Simple Design and materials Issues in Robot Design

1 .Mechanical Issues Your robot can be inexpensive

2 .Agenda Inexpensive robot for high schools Raw Materials Other Materials Fasteners Tools Safety & Maintenance Mechanical issues Motors Techniques Design Principles Other resources

3 .Your tasks Go to Home Depot Go to Goodwill Go to Army Surplus stores Go to Tektronix Country Store etc Find rotating components of all kinds Find linear actuation components of all kinds Is it good for a head? Is it good for a leg? Use of lamps – see in lab.

4 .Goal: Be able to build a simple robot with the tools and materials provided in the lab or purchased in Goodwill or Home Depot stores

5 .Raw Materials

6 .Raw Materials Pegboard Hardboard Baltic Birch Plywood Sheet Aluminum Polycarbonate Prototyping Foam

7 .Raw Materials: Pegboards

8 .Raw Materials: Hardboards

9 .Raw Materials: Baltic Birch Plywood

10 .Raw Materials: Sheet Aluminum

11 .Raw Materials Polycarbonate (1/8”, 1/4”) Looks really cool Not too hard to machine, unless it gets hot and softens 1/8 ” can be sheared and hand punched 1/4 ” can be cut using scroll saw and drilled Good for mounting gears

12 .Raw Materials Prototyping foam (2” blue foam) Large sheets available Good for bulky parts Cuts easily with hot knife Also can be sculpted with hot knife for interesting / irregular shapes

13 .Other materials Wooden dowels Hollow metal tubing Springs PVC pipe Foam pipe insulation Gears Others …

14 .Fasteners

15 .Fasteners

16 .Fasteners

17 .Fasteners Use washers!

18 .Fasteners Wood glue – best with wood screws for permanent joints. Make a solid piece out of multiple pieces When glue dries, stronger than the wood around it. Dry time is long, though Superglue – quick and dirty, or use with other fasteners for permanence

19 .Fasteners If you’re not sure how well a joint will work , use scrap and test it Testing mechanical parts is a good idea in general , just like software Design for assembly and re-assembly

20 .Tools

21 .Tools Scroll Saw Thin (1/4”) wood and polycarbonate only Makes curved cuts Don’t force the blade in any direction, medium pressure will cut No metal allowed!

22 .Tools Scroll Saw Thin (1/4”) wood and polycarbonate only Makes curved cuts Don’t force the blade in any direction, medium pressure will cut No metal allowed!

23 .Tools We used Mitre Saw for cutting thick aluminum for MCECSBOT

24 .TOOLS: Shear/ Brake We built complete robots and necks of lions with them

25 .TOOLS : punch

26 .Safety

27 .Safety

28 .Maintenance of the Laboratory

29 .Design Techniques for robot bodies