Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #06572
To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: SG Sparkyg@seark.net
Date: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 20:26:16 -0400
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Reversing walkers
From Experience, I have to agree....
My walker walks straight as an arrow but in reverse it changes a bit.
only hits an obstical two times, maybe three if the object is large, like a
wall.
At 03:06 PM 10/9/99 -0700, you wrote:
>The moment the walker reverses is not synchronized with the forward leg
motion
>and as a result the some turning will generally occur while reversing
before the
>legs center themselves. Similarly when switching back to forward motion
there is
>a high probability that the first few steps randomly steer away from the
original
>path.
>
>Saved by chaos!
>
>regards
>
>wilf
>
>JVernonM@aol.com wrote:
>
>> In a message dated 10/9/99 4:02:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
>> jester96beam@iname.com writes:
>>
>> > Ok, now I'm confused. What is so great about making a walker reverse
if it
>> > bumps into something? No, it's not that obvious to me, since when it
start
>> > going forward again, it would bump into the same thign.
>>
>> I've asked myself the same question.
>>
>> > Ian has a schematic of an "almost complete walker" that can reverse. Doe
>> it
>> > turn as it reverses or something?
>>
>> I don't think so. You can make a 2 motor walker turn in reverse by
making use
>> of an intentional imbalance, but it's tricky at best. If you noticed the
>> little walker Tilden built on the latest robot show, it reversed straight
>> back when hitting an object, but the reverse gate caused a slight drift to
>> the bots left. This would cause a walker to eventually get around
something,
>> but again, it's hit and miss. My point was only that my customized toy
walker
>> is as agile as the most complex two motor walker and it uses one motor.
>> Mechanics allow the thing to be as capable as a walker with twice the
>> actuators. Just food for thought.
>>
>> > How would you make a 2 motor walker turn? I know you change the
center of
>> > the leg's gate (or something like that) but what would the circuit be
like
>> on
>> > a master/slave bicore walker to make it turn towards light?
>>
>> It's very difficult, and usually only slightly effective.
>>
>> > Another question - to make a walker solar powered, do you just use a PM1
>> SE
>> > and wire the output wires to the power leads of the walker?
>>
>> Yes, basically that's it.
>>
>>
>> See ya,
>> Jim
>> http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/8281/beamart.html
>
>
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