please look at your email
please check your messages chench.
Wow
Wow… great job…
I am very interesting in how the hexapod is walking with the servo’s you are using. What is the total weight of the hexapod?
Fantastic!!!
Thanks for posting. This looks absolutely awesome! I’m new to microchips in general and robotics. My goal is get a hexapod running someday. I’m intimidated by the hardware and shell construction aspect. It’s great to see someone fashion a working model from materials I could work with. I love the design, including the ascetic angle of the “hips”. I can’t wait to see video.
I’m curious, would it be better to update the legs in sequence of body part rather than one leg at a time? I have absolutely no experience in this, so I’m just spit balling. I was thinking, update hip angles, then knees, then hip rotations??
I am curious about what I’ll run into in terms of speed of update. I would plan on bit banging the PWM signals directly, dividing the timings by 18. Thoughts?
Again, thanks. This has given me great ideas as well as hope that I can build a hexapod within my budget.
Edit
Feel like a fool. I meant “aesthetic” not ascetic. ( I’m a former monk, so forgive the slip ). :-)
Weight
I’m not too sure how much it weighs . . . I’d guess about 300-400g. The servo’s weren’t the limitation so much as getting the servos to move smoothly between calculated IK positions. However the guys at Pololu have said that they are working on a mode for their servo controller which should improve this, if and when I do more work on it.
Hey, I’m glad you like it. I
Hey, I’m glad you like it. I started off hacking it out of plywood with a view to getting it made from aluminium or plastic later, but the wood does just fine and didn’t cost me a penny.
I don’t think the speed of updating the servos is really the problem now, the IK code runs pretty fast on the phone. The best thing to do would be to control the servo’s speed as well as position, which would be a pretty easy addition to the code. However, the Pololu guys are bringing out a feature which should make this even easier. I’m busy with uni and all that entails just now so I’m not sure when I’ll get back to it. Good luck with your project.
UBEC?
This is a great little hexapod and like everyone else I would love to see a video.
Thinking about building something similar for a Uni project, there is just one thing im not sure on though.
Im assuming you are using a UBEC to step down the Lipo voltage, what current is the UBEC rated for? I know they are small servos, but im guessing ~20 of them holding position or moving at the same time would draw quite a bit of current.
If anyone else has any idea about this let me know. I want to order one asap, but I want to be sure to order one that can handle the current.
wow awesome
guess humans are the first ones to make 6 legged spiders 
by the way i think covering the bottom of the legs with some rubbery material would improve the grip thus enchancing movement
Cheers!
DTB
Revisited
I’ve decided it’s high time I got on with this project. Over the last few evenings I’ve made some enhancements to the code.
Instead of just sending the servo positions to the Maestro I’m now also sending a speed values, which is calculated so the servos arrive in at their position just as the new positions are received. This is a lot smoother than my old approach of just sending as many positions as possible, and it also means I can run the inverse kinematics functions less frequently.
Also I’m getting into using the object orientated side of programming, which will make it a lot easier to update the speed, direction etc. of the robot from different parts of the code. This has been a major problem so far whenever I’ve tried to write autonomous functions.
I’ll try and get some new pictures taken soon, the hexapod now has double femur parts and a tail section for holding the battery and voltage regulator, freeing up space in the body. Maybe a video too if I get a decent navigation function working 
Love the hexapod
Great job -
I’ve used these 9g Mini servos on my simple hex walker (see Simple hexapod walker https://www.robotshop.com/letsmakerobots/node/26783 ). I’ve found they’re fine - there seem to be 2 varieties, a 2.2 Kilo Torq one(which I used ) and a 1.8Kilo torque. It’s scuttles around fine as you can see on the video on only 3 Servos, so spreading your load between 12 (even assuming only 6 in ground contact) I’m guessing you’ll be fine. I love it when people solve a problem rather than just throw cash at it !
I’m working on a similar design myself, but not got this far (slightly different issues with mine, but that’s for another posting) - oinly a a 12 Servo model (intending like you to expand to 18 and more) - my other 'bot was a bit of a diversion for a few quick results. I’m using standard servos for this one, as I’m using a lot of Aluminium, but I think you’ll be fine. I do find the little servos are just as greedy for power as their grown- up versions.
Would be interested in understanding inverse kinematics - not a subject I’ve ever looked at until now - if you have some tips I’d be greatful !
Just love the 'bot - looking forward to the video
Hi
Hey I saw your bot! It looks cool, I built the same three servo hexapod design as my ‘start here’ robot. It was pretty haphazard, just bits of wood glued together with chunks of lego and other stuff holding it together. It walked pretty well though, and the ease of only three servos was great, a lot easier to concentrate on doing interesting stuff.
As you get up to 18 servos it makes more sense to use IK as it makes adding new gaits etc. easy, while also allowing cool stuff like body rotations, variable speeds, variable walking direction and so on. There’s quite a bit of stuff online.
I kind of wish I’d gone for cheap standard size servos, for a couple of quid extra per servo I’d have a much bigger platform that could lug extra batteries and sensors, along with the smartphone doing the calcs. Maybe when I get this one really dialled in I’ll invest in bigger brother bot!
Wow
This thing looks SO cool when viewed from the front!
Big up!
very good
Well, this one might be a candidate for my next project. I wonder when we can see a video 
It’s a very good design and I am looking forward to see it running…
Wow !
Very impressive robot at an incredibly low cost !
I would also be curious to have a look at your code
Congratulations !
I’m so happy to see this bot lives on
I found this nifty project not too long ago while I had some free time to kill. I was dismayed at the timestamp of the last update but I see there was nothing to worry about
Not quite dead yet! There is
Not quite dead yet! There is nothing like impending exams to re-motivate yourself on stalled projects
Strapped on a wireless
Strapped on a wireless camera, interfaced the project with the Roborealm API and got line following and object tracking working. A good morning’s work methinks!
Your hexapod looks so
Your hexapod looks so cool!
Can I ask you some questions?
The attachment is the source code for the app running in windows mobiles cellphone to control the Mini Maestro (which controls all 18 servos)? am i right?
Where is the cellphone in the video clip? is it hidden in the “tail” of the hexapod? Or you controlled the hexapod via bluetooth (i.e. you have to have an uC receiving the commands from the cellphone to control the Mini Maestro).
I’m a newbie in LMR. ^_^
Your hexapod looks so cool!
Your hexapod looks so cool! Can I ask you some questions? The attachment is the source code for the app running in windows mobiles cellphone to control the Mini Maestro (which controls all 18 servos)? am i right? Where is the cellphone in the video clip? is it hidden in the “tail” of the hexapod? Or you controlled the hexapod via bluetooth (i.e. you have to have an uC receiving the commands from the cellphone to control the Mini Maestro). I’m a newbie in LMR. ^_^
Hey, thanks! Yeah the
Hey, thanks!
Yeah the attached code runs on the phone. The phone wasn’t on/in the robot in the video, although the bot doesn’t have much trouble carrying it. The phone talks to the Maestro servo controller through a bluetooth link. There is no additional microcontroller needed to control the Maestro as it takes serial commands straight from the bluetooth module