Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #01641
To: michael.mcallister@worldnet.att.net, beam@corp.sgi.com
From: Gadagada@aol.com
Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 20:22:44 EST
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: springy walker
In a message dated 99-03-19 19:27:29 EST, michael.mcallister@worldnet.att.net
writes:
<< Anyway, I've also ordered some of those
electric pistons, compression, and tension springs from mondotronics
just to play with. I was thinking that I would try to incorporate them
into a 2 motor walker somehow but I can't think of how I would do it or
how they could add to the efficiency of the design. Any suggestions?
>>
I have some Raychem electric pistons, and they are great, however, I don't
think that they are very applicable for a walker. They are very strong, they
can lift over a pound vertically with only 5 volts of power. However, they
don't have a great cycle time. The SMA used in them takes awhile (about 30
sec.) to cool down and become pliable. They may be used in a slow moving,
battery powered walker, but the mechanics would be quite hard to build. Plain
old muscle wires are much better for small robotics, they have a much shorter
cycle time, and require alot less power to activate. Don't get me wrong,
those pistons were no waste of money, you just have to find the right app for
them. In fact, I just used a piston to acticate a "dust-off" aresol duster
which was strategically placed in the rear of a life sized cow sculpture. The
result, well, you can just guess
Gary
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