Sep 14, 2015 | By Benedict
3D printing has been used to build many kinds of robot. We recently looked at the development of tiny 3D printed ‘microfish’ robots, which could be used to deliver drugs through the human bloodstream. Now, on a more familiar scale and for more entertaining purposes, one developer has built something rather different.
A 3D printing enthusiast going by the online handle of RegisHsu has developed an eerily lifelike ‘Spider Robot’ (with four legs), sharing its build instructions and 3D printing files via Instructables. Perhaps the internet will soon be filled with instructions for building one’s own Hal 9000 or C-3PO, but for now the likes of these four-legged machines make for compelling investigation.
The 3D-printed robot is the result of a year’s development, and is the fourth generation of the machine. RegisHsu has shared the robot’s evolutionary history on his blog. According to its creator, the quadruped robot operates through calculations to position servos and pre-programmed leg sequences. RegisHsu hopes that his design will be able to serve some educational purpose to those who attempt their own construction. The developer estimates a printing time of 7-8 hours to produce all of the 3D-printed pieces.
To build the ostensible Spider Robot oneself, one would need a 3D printer, soldering equipment, and the following items:
- 1x Arduino Pro Mini
- 1x DC-DC (12-5v/3A output)
- 1x HC-06 Bluetooth module (option)
- 12x SG90 servo (3DOF for 4 legs)
- 1x 3000mhA Li battery
- 1x 12V Jack
- 1x 680 Ohm 1/4 watt 5% Resistor
- 1x 3mm Blue LED
- 1x Tactile Switch
- 1x 5x7cm perfboard
- Some male and female pin headers
- Small gauge wire(Solid or Stranded)
After assembling and testing the main-board comes the 3D printing stage. The STL files for the robot are located here. RegisHsu suggests setting your 3D printer’s fill density to 35% to provide a reasonable degree of strength in the robot’s legs. After polishing the printed parts with sandpaper, the builder should assemble the robot’s body, before inserting the battery and then assembling the legs. Once the four legs have been integrated to the body, the servos should be connected to the main-board. Finally, once the legs have been calibrated and loose wires tidied up, the 3D-printed robot will be ready to go! The robot’s movements are customisable, and RegisHsu suggests adding other features and altering variables to produce more unusual movements. Building one of these 3D-printed robots might seem like a difficult task, but RegisHsu’s instructions are clear and thorough.
Although the 3D-printed robot has only half the requisite number of limbs to really be considered a ‘spider’, 3D-printed or otherwise, videos uploaded by its creator demonstrate an impressive range of moves. Credit must therefore be given to RegisHsu both for his high level of technical skill and for his generosity in sharing the robot’s blueprints. The pseudo-arachnid is programmed to stand up, step forward, step backward, turn in either direction, wave its hand, shake its hand, and sit down: movements that would put some real spiders to shame.
Although the demonstration video for the 3D-printed robot is light-hearted, showing the machine moving in time to music, the machine is impressive and demonstrates, on a small scale, the potential of 3D-printed robotics. For now however, this 3D-printed speaker could make a handy accompaniment to RegisHsu’s dancing spider robot.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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plz help me how to get this part
oshada dewmith wrote at 12/2/2017 4:25:50 PM:
how to gets part
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