1.6 - Conclusion and Future Work
Accomplishments
Overall, our project was success. We originally went into our project with the objective of creating a mechanism that could climb a wall while keeping horizontal distances and vertical distances constant. The ultimate goal was for this mechanism to be expanded upon for climbing rocks with varying distances and angles of the wall, but for the scope of the project, the focus was limited to a constant distances and angles. Our robot was able to scale the wall at a 35 degree angle independently hence our project was a success.
Future Work and Improvements
There are several major improvements that could be made to the design, such as:
For our final design, we should have used a D shaft to limit slipping of joints while scaling the wall.
This would simplify assembly, and would also allow easier adjustments (no permanent bonding)
Given a greater budget, metal inserts and bearings anywhere the shaft interacts with the robot would lower friction, make our tolerances significantly better, and ensure the torque is transmitted without damaging components.
Future work would be required to redesign the robot such that the “ground” links are actually able to pivot at their base, and additional linear actuators would allow us to actively alter our gait.
Create a jig to ensure that the links are correctly shifted by 180 degrees from each other to ensure the robot walks as simulated.
Use thinner acrylic where possible, use less batteries if possible, use smaller shafts if possible, use a lighter motor if possible, and cut speed holes out from any large acrylic features seeing no load. All of these would significantly lighten the robot, alleviating torque-based design constraints and providing easier testing.
Lessons Learned
We learned to leave ample time for assembly and testing because both aspects took much longer than expected and we had several major issues to be fixed. Additionally, we learnt the importance of ordering parts ahead of time so we had enough time to test and assemble.
We learned the importance of creating small-scale test assemblies, because these teach you very early own where you should make major design changes that will be almost impossible to make later.
Even with ample planning time, we had to revise our plan when we realized that belts were slipping and we had to pivot our design to use acrylic gears instead.
Tips For Future Groups
Start as early as you can and spend enough time prototyping and assembling.
Do no save electronics for last minute, as often times motors/motor controllers might be fried and might not work as expected.
If manufacturing at TIW, plan ahead as lines close to project deadlines are very long.
Create a realistic proposal that can be accomplished by the end of the semester. There are no extra points for a hard project.
Attend check-in’s and talk to TA’s about issues you are facing. TA’s can give great advice!
Acknowledgements
This project was challenging but rewarding and we would like to thank Professor Symmank, Connor Henning, Mila Wetz, and the Texas Inventionworks for helping us along the way. We received invaluable feedback, advice, and tools from Professor Symmank and the TA team that helped our project succeed. Additionally, we would like to thank Texas Inventionworks for being a one stop shop for all our 3D printing, laser cutting, and electronics needs.