The Hexapod:
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/SDC12357.jpg
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/SDC12359.jpg
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/SDC12360.jpg
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/SDC12361.jpg
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/SDC12362.jpg
The Sphere and Hex
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/SDC12364.jpg
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/SDC12366.jpg
Hi Jonny,
That’s a quick build! 
4DOF and it still doesn’t look to big. Sorry if I missed it, but what’s the diameter of the sphere?
Just a little question. What part are you planning on walking on? are the metal legs touching the ground or the sphere? I think the sphere need some reinforcement if you are planning on walking on that part.
Keep up the good work!
Xan
400mm OD. the ID on this is 350mm.
i plan to have the legs in contact with the ground. the poly ball wouldn’t have the strength as you say. the tips of the legs will be tucked in the bottom of the sphere, and once the legs lift up and out of the bottom they will fold out.
i plan to divide the ball up in to 8 parts.
6 segments for the legs,
1 top section as shown in my first post,
and 1 small bottom section.
once i have worked out a few more things i will sketch it up.
i plan to add a disk shaped carrier that will sit in the bottom of the sphere that will house the electronics and battery. i have added a tube on the bottom of the hexapod that will attach to the disk so the hexapod body i slightly raised. i then plan to add another tube to the top of the hexapod that will join to the top of the sphere, holding it all together. ill explain more later. 
The Sphere has been marked up and is ready to be divided up into its sections.
ISO:
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/SDC12375.jpg
Front
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/SDC12377.jpg
Side
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/SDC12376.jpg
ISO
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/SDC12378.jpg
I can already see that i may have a few problems with this.
First i feel the Sections are bigger than expected. they may conflict with each other too much.
**
Second** i would have liked the bottom (foot) to end at a point and not as shown.
The hexapods tars will protrude out beyond the Polystyrene by about an inch so i know this wont effect the feet’s contact with the ground but for cosmetic reason i wish they were pointed.
ok while i just popped out for a cigarette i had a piece of polystyrene in my hand, and i had put the hot end of my cigarette close to the poly block. as expected it melted a nice clean indent into the block. this sparked an idea…
it looked like it would when you counter sink a screw head.
so i when back in and began to put a length of threaded rod through the block at the indent. i then place a small nut to the end and pulled the rod though.
i have now got a way to fix the poly to the hexapod. the “counter sunk” nut looks good and the rod allows for a good strong hold through the block!
camera phone pic again… sorry no focus.
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/Image054.jpg
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/Image053.jpg
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/Image055.jpg
Wired up. the bottom disk seems to be a nice way to hold all the electronics and battery.
it will keep the hexapod stable inside the sphere and will help keep the sphere the right way up.
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/Image058.jpg
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/Image056.jpg
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/Image057.jpg
i have mounted the battery and power switches on the bottom. here i will cut out a small hole to allow for these switches to be used while ball is closed. the hole will be about 2.5 - 3 inches wide.
Hi Jonny,
Great work! You are making great progress on this. It will be fun to watch it when it really starts to “hatch”
Kurt
thanks Kurt, well i started cutting the sphere this morning. only the left side at the moment. will cut the rest maybe to night.
i still have to get the inner frame made up for strength. would be nice to use plastic as the segments are so delicate. not sure when i will get round to testing the code before i start putting it together.
This is an incredible project. Can’t wait to see it progress.
unbelievably Zenta is also working on a similar project. now i cant wait to see that!!
UPDATE:
Bargain bonanza… i have a new Sphere!
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/Image007.jpg
400mm diameter with 394mm ID
Plastic -* check*
3mm -* check*
Transparent - *well misted but that will do! *
Ref to size:
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/Image009.jpg
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/Image010.jpg
there is already a hole of 116mm on the bottom. this will be fine and will still work as i first intended. by having the switched located there the sphere will remain seamless.
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/Image011.jpg
im not sure if i will be changing the segment design. i will think more about this and see what i come up with. charging my batterys tonight so maybe tomorrow if i get time i will program the hex and see what needs to be changed and added.
for fun i also placed some blue LEDs inside. the whole thing lit up. now that one big Christmas decoration! lol
Great progress Jonny!
Wow, thats a big ball! You’ll probably get a much better result with this one. One of my challenges is to find a way to mount the sphere parts to the leg segments, the ideal solution should be easy to fine-adjust and easy to mount/remove. I think you’ll need to extend the legs a lot to make enough space for walking if each leg holds 60 deg of the sphere.
Your approach with the 4-DOF T-Hex design looks very familiar with one of my previous sketches . I like how you are placing the electronics and battery, keeping the COG low and make the ball/sphere self-balance in the correct orientation.
Thanks for sharing your project!
EDIT:
I remember when you posted this thread: lynxmotion.net/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=6749, I was thinking: “Can he really be thinking about the same project idea?..no way…”
Yeah, you did… 
Hi Jonny,
Where do you find a sphere like that? No plans, just curious. (Too many projects already).
Alan KM6VV
i managed to come to a solution when using the Polyball but now i have plastic i feel my options have widened. 
when i get a good solution ill post it here.
yes, i would like to have the switched on the top but im going for the seamless look.
lol. strange. yes that part seemed to be the only way i could get the coxas at a nice distance from each other. works rather well IMO.
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/Image014.jpg
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/Image012.jpg
Kinda luck really. i txt my electrician friend who had it sitting in his van from a job that he never got round to.
http://www.worldofstock.com/slides/TAU5327.jpg
i owe him a drink i think.
one solution maybe?
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/SDC12379.jpg
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/SDC12384.jpg
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/innerbreed/SDC12386.jpg
Yeah, I’ve been thinking about similar but I don’t like having the bolts visible from the outside, or having any bolts through the sphere parts at all. I’m thinking of gluing the mount parts on the inside, somehow… 
yes i know what you mean. been thinking all day. although if i go for the metallic rusted look by spraying it, then the bolts would make a nice addition. but yes a flush, clean finish is better.
any pictures yet? how did you get on cutting the globe?
I have cut out 6 of 12 equally parts at the moment. And I’m waiting for some more parts. The main body are still under construction, so you’ve to be a bit more patient.
I’m using a very simple tool to cut them out, don’t know the name. It look like this:
http://www.clasohlson.no/Archive/Images/Products/Hi/309188_X_2008-07-07_151714_950.jpg
Thats a Mini Hacksaw. thats what i have.
