For the last decade or more I've been working on a series of large robots with articulated arms. I just finished the latest version, ARMadeus Mk7. Considered mid-size compared to some of its descendents, it measures 48" tall and weighs 112 pounds. Some of the main components include:
(3) 12V DC gear motors (4) Servos (6) 12V linear actuators (4) IFI Victor 12V speed controllers (2) Sabertooth 2x12 speed controllers (2) IFI Spike H-Bridge relay modules (1) Audio player (1) video camera w/ 2.4GHz transmitter
There are two common features that I consider essential when designing large-scale robots, adjustability and modularity. All of the ARMadeus robots have been built using 80/20 aluminum t-slotted extrusions and joining plates. It allows for flexibility in repositioning parts without having to drill holes. The first picture shows the lower 21" wide x 32" long lower chassis and drive train.
Here's a closeup of one of the drive units, consisting of an NPC 2212 12V 285 rpm gear motor and 2 AndyMark 6" HiGrip wheels.
The rear wheel assembly uses an AndyMark 6" Omni wheel.
On one side of the chassis is the main power switch/120 Amp circuit breaker. A blue LED light tube for effect lighting can be seen just under the chassis rail.
The robot is powered by 12V 17AH Sealed Lead Acid battery. The 15 lb battery is mounted horizontally on a tray near the back of the robot and acts a counterweight when the robot arms and torso are fully extended.
Front and rear Parallax PING sensors are mounted on tilting brackets as shown below.
I will post pictures of the remaining subsystems and the completed robot during the next few days.
Other robots from Synthiam community
Rich's Jarvis Add-On #1
Rb550f's Jo Robosapien Project
Johnny 5 is alive! What an awesome robot - just like the others, I cant wait to see a video of the robot in action! Very impressive work! Thanks for sharing with us!
HOLY COW! Super impressive! Really well made! I bet it was a dent in the wallet to get it that good.
Jim, that is Utterly Incredible! You answered my questions with the additional posts. Thanks,
WOW! I know I don't have talent like that. Awesome job!
I'm glad other builders like this project. I am equally inspired by the work of others. I diligently follow all the project showcase posts in the endless search for new ideas and sources of parts. It would have been impossible to fund a project of this magnitude all at once. I've been working on different versions of ARMadeus since 2000. Each year or so I'll recycle parts from earlier versions and add a few new ones. This helps keep the incremental costs under control.
Like all its ancestors ARMadeus Mk7 is destined for a short life. I'm already making plans for it to morph into the Mk8. I want to maintain much of the arm functionality but reduce the overall weight by 25-30 pounds. To accomplish this I'm considering trading the overall Johnny 5ish appearance for something more orthogonal Dalek like. The tentative plans include:
-Removing the torso, head, dual upper arm segments and 3 linear actuators. Majority of weight savings -Extending the height of the upper chassis. Now the hip joint becomes the shoulder joint -Creating a single 8" wide center upper arm with 2 independent forearms. Approximately 10 lbs savings -Increasing range of motion of each forearm -Attaching a video camera to each forearm. Video mux is already installed in the backpack -Adding text-to-speech and audio mixer to the sound system -Adding an extra DOF to the servo gripper. Reuse head pan servo gearbox for wrist pitch movement
These modifications will allow me to keep the drive train and chassis intact while freeing up interior space and extra digital ports for things I haven't even thought of yet. I might even be able to keep pace with the improvements DJ is constantly making to the EZB but, I doubt it.
Looks super cool. Hope to see videos of it or Mk8.
Sweet jim , I look forward to you making him more compact.
It looks like you have a few linear actuators. What was the model and price and where did you get them?
The rest seems pretty standard stuff. But, BOY do you have talent!
P.S. Sorry, my bad. You listed it earlier. Duh!
:D