| Stair-Climbing Robots -- Design and Construction, Part 2 |
From "Robot Rivals"
episode DROB-106 |
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With the preliminary designs worked out, work gets fully underway on constructing the components of the robots. Activity Log: Louisiana Tech (Hours 3 - 4)
- Louis completes the motor assembly, and David mounts it to the wheelchair frame with clamps.
- Louis discovers that the motor assembly was mismeasured by 3/4th of an inch; however, he corrects the problem by using large nuts as spacers when reattaching the rear wheels.
- To keep their robot's weight forward, Nick mounts the batteries and speed controllers on the front of the wheelchair seat using velcro.
Activity Log: Southern Utah University (Hours 3 - 4)
- Utah modifies their design to incorporate the wheelchair into their robot. Instead of using a pneumatic air ram to lift the tank tracks up to the stairs, David mounts a large rear wheel onto the front of the robot.
- After David sets out all the necessary materials to complete their robot, Tracy begins cutting pieces of extruded aluminum for the wheel mount assembly.
- Jared fits the sprockets onto the motors by their keyways so that the shaft will not spin loosely inside the gear. He must carefully index the tightened chain to the sprocket's teeth so the keyway is in proper position when the sprocket is mounted.
Expert Corner Host Chris Chianelli discusses one of the most useful tools in construction of robots: the compound miter-saw. Robot building requires precision. Exact cuts and angles must be made to join extruded aluminum shafts and other parts. One of the most useful tools for making mitered cuts in aluminum isa compound miter saw -- aka, a "chop saw." This saw gets the "compound" of its name because it cuts angles on two different axes: on the horizontal axis and the vertical axis. Either can be set at any angle ranging from zero to 45 degrees. To achieve fine precision on the saw shown in our demonstaration, lasers mark two lines which correspond to the exact slice of metal that will be removed when the blade makes the cut. Safety Alert: Always wear safety glasses or other eye protection, and follow manufacturer's safety precautions, when operating any power tool.
RESOURCES :
Robot Builder's Bonanza
Model: 0071362967
Author: Gordon McComb
Build Your Own Robot!
Model: 1568811020
Author: Karl Lunt
Robots, Androids and Animatrons : 12 Incredible Projects You Can Build
Model: 0070328048
Author: John Iovine
Personal Robotics : Real Robots to Construct, Program, and Explore the World
Model: 156881089X
Author: Richard Raucci
Mobile Robots : Inspiration to Implementation
Model: 1568810970
Author: Joseph L. Jones, et al
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