Preliminary Design of a Robot :: Robotics

Preliminary Design Though my prototype serves the same function as the production version will, the production version will visually be a totally different robot. While testing my robot, I identified numerous problems the design of my prototype that could not easily have been fixed. To fix these problems, completely new materials will be required as well. Since it is likely that my robot would be used by disabled people(most probably with poor motor control), it is necessary that the robot is durable, and safe to use. The outer shell will be made out of aluminum, since it is a relatively light and cheap metal. It is important that the robot weighs as little as possible, so it does not require large motors, which will increase the cost and overall size of the robot. Since aluminum often has sharp edges, the robot will be covered in padding to reduce the risk of injury from operation, and act as a shock absorber if the robot is struck by an object or dropped. The other, more obvious difference will be that the real version of my robot will be controlled by a circuit board, instead of an RCX control brick. This will allow the use of many different sensors and motors, and surprisingly will also be considerably cheaper. The other important difference is that the real version of my robot will write using a robotic arm instead of moving as whole. However, the robot will still be able to move for convenience. Just like the RCX, it will have computer connectivity, except that it will have a wired connection for higher speed and lower cost. Materials and Prototype Design Parts List: Many standard Lego parts 3 Motors 8, 16, 24, and 40-tooth gears One Touch Sensor 1 RCX 1 Black Crayola Marker My robot is divided into 3 basic parts (not including the RCX brick). Below the RCX, brick, I have the standard wheel structure with the standard gear configuration. There are eighttooth gears on both motors, connected to the wheels with forty-tooth gears for maximum torque. I have also used the standard medium-sized, flat tires in the front since they perform well. However, there are no rear wheels; Instead, the back of my robot is supported by bare forty-tooth gears, which has caused no problems. The reason why I have this odd wheel setup is because I originally built legs for my robot, but switched to wheels after finding that the legs had extremely little traction. The second, and most complicated part of my robot is the marker-lowering mechanism. This mechanism is comprised of a motor, a very large set of gears, and a platform that slides on