Bendy robotic tank steers by flexing
James Bruton became a YouTube sensation by experimenting with unusual drive mechanisms for his robots. Although he does other things, most of his projects seem to focus on designing, building, and evaluating disc types that are well outside the norm. His new project is no different. It is a single-track tank vehicle that steers by bending its entire body.
Bruton came up with this idea after looking at how conveyor belts work. These belts, which tend to be a series of interconnected segments, are obviously flexible along their length, which is necessary for them to bend and re-loop. But they are also slightly flexible in the direction perpendicular to that which is needed for the conveyor belt to make a turn. Bruton figured that if he could bend a tank track the same way, he could turn the vehicle around without needing a second track.
To test this idea, Burton 3D printed almost the entire vehicle. This includes the track itself, which is made up of several interconnected rigid segments. There is just enough movement in the connections to allow one segment to sit at an angle to its neighbors. Conventional motors in the front and rear units spin the track and an Arduino Mega 2560 board controls them. Between the two units is a hinge that pivots horizontally. A linear actuator arm controls the angle between the front and rear units, forcing the track to bend.
Although the turning radius is huge, this vehicle can maneuver. It's not very good at overcoming obstacles, but that's more down to Bruton's design than the drive and steering system. This could be improved with additional design iterations, but this vehicle already proves that the concept works.
James Bruton became a YouTube sensation by experimenting with unusual drive mechanisms for his robots. Although he does other things, most of his projects seem to focus on designing, building, and evaluating disc types that are well outside the norm. His new project is no different. It is a single-track tank vehicle that steers by bending its entire body.
Bruton came up with this idea after looking at how conveyor belts work. These belts, which tend to be a series of interconnected segments, are obviously flexible along their length, which is necessary for them to bend and re-loop. But they are also slightly flexible in the direction perpendicular to that which is needed for the conveyor belt to make a turn. Bruton figured that if he could bend a tank track the same way, he could turn the vehicle around without needing a second track.
To test this idea, Burton 3D printed almost the entire vehicle. This includes the track itself, which is made up of several interconnected rigid segments. There is just enough movement in the connections to allow one segment to sit at an angle to its neighbors. Conventional motors in the front and rear units spin the track and an Arduino Mega 2560 board controls them. Between the two units is a hinge that pivots horizontally. A linear actuator arm controls the angle between the front and rear units, forcing the track to bend.
Although the turning radius is huge, this vehicle can maneuver. It's not very good at overcoming obstacles, but that's more down to Bruton's design than the drive and steering system. This could be improved with additional design iterations, but this vehicle already proves that the concept works.
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