‘Stompy’: A Six-Legged, Ridable Robot Could Be Coming to a Terrain Near You
- Posted on August 16, 2012 at 11:59pm by
Liz Klimas
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TheBlaze has seen Kickstarter — an alternative fundraising website — gain funding through donations for projects like high-tech businesswear and a Ron Paul-themed video game, but this latest takes the tech to a whole new level.
It has six legs, is 18-feet wide, weighs 4,000 pounds and you can ride it — rather, you will be able to ride it once it’s fully built. The giant hexapod robot called “Stompy” being created by the folks at Project Hexapod has surpassed its funding goal on Kickstarter of $65,000 to make this project a reality and still has 16 days of funding to go, so it’s bound to raise even more.
(Image: Project Hexapod/Kickstarter screenshot)
Stompy is described as a engine-powered hydraulic walking robot that can “walk over broken terrain that varies from mountainous areas, to rubble piles, to water up to 7 or 8 feet deep – everywhere existing ground vehicles can’t go.” In addition to being built with the potential for fun, the team writes on the Kickstarter site that they see the robot being used for things like rubble clean up, noting how long it has taken to clear the aftermath of Haiti’s earthquake more than two years ago.
Watch the project’s promo video:
Aside from being a robot you can ride, the creation of Stompy according to the Kickstarter site, will also “drive a personal robotics revolution” and lead to technology and techniques that “make large-scale robots easier to build.” The team will make the plans for the project open source in order to make both of these a reality:
Once we finish this robot, we’re releasing our plans, our CAD, our diagrams, the presentations from all the lectures we gave in class, our lists of materials and parts, everything. The construction and control techniques we’re using will drop the cost of controlled hydraulics by an order of magnitude or two from where they are now, and will make giant robots affordable to small groups of enthusiasts everywhere.
Here is a simulation of how the hexapod robot will work once fully constructed:
Check out this test of one of Stompy’s legs:
The hexapod robot is being constructed by a team of professional roboticists and students at Artisan’s Asylum (a community workshop) in Somerville, Mass.
If the project is able to raise $95,000, the creators say they will include sensors on the robot that will “accurately detect and respond to rough terrain, allowing for a smooth ride over a much greater variety of terrain.” The extra funding would also help them build in a capability for more speed and some autonomous movement. As of the time of this posting, funding has surpassed $70,600.
The team hopes to demo a finished product in May 2013.
Check out Stompy’s Kickstarter site for more information here. Read more about the project details on Project Hexapod here.
(H/T: Popular Science)
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HI_Don
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 10:17pmCould be cool, but looking at your computer simulation you already have one issue that for me would be a non-starter. Check out the amount of side to side tilt as the middle set of legs shift control. Even at slow speeds that would be pure motion sickness. At higher speeds it would be unbearable to riders. Get your math and your weight shifting under control so the “cockpit” of the vehicle remains 100% smooth even over fluid ground. Some fly-by wire sensors should be able to do the trick of sensing and correcting as each leg takes on the weight of the vehicle and adjusts alignment with the other legs in ground contact. This is why spiders don’t look like they are moving legs in a even rhythm when on uneven ground. They don’t lift a former weight bearing leg until stability is achieved on the new weight bearing legs to achieve balance. This causes a look of bursts and stutter steps to the leg speed, but the body of the spider remains moving smoothly.
Report Post »Kaoscontrol
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 12:32pmSorry guys! others beat you to this, and did a much better job: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS8WQMGcOvM
Report Post »DragoonChris
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 7:28pmNice effort to drag down someone else’s ambition, but whatever that was in the video you posted is not at all like the machine these people are trying to build.
Report Post »thegreatcarnac
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 12:10pmCarnac is not impressed.
Report Post »OuttheSocialist
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 11:06amI cannot believe this is being treated as a breakthrough for Rocket Scientists. The leg looks like it is off a small backhoe. When they get six of these legs working together and can offer a smooth ride over rough terrain with no more effort than driving a car, then I will give these guys some credit, but I don’t believe these wanna be engineers have it in them to do it.
Report Post »johnjamison
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 11:27amI already have vehicle that can climb vertical structure,sandy terrain,snow covered ridges and water hundreds of feet deep. BORN WITH IT
Report Post »THX-1138
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 10:41amWow that was unimpressive….
Report Post »loneindividual
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 8:34amthat leg is gonna break. it’ll probably hold together with enough support from the other legs…though I’m skeptical about this hold thing…cuz it looked like it wasn’t running smooth.
Report Post »Mr.Fitnah
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 6:38am“ to water up to 7 or 8 feet deep”
Report Post »Well which is it?
ldaopines
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 5:19amI love people who tinker, and robots facinate me. The “swarming” ones are intriguing.
Report Post »Logistician
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 5:11amThis is kind of neat; I’ve always wanted my own giant robot!
If you use them to clean up Haiti however, make sure they are bullet proof.
Report Post »JesterJay
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 4:45amSomebody has been watching too much “Wild Wild West”. It was dumb in that move and its dumb in real life.
Report Post »stumpy68
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 8:58amThese robots are being developed for use in uneven terrain
Report Post »where a wheeled robot would be unable to navigate.
lukerw
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 3:12amAnother SkyNet Vehicle… good for attacking Caves!
Report Post »FNGRNFAN
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 1:26amthis is going to sound stupid but i dont know where else to post this but google earth is 180 off as of 11:20 PM if you have it on your phone now the sun is rising now in the east in the U.S.
Report Post »Paul
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 12:52amWhat’s the point ?
Pathetic, Just my opinion…
Report Post »JUSTANOTHEROPINION
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 1:35amyeah. I’m with paul on this one.
Report Post »MonkeyBeagle
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 12:45amIn other news, More Treason is committed by our leaders. Remember to Vote! :)
Report Post »MonkeyBeagle
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 12:45amNot News worthy, let us know when they have a working prototype.
Report Post »LONGHOTSUMMER
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 12:35amAs long as they don‘t call him ’Stumpy’. I had a friend named ‘Lucky’ once. I’ll tell you about him sometime. This bugger looks more like Boris The Spider.
Report Post »DMENTED
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 1:01ami 8 a spyder 1nce eat wuz guud
Report Post »salvawhoray
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 12:08amweak as $hit.
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