LarvaBot
September 2021 - Present
Stage 1: Hardware
September 2021 - December 2021
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Designed and built a compliant robot imitating the motion of worms, driving with 8 motors controlled by a Raspberry Pi.
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Program with python to move straight, turn and dance, with simple sinusoidal actuation patterns.
December 2022 - Expected March 2022
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Adding sensors with I2C protocol.
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Programing ROS2 nodes (for sensors and motors) and controllers in C++ to do better in moving straight, turning, and combined, also odometer and obstacle avoidance.
Stage 3: Intelligence
Future
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Train kinematic models of the head related to the body, and add a camera at the front.
- SLAM.
- Explore more about what it can do.
Skill Used:
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SolidWorks
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Topological Optimization
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3D Printing
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Linux
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Python
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C++
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ROS2
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I2C Protocol
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Control Theory
Hardware and Motion Achieved after Stage 1
Stage 1: Hardware
Gallary of LarvaBot
How It Works
Circuit:
Motion of Compliant Body:
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As tendons pulled by servos (red arrows), the compliant body bends (blue arrows). There are 3 DOF for each compliant body
Conceptual Sketches
Sketch of LarvaBot Idea 1: The Finally Chosen Sketch
Sketch of LarvaBot Idea 2
Preliminary CAD Draft
Render of Preliminary Design
Animation of Walking Motion
Exploded View of Preliminary Design
Detailed CAD
Render of Detailed Design
Topological Optimization of Head and Neck
Detail Render of Compliant Body and Head Joint
3D Print Parts
3D Printing with Ender-3 Printer
Using Mouse Ear to Prevent Warping at Corners
Assemble LarvaBot
Assembling LarvaBot
Final Assembly
Write Code and Use Raspberry Pi to Run
Wrote and Ran Control Code on Raspberry Pi OS with Python
Simulation with PyBullet
Actuating LarvaBot in PyBullet
Stage 2: Software
Conceptual Design and Setup
Switched to Ubuntu Server OS to be More Efficient
Sensor Communication
Checking I2C Addresses
Testing Sensor Modules
Motor and Control
Coming soon, please stay tuned...