Alt-BEAM Archive

Message #03157



To: BEAM Mailing List beam@corp.sgi.com
From: Dennison dennlill@buffnet.net
Date: Mon, 10 May 1999 19:49:24 -0400
Subject: [alt-beam] Incapable robots-Give 'em feet.



content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable
content-type: text/plain;

You know, I was playing with another walker today, and I contemplated how f=
ragile and incapable this walking robot really was. Think about it. Our two=
motor, and even five motor walkers work just fine on a nice smooth surface=
, even better on a slightly texturized rubber one, but they can't really pe=
rform that well anywhere else. Sure a walker can strut down the driveway, b=
ut can it walk through your grass? I think not. =


Think about it, our bot's are more or less built from insect designs, and a=
s a result work great. But there are no insects the size of our walkers. In=
sect locomotion stops being a very effective method of locomotion when you =
get to squirrl size. We of course run into the time old problem of volume b=
eing a cubic function, and lets face it, legs don't exaclty 'drag' well in =
the grass. =


To this I have a few suggestions for building more capable robots. Make the=
m larger. With this increased size they will have greater weight (A nessesi=
ty for nagivating grass and stuff). Give them Paws. All our robots are thes=
e things balanced on the ends of wire. Thats no good. These things need som=
e feet. With feet they wouldn't get so bogged down in Grass or sand. With f=
eet they are better balanced. The robot can stand on top of more stuff. (ki=
nda like snow shoes) and the legs won't get caught so much in every little =
nook and cranny.

Dennison


------------------------------------------------------------------------
eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/group/alt-beam
http://www.eGroups.com - Simplifying group communications


content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable
content-type: text/html;






lty =

'drag' well in the grass.
 

To this I have a few suggestions for bu=
ilding =

more capable robots. Make them larger. With this increased size they will h=
ave =

greater weight (A nessesity for nagivating grass and stuff). Give them Paws=
. All =

our robots are these things balanced on the ends of wire. Thats no good. Th=
ese =

things need some feet. With feet they wouldn't get so bogged down in Grass =
or =

sand. With feet they are better balanced. The robot can stand on top of mor=
e =

stuff. (kinda like snow shoes) and the legs won't get caught so much in eve=
ry =

little nook and cranny.

 

Dennison





eGroup home: http://www.e=">http://www.eGroups.com/group/alt-beam">http://www.e=
Groups.com/group/alt-beam

www.eGroups.com">http://www.eGroups.com">www.eGroups.com - Simplifying group =
communications



Home