy to provide motion.

 

DASH 16 gram Hexapedal Robo

Using compliant fiber board as structural material, and a single main driver motor, the DASH robot is capable of 15 body lengths per second on flat surfaces. The structure is resilient and survives ground impact at terminal velocity of 10 meters per second.
DASH: A Dynamic 15g Hexapedal Robot.

The RoACH Robot

In the Biomimetic Millisystems Lab we have combined our expertise in building millirobots with an interest in legged systems to build what we believe is the smallest untethered, legged robot to date - a 2.5 gram legged robot called the Robotic Autonomous Crawling Hexapod (RoACH). This robot makes use of the Smart Composite Microstructures fabrication process and integrated shape memory alloy (SMA) wire actuators. All power, control, and communication electronics are carried onboard and the entire robot is powered with a 20maHr Lithium-polymer battery from the Full River corporation.

ATHLETE Rover

The All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (ATHLETE) vehicle concept is based on six 6 DoF (Degrees-of-Freedom) limbs, each with a 1 DoF wheel attached. ATHLETE uses its wheels for efficient driving over stable, gently rolling terrain, but each limb can also be used as a general purpose leg. In the latter case, wheels can be locked and used as feet to walk out of excessively soft, obstacle laden, steep, or otherwise extreme terrain. ATHLETE is envisioned as a heavy-lift utility vehicle to support human exploration of the lunar surface, useful for unloading bulky cargo from stationary landers and transporting it long distances.

To demonstrate this concept, several prototype vehicles have been developed for testing at JPL. The first generation ATHLETE prototype is 2.75m wide, has a maximum standing height of just over 2m, a mass of approximately 850 kg, and maximum payload carrying capacity of 300 kg in Earth gravity. Two identical prototypes were constructed in 2005 and one of these is still operational.

The second generation ATHLETE prototype was constructed in 2009 and is implemented as a coordinated system of two Tri-ATHLETEs, fully independent three-limbed robots. This innovation allows a straightforward cargo handling strategy: two Tri-ATHLETEs dock to opposite sides of a cargo pallet to form a six-limbed symmetrical vehicle, work together to move and emplace the cargo, then undock and depart. This strategy provides all the advantages of the six-limbed concept for cargo or habitat transport with the additional benefits of flexibility and modularity. The second generation prototype is designed to demonstrate cargo handling at one half the anticipated lunar scale. The robot stands to a maximum height of just over 4m, and has a payload capacity of 450 kg in Earth gravity.

A side benefit of the wheel-on-limb approach is that each limb has sufficient degrees-of-freedom for use as a general-purpose manipulator (hence the name "limb" instead of "leg"). The prototype ATHLETE vehicles have quick-disconnect end effector adapters on the limbs that allow tools to be drawn out of a "tool belt" and maneuvered by the limb. Mechanical action of the wheel rotation also actuates the tools, so that they can take advantage of the one horsepower motor usually used for driving to instead enable drilling, gripping or other power-tool functions.

Since the vehicle has an alternative walking mode to traverse through extreme terrain, the wheels and wheel actuators can be sized for nominal, rather than worst-case obstacle climbing. There are substantial mass savings in the wheels and wheel actuators associated with designing for nominal instead of extreme terrain. The mass savings is great than the extra mass associated with the articulated limbs. As a result, the entire mobility system, including wheels and limbs, can be lighter than a conventional mobility chassis for planetary exploration.

  ATHLETE is being developed by JPL as part of the  Human-Robot Systems (HRS) Project managed by the Johnson Space Center (NASA JSC). HRS is one of several projects funded by the NASA Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP) that is developing new technology in support of human exploration.