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TheoBot

ercoerco Posts: 20,257
edited 2014-03-30 08:05 in Robotics
Hacking an Ebay China $10 Theo Jansen "Strandbeest" kit into a differential-drive walker using continuous rotation servos. Same 9g servo & CR mods used in Spike: http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/151632

Coupling one crankshaft to its servo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSADSBj-xrQ

Legs on one side powered by a servo tester: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq4AbO_xZu8

My favorite serendipitous discovery is that after installing both servos and extending the chassis the requisite length, the resulting center gap is sized perfectly for my favorite 15-cent 5cm x 7cm perfboard: http://www.ebay.com/itm/261340136969

Now I just have to decide what new feature to build into this bot. I'm bored with fire, lasers, & rubber band shooters. What's a bot to do?

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Comments

  • ajwardajward Posts: 1,130
    edited 2014-02-16 00:55
    Rockets? :lol:

    @
  • GarethGareth Posts: 278
    edited 2014-02-16 01:08
    Good Luck with the Project
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  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2014-02-16 15:04
    What's a bot to do?
    Gattling Gun????
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2014-02-16 15:55
    Rockets.

    Gattling gun.

    Now you cats are starting to tickle my building bone...

    Not sure that Theo would be on board with these less-than-green solutions, but I like them. I like them very much.

    How's about a starfire space cannon? http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/153782-starfire-space-cannon
  • RforbesRforbes Posts: 281
    edited 2014-02-16 16:53
    Perhaps a mini-marshmallow launcher? Who doesn't love to get popped in the eye with a mini-marshmallow? :-D
  • rjo__rjo__ Posts: 2,114
    edited 2014-02-16 18:33
    ice skates
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2014-02-16 19:45
    Rforbes wrote: »
    Perhaps a mini-marshmallow launcher? Who doesn't love to get popped in the eye with a mini-marshmallow? :-D

    Maybe a flaming marshmallow...
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2014-02-17 04:00
    That gap between the right and left sides would be an ideal location for line following sensors. So a walking line following robot is one possibility.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2014-02-17 08:41
    My 4-year old suggested a fun pyrotechnic feature I haven't seen on a bot yet. "Out of the mouths of babes..."

    Should be able to pull it off for Saturday's robot show. Will advise and Youtube.
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2014-02-17 08:51
    erco wrote: »
    "fun pyrotechnic feature"

    Like father, like daughter......chipette of the old block, etc, etc. :lol:

    Well done!!
  • NikosGNikosG Posts: 705
    edited 2014-02-17 09:34
    Make it to draw the footprint of its movement leaving a small candy (m&m’s) every 10 cm .
    Will definitely like to the children!
    Put a small can in the middle gap and use another mini servo to control the port that will leave the m&m’s . You can also control the motor with voice using a microphone or sound sensor.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2014-02-17 13:24
    NikosG wrote: »
    Make it to draw the footprint of its movement leaving a small candy (m&m’s) every 10 cm .
    Will definitely like to the children!

    Sort of a Pied Piperbot... how to lure all the kiddies away from the village. Fun, yet troubling! :)
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2014-02-21 22:01
    Slapped her together just in time for tomorrow's demo at LARC. Theo's linkage is just as mesmerizing to watch in motion as a mecanum bot.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2014-02-26 08:37
    Gesture control with a Sharp IR sensor is pretty engaging, my kids like it. Would work as well on a BoeBot or Activity bot. Put the power in your hands!
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2014-02-28 18:32
    Great project. I can't believe how efficient that mechanism is.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2014-02-28 20:25
    Whit wrote: »
    I can't believe how efficient that mechanism is.

    It is a great mechanism, full props to Theo Jansen. The fact that it runs as fast and smoothly as it does on little 9 gram servos is a testament to its walking efficiency. So get one, Whit! Or maybe I'll order one for you since I still owe you for a certain box of goodies you mailed me a while back. :)
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2014-03-06 08:26
    Not as cool as TheoBot but I thought it was interesting that HexBug chose the Theo Jansen "Strandbeest"as a model for their new Strandbeast.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2014-03-06 16:44
    Very cool, Rick, I had not seen that. Couldn't get the video to load off the Hexbug site, but I found this on Youtube:
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2014-03-08 21:59
    Interesting that the Hexbug Strandbeast has 4 legs per side versus Theobot's 6 legs per side. Might be less stable with 4, unless they somehow synchronize the two sides to phase them properly.

