Humanoids, Walkers & CrawlersIs your humanoid, walker or crawler trying to destroy the human civilization and you don't know what to do? Post about it here; we might be able to find a hammer:)
So this is just a bit of fun, but has been in the back of my mind for some time now, and seeing one of Zenta's videos prompted me to give it a go.
Using B.F.Hexapod with an additional floating pen attachment, and a utility I wrote to convert DXF files into translation commands for my p.Brain controller, I have got the start of a walking CNC router! Why... I don't know.. it just seemed like a good idea at the time!
I still have to add a small routing head and test the cutting capabilities, but you get the idea. Resolution of the work area is pretty low, somewhere between 7 & 8 bit, with about 0.5mm repeatability, so it's never going to make precision parts! Also I have only implemented straight lines within the p.Brain, so the utility converts arcs and circles into segments.
One obvious improvement to resolution & repeatability is to have a work surface (in this case paper) that doesn't move around, in this video the only thing holding the paper in place.. is the hexapod's feet. In order to keep the router out of the way while walking, I plan on attaching a servo to the router head to swing the head from a horizontal to vertical position. Or maybe I will have come to my senses by then!! If I'm really mad I could try some 3D milling.. as technically the hexapod Is a 6 axis CNC machine.
Holy cow, if you can get this thing to do CNC routing then it might be able to make its own parts. Replace the router with a screwdriver and it's capable of assembling the parts into other robots. Which means you've got a walking CNC machine that can reproduce itself. Speaking of which, have you ever heard of the reprap project? reprap.org
Also, how much Z-displacement can you get with it?
And instead of using a router, why not use a 3d print head(also known as an extruder) and turn it into a 3d printer? You can buy a simple one, capable of extruding epoxy silicone, for about $20. http://www.evilmadscientist.com/arti.../fabricpainter http://www.instructables.com/id/Buil...er-from-Legos/
Or you can take a piece of pipe, put end caps on it, connect an air hose to one end and an nozzle to the other, and connect the air hose to an air pump. If you heat up the pipe, you can extrude plastics.
You might also want to check and see if the pen is held in tight, as this might be causing the inaccuracy.
Might I also remind you that if you make a self-replicating walking robot with a router on it,
Holy cow, if you can get this thing to do CNC routing then it might be able to make its own parts. Replace the router with a screwdriver and it's capable of assembling the parts into other robots. Which means you've got a walking CNC machine that can reproduce itself. Speaking of which, have you ever heard of the reprap project? reprap.org
Also, how much Z-displacement can you get with it?
And instead of using a router, why not use a 3d print head(also known as an extruder) and turn it into a 3d printer? You can buy a simple one, capable of extruding epoxy silicone, for about $20. http://www.evilmadscientist.com/arti.../fabricpainter http://www.instructables.com/id/Buil...er-from-Legos/
Or you can take a piece of pipe, put end caps on it, connect an air hose to one end and an nozzle to the other, and connect the air hose to an air pump. If you heat up the pipe, you can extrude plastics.
You might also want to check and see if the pen is held in tight, as this might be causing the inaccuracy.
Might I also remind you that if you make a self-replicating walking robot with a router on it,
Hi,
The Z travel and working area very much depends on the hexapod and the configuration I use. At the moment, I have about 60mm sq working area, and about 50mm Z travel, although I'm only using about 8mm Z in this first test.
I have been contacted by one of the reprap members, and it looks like a very interesting project, I like the idea of a 3D printing head also!
Any chance of making this public? I would love to know how to convert DXF into g-code...
- Jon
Hi Jon,
I'm converting basic DXF files, lines, arcs and circles only straight into a format that can be read by my hexapod. I haven't looked at G-Code yet, but it would be better to convert G-Code files.
I will look at posting the DXF code on my site when I get time.
Linear Mode
