Live Robot Hack Session
Jeremie

Astro Boy Live Hack....Back in Action!

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*****Sorry had to move the time back a bit, supper came late*************

Astro Boy Live Hack (Part 5)

The eighties Astro Boy cartoon was likely the majority of the inspiration that got me into robotics. The whole concept of a child-like robot super hero really intrigued me. The story also had a very emotional back story that had me hooked. While I don't plan on replacing my own children with robots I do think it'd be fun to create my own version of Astro:D

The AtomicPi SBC will be the brain of Astro, which is quite fitting since Astro is also known as Atom Boy (and Mighty Atom). The AtomicPi runs windows 10 so many of the features of ARC/EZ-builder can be used to create a fully featured Astro Boy with audio input/output, camera, and AI.

In the last 4 Astro live hacks I've designed the robot's frame in TinkerCAD: feet, shins, upper legs, hip section, and chest. Since the chest had to grow to allow room for the AtomicPi the rest of the body parts will have to scale up as well. This week I'll be scaling up the 3D design in TinkerCAD and 3D printing the changes.

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#1  
Thanks for keeping the torch burning! I love your work. Astro Boy was cutting edge. 

After this very cool hack on an iconic toy is there anything you can do on Jonny Quest? That one eyed spider really creeped me out when I was a kid.
PRO
Canada
#2  
That Jonny Quest Robot spy is definitely pretty creepy still. Sorry Dave, I don't have much of a personal attachment to that robot but maybe someone else in our community could pick it up as their pet project :D.
Canada
#3  
@Jeremie  OH NO not a 6 Foot Astro Boy.  or is that Astro Man?  Dave, Jer does not want to make a one eyed spider robot, but I know you can do it.  after all it only has one eye, easier to animate, but 8 Legs You will have to get advice from Will.
PRO
Canada
#4  
@Nallycat Naw, Astro is only going to be 18-20 inches tall.
Canada
#5  
@Jeremie I was just fooling.  But I think you should lean towards 25 inches, more room to fit things in. larger feet for more stability.  just more of a Robot, not as much as a toy.  How tall was the animated Astro Boy supposed to be.  make it that tall.
PRO
Canada
#6  
@Nallycat Whoops, didn't catch that sorry, lol. The animated version of Astro was always the size of a 8-10 year old boy, probably 4 foot something, that's a bit too tall for me. I would also have a hard time getting the parts to fit on the 3D printers. I'd like to keep him as small as I can because the weight starts getting too heavy for the ez-robot HDD servos if I go too big.
Canada
#7  
@Jeremie Thanks for your answer, most members of synthiam don't answer my posts.  do you have some foam left from the 6 foot DJ, that can be sculpted with a electric knife and made into a Astro Boy shape, if you use larger servos.  a 25 to  30 inch astro boy would not need gearing maybe the legs.   it would look so cool.  you could thin fiberglass the foam parts. and then use solvent to melt the foam making the parts hollow.  No rubber skin.  just thinking.
PRO
Canada
#8  
@Nallycat Not a bad idea! Foam would likely be a great answer to the weight and shape problems. I would likely head that direction but one of my goals, I don't think I mentioned it anywhere yet, is that I would like Astro to be able to be shareable (open sourced) in order that other people could build him too if they so desired.
Canada
#9  
JER JER JER my Inmoov robots are 6 ft tall and made on a standard 3d printer. just take the tallest part maybe the foot to the knee and standing on the printer how tall would a standard printer accept. almost all accept 200mm to 220mm on Z height which is around 7 inches that still makes a taller robot then make the parts a shell and hollow the shape of Astro.  a better cad program example there a lot of these https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1VSNE_enCA671CA671&sxsrf=ALeKk00PjSApntTjbgOPRNrRxcimBLb18Q%3A1582830723040&ei=gxRYXoOIAsTF0PEPzOiFaA&q=how+to+make+an+object+from+a+drawing&oq=how+to+make+an+object+from+a+drawing&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i22i30.47915.58400..59785...1.1..0.289.5492.0j35j2....2..0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j35i39j0i273i395j0i131j0j0i67j0i273j0i395j33i22i29i30.lpSF0gxNtJw&ved=0ahUKEwjD1fH3t_LnAhXEIjQIHUx0AQ0Q4dUDCAs&uact=5#kpvalbx=_wBRYXpviBZWy0PEPreSyoAU72
Canada
#10  
LOL! I think only the really crazy robot builders like me will want to build them 6 foot tall.I have my cylon right now at 5 foot tall which is still managable in my small apartment. Like If main batteries are removed I can still pick it up and set it on table to work on. I have 1 more body part that goes on after it is outside in the summer which brings it taller than me at 6 foot. At that point it is too difficult to pick up,it must drive itself around.All aluminum hard shell but it comes apart when I want to bring it back inside. Anyway I guess we are the crazy hard core builders!
Canada
#11  
@robo rad even at 6 feet an inmoov robot is still managable,  they are not very heavy and parts are easy to remove and work on, My Inmoov does not have legs so he is only 3 feet actually, I was not suggesting to build astro boy any taller then 25 inches to 30 inches.  this is more then small enough for 3d printers today 200mm x 200mm by 220mm.  easier to fit everything in and it can be built as a 3d object with programs like I listed above that can make a 3d object from line drawings.  better then the one Jer is using.  as you will not need rubber skin.
PRO
Belgium
#12  
i was thinking the other day no live hacks anymore. but now your back .
lookin forwart to see you in action again.love the way you handle TC.
Canada
#14  
@Jeremie  I was just watching the Archived Video, as last night when you changed the time I fell asleep,  Great that you are making Astro Boy bigger but now have you considered the weight increase, the servos for the leg joints may not be powerfull enough.   scalled the parts up but that makes the walls to thick adding to much weight.  Just my view, but you should think about power ro weight before you go to far in the design.
PRO
Synthiam
#15  
I don’t think the weight will make a difference. Because the walking movement is mostly pendulum.
PRO
Canada
#16   — Edited
As I found with Voltron, the weight plays a factor with plastic flexibility. The more weight you have near the top of the robot the more it flexes over the lower extremities and causes balance issues. The more rigid you can the robot the better. Luckily, I am using all PLA so Astro should be fairly rigid.

*Edit: I can also make the parts with less infill to save on weight. Those ez-robot HDD servo are pretty torquey so it shouldn’t be too bad.
Canada
#17  
You should revisit my idea about putting the batteries in the shoes, that much weight at the very bottom makes walking more stable.
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