    Also interesting that both Strandbeast and Spider now come in regular and supersized versions.
  • GarethGareth Posts: 278
    edited 2014-03-09 04:24
    erco wrote: »
    regular and supersized versions.
    ....
    StrandBeastGareth.png

    FYI :- The original Theo Strandbeast chassis (the one you have, and the one behind left in my picture above) was attached as a self build kit to an edition of "Otona no Kagaku" a Japanese magazine printed by Gakken, it was a very successful edition as they did follow up articles....

    Err..A Long story cut short....
    The SchneeBeest behind right is my old robot pal which Gakken requested to snap a few pictures and then let it travel to a Theo exhibition in Japan....as a thank you they sent me back their second iteration (front beast in picture) of the Strandbeast which is almost a smaller clone of the Steel Rhinoceros Theo designed.
    No i have not hacked it yet.
    Yes its a solid build...
    My calculations indicate that it would hold and carry the weight of a S2 chassis...
    Regards G
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  • varnonvarnon Posts: 184
    edited 2014-03-09 13:07
    I think the Jenen linkage needs 3 legs to replace a wheel (keep a point on the ground at all times). Klann linkage needs 2 legs to replace a wheel. I have seen some Jensen linkage bots that are a wobbly with only 4 legs per side, but the hexbugs strandbeest looks pretty solid. The hexbugs strandbeest looks pretty solid. I might get the larger version. I'm really surprised their aren't more leg linkage robot platforms. When I get around to making a robot, I want a Jensen or Klann linage robot.
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2014-03-28 18:47
    Great article in Servo, erco!
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2014-03-29 01:14
    Thanks, I haven't seen it yet. I hope Lindsey got her photo in! :)

    Edit: I just saw Lindsey's pic online in the TOC at http://servo.texterity.com/servo/201404/m3/Page.action?lm=1395213387000&pg=5

    Amy's pic with Spiderbot was in the previous issue's TOC. Phew! The twins are happy now that the balance of the universe has been restored. Both photos attached here. Thank goodness they got their mom's good looks.

    It's a pleasure to be in the same issue with Gordon and David from this forum, plus Dave Prochnow and his Lego EV3 article. I have his 1987 Tab book "Chip Talk" about speech synthesis. I'm clearly the low man on this totem pole.
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  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2014-03-30 07:55
    The online Servo article is mostly viewable on my Kindle, but not my Win8 PC. Even without a subscription. Just curious if anybody else sees it. I can flip through about 3 pages before it says to subscribe for more. Then type in a new URL and view more.

    http://servo.texterity.com/servo/201404/m3/Page.action?lm=1395213387000&pg=53

    And thumbnails links to every page:

    http://servo.texterity.com/servo/201404/m3/PageContent.action?lm=1395213387000
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2014-03-30 08:02
    erco wrote: »
    Thank goodness they got their mom's good looks.

    Armed with mom's good looks and your penchant for robots and tinkering, there's no stopping those two!!
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2014-03-30 08:05
    erco wrote: »
    The online Servo article is mostly viewable on my Kindle, but not my Win8 PC. Even without a subscription. Just curious if anybody else sees it. I can flip through about 3 pages before it says to subscribe for more. Then type in a new URL and view more.

    http://servo.texterity.com/servo/201404/m3/Page.action?lm=1395213387000&pg=53

    And thumbnails links to every page:

    http://servo.texterity.com/servo/201404/m3/PageContent.action?lm=1395213387000

    I see similar results - you get a couple pages and then it wants you to subscribe. Win7 and Firefox here.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    I'm going to hear Theo give a talk at JPL on Thursday. Never been to JPL, this should be interesting.

    Flyer attached.
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  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    Jealous! Jealous! Jealous!

    So green with envy... Oh! Back to the S3 work!
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    What a great evening! Went to Theo's talk at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Got to chat for a few minutes afterward, he played with my Theobot and autographed a copy of my Theobot article in SERVO magazine!



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  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    Wow, what a coup! Congratulations!

    -Phil
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