Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #00845
To: beam@corp.sgi.com
From: Evaristo Westplate evaristo@qctechnology.nl
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 11:33:57 +0100
Subject: [alt-beam] Turning a 2 motor walker - brainstorm mail
Hi,
The last few days I have been thinking about how to make a two motor walker
turn. Analyzing the walker, it seems impossible to make it turn left or
right. Different gaits won't work (as far as I can see) and only effects
speed and direction (forward/backwards). Turning the legs more CW (Clock
Wise) then CCW (Counter CW) result in flipping the walker on its side. My
conclusion is that it can't be done with two motors. Ofcourse you could
spin one of the motors which will drag the walker in a circle (this was
meantioned a while back on the list) but it will result quickly in a
flipped walker (timberrrrrrrr).
How to make the walker turn. One motor is used for lift so it can't be used
to turn it ( I have the walker configuration of Chiu-Yuan Fang in mind).
The other motor provides the push. Now if the legs could push more in one
direction then an other direction, the walker would turn as it moves. Hmmm
OK so lets look at three motors. Push, lift and turn. The third motor could
be mounted in the waist and rotate the front left or right. The walker will
probaly become a bit unstable will turning due to the shifted point of
gravity. Are there people have have made these types of walkers? If so, how
did it perform? Now if the legs could push more in one direction then an
other direction. What if the push is done using two motors? One motor for
the left side, the other for the right side. It could push more in one
direction then the other direction. Did somebody try this?
Would like to hear your thoughts and ideas about it.
See'ya
Evaristo
Gizmo homepage: http://www.crosswinds.net/amsterdam/~evaristo
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