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Time to arm the robots! No, not for world takeover. I'm talking about robotic arms. Digging through the stack of old robot stuff I ran across a photocopy of this ancient, August, 1980
series from Radio-Electronics.
The first article offers a neat, simple design for a robotic arm that seems relatively easy to build with some basic tools and careful techniques. Interesting excerpts are reproduced here for educational purposes.
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The elbow-forearm actuator is comprised of a large motor and threaded rod that pulls a on the midpoint of the forearm. The shoulder is actuated, I think, from a motor within the robot. Details on the design, dimensions, etc, are given below.
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To save weight, I suppose one could change the design to use aluminum tube instead of steel rod for the side rods. They're available from home improvement stores, hardware stores, and online shops.
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Some parts (right) need to be machined, unless one comes up with a simpler way to fabricate them. If so, I think all that's really needed is a drill press, a way to ensure drilling a hole through the center of a rod, a cutoff saw, some hand tools, and a tap or two.
An electronics article from the 80's would be good for a chuckle. But since motor and mechanical technology haven't changed all that much, I submit that these 30 year old plans are still relevant for the modern robot builder.
Oh man! The unicorn-1 was awesome. I've got the original RE issues in a box in the attic. Thanks for reminding me of this.
ReplyDeleteBrings back memories, that was my first robot.
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