College Project

Community General Discussions
1

Hello all,

I am looking at building a robot for a college project.
So I ideally want to build a hexapod robot but the project needs to have a real life application, so first question is where would people see hexapods being used in the real world?
Second question, do you feel a hexapod is a better project over say a rover or track driven robot?
And finally because I have started researching into the topic, I’ve been playing about with inverse kinematics now 3 dof I can find plenty of information over the web relating to it and how to workout the formulas, but I’m interested in 4 dof legs but struggling to find information regarding formula can anyone one help me with this please.

Final part is as I’m a student and on a budget, I have some parts that I have sitting around form previous projects, they include raspberry pi, Arduino mega 2560, pca9865, 10x mg996r servos, are these bits usable?
And as for the pca9865 I don’t see much information or projects with people using them is there a reason for this?

Thanks in advance

2

Hi @RickyBurton

That’s nice! Hexapods are certainly one of the coolest looking robots, and they have their advantages over wheeled robots like being able to go through really uneven terrain. There are a few applications I can think of, like exploring dense forest terrain where drones and wheeled robots wouldn’t perform the best or delivering fragile packages since they’re very stable, there are lots of industrial applications too like the Stewart platform.

The things is, hexapods are kinematically complex which means they are hard to control, but if you are up for the challenge that is great. I found a blog you will probably find interesting because they talk about the leg kinematics and other interesting things https://hexyrobot.wordpress.com

Also, consider it might not be the best option since you are on a budget. You have some things already that could be useful for your project though. If what I said makes you reconsider your choice, maybe you could find some inspiration for your project in the Robots section too https://community.robotshop.com/robots

I hope that information helps you and it would be great if you can share your project here too :grinning:

3 Likes
3

Hi @geraldinebc15,

Thanks for the reply, never considered the stability side of it, I’m thinking maybe a fully autonomous bot, either like you said or possibly off world moon or mars exploration, not that It will ever see it, it’s just got to be applied to a application.
As for the inverse kinematics I think I have that sorted now, I’m just implementing it into Excel to test.

4

A fully autonomous space hexapod? haha you definitely like challenges :smile:

And yes, stability is one of the best features of hexapods and now that you mentioned that application I think it could be useful for ground explorations in those challenging terrains.

There is no doubt that it would be an incredible project, but given the fact that is such a harsh environment, you will need to take some considerations for your design. I found an article that talks about these requirements, you can check it here, but since I already read it I can give you an overview:

  • Advanced Locomotion: the capability to move safely on the surface no matter of its configuration is needed to ensure robust evolution of the on ground operations and to enhance the science feasibility; very harsh environment such as craters, caves, highly sloped regions, typically scientifically very important, can be reached. Adaptable and flexible wheels, legs, tethered systems, rolling elements and bladed wheels are intended to be advanced locomotion solutions.
  • Long range mobility including 1) aerial vehicles, and 2) surface robots, capable to support and adapt to long range transfers… Both aerial vehicles and advanced surface robots require long durability/high energetic efficiency, advanced materials for mechanisms and actuators, fusion of multiple sensors to accurately perceiving the environment for navigation, control, decision making. Advanced surface robots must implement alternative locomotion concepts based on legs and/or poly-articulated wheels to access difficult environment such as steep slopes and terrains cluttered with obstacles.
  • Advanced sensing: Harsh and unknown planetary environments include shadowed/dark areas (i.e. craters and caves), and highly dusty regions (i.e. Mars, Moon surfaces). There is a need for sensor kits capable to support robotic exploration in these demanding environments.
  • Energy Efficiency: The more challenging requirement to the robotics for surface exploration relates to energy availability, both in terms of amount and duration. New and more efficient energy generators are needed together with multi-functional mechanisms capable to store and recover energy losses. These technological enhancements are fundamental to relax the strong constraints imposed by the on-board power availability on exploration of very demanding areas (i.e. cold traps, dark regions). Smart materials which can change their structure thanks to adaptable parameters, may represent a valid solution to reduce the power demand from the on-board mechanism, and to differently solve some of the actuation tasks on board.

I guess you wouldn’t actually have to implement such things, but it is good to keep that in mind and mention it if you decide to take that road.

Anyways, I’m sure your project will turn out great and if you do build the space hexapod please share it, it would certainly be worthy of the Robot of the Month :robot